John I of Bohemia
Encyclopedia
John the Blind (10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346) was the Count of Luxembourg from 1309 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of Poland. He was the eldest son of the Holy Roman Emperor
Henry VII
and his wife Margaret of Brabant
. He is well known for having died while fighting in the Battle of Crécy
at age 50, after having been blind for a decade.
Before he died in battle, he was reported to have said: "Let it never be the case that a Bohemian king runs [from a fight]!"
, John was French by education, but deeply involved in the politics of Germany. In 1310 his father arranged the marriage of the 14-year-old with Elisabeth from the Přemyslid dynasty
, sister of the deceased King Wenceslaus III of Bohemia
. John campaigned in Bohemia and was elected king by deposition of Henry of Carinthia, he thereby became one of the seven prince-elector
s of the Holy Roman Empire
and - in succession of Wenceslaus III - claimant to the Polish and Hungarian
throne. His attempts to follow his father as King of the Romans
failed with the election of Louis IV of Wittelsbach
in 1314. He later would support Louis in his rivalry with Frederick the Fair of Habsburg, culminating in the 1322 Battle of Mühldorf
and in return he received the Egerland
as a reward.
Like his predecessor Henry, he was disliked by much of the Czech nobility. John was considered to be an "alien king" and soon gave up the administration of Bohemia and embarked on a life of travel, spending time in Luxembourg and the French court. His travels took him to Silesia
, Poland, Lithuania
, Tyrol
, Northern Italy
and Papal Avignon
. A rival of King Władysław I the Elbow-high to the Polish crown, John supported the Teutonic Knights
in the Polish–Teutonic War
from 1326 to 1332. He also made several Silesian dukes
swear an oath of allegiance to him. In 1335 in Congress of Visegrád
, Władysław's successor King Casimir III the Great of Poland paid a significant amount of money in exchange for John's giving up his claim to the Polish throne.
John lost his eyesight at age 39 or 40 from ophthalmia
in 1336, while crusading in Lithuania. A treatment by the famous physician Guy de Chauliac
had no positive effects. At the outbreak of the Hundred Years' War
in 1337 he allied with King Philip VI of France
and even was governor of Languedoc
from 30 November 1338 to November 1340. He was killed at age 50 in 1346, while fighting alongside the French against the English
at the Battle of Crécy
. The medieval chronicler Jean Froissart
left the following account of John's last actions:
After the battle, legend states that John's personal crest
(a pair of black wings) and motto
Ich dien ("I Serve") were adopted in slightly modified form by Edward, the Black Prince
, and since then they have been part of the badge
of the Prince of Wales
.
John was succeeded as King of Bohemia
by his eldest son Charles (later Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
). In Luxembourg
, he was succeeded by his son by his second wife, Wenceslaus
.
The manner of his death gave rise to the obsolescent idiom, "to fight like King John of Bohemia", meaning "to fight blindly".
("New-Minster Abbey") in Luxembourg. During the confusion of the French Revolution
the mortal remains were salvaged by the Boch industrialist family (founders of Villeroy & Boch
, ennobled in 1892) and hidden in an attic room in Mettlach
on the Saar River. The legend has it that the monks of the abbey asked Pierre-Joseph Boch for this favor.
His son Jean-François Boch met with Prince Frederick William of Prussia
on his voyage through the Rhineland
in 1833 offering the remains as a gift. As Prince Frederick considered John the Blind to be one of his ancestors he ordered Karl Friedrich Schinkel
to construct a funeral chapel. The chapel was built in 1834 and 1835 near Kastel-Staadt
on a rock above the town. In 1838 on the anniversary of his death John the Blind was laid in a black marble Sarcophagus
in a public ceremony.
In 1945 the Luxembourg government took the chance to obtain possession of the bones. In a cloak and dagger operation the remains were moved to the crypt of the Notre-Dame Cathedral, Luxembourg
. The tomb reads
He was married twice:
First, to Elisabeth of Bohemia (1292–1330). In this marriage he had the following children:
Second (December 1334), to Beatrice of Bourbon
, daughter of Louis I, Duke of Bourbon
. This marriage produced one son:
His illegitimate son Nicolaus was Patriarch of Aquileia
from 1350 to 1358.
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
Henry VII
Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry VII was the King of Germany from 1308 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1312. He was the first emperor of the House of Luxembourg...
and his wife Margaret of Brabant
Margaret of Brabant
Margaret of Brabant , was the daughter of John I, Duke of Brabant and Margaret of Flanders. She was the wife of Count Henry of Luxemburg and after his coronation in 1308, she became Queen of Germany.-Family:...
. He is well known for having died while fighting in the Battle of Crécy
Battle of Crécy
The Battle of Crécy took place on 26 August 1346 near Crécy in northern France, and was one of the most important battles of the Hundred Years' War...
at age 50, after having been blind for a decade.
Before he died in battle, he was reported to have said: "Let it never be the case that a Bohemian king runs [from a fight]!"
Life
Raised in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, John was French by education, but deeply involved in the politics of Germany. In 1310 his father arranged the marriage of the 14-year-old with Elisabeth from the Přemyslid dynasty
Premyslid dynasty
The Přemyslids , were a Czech royal dynasty which reigned in Bohemia and Moravia , and partly also in Hungary, Silesia, Austria and Poland.-Legendary rulers:...
, sister of the deceased King Wenceslaus III of Bohemia
Wenceslaus III of Bohemia
Wenceslaus III Premyslid was the King of Hungary , King of Bohemia and the king of Poland ....
. John campaigned in Bohemia and was elected king by deposition of Henry of Carinthia, he thereby became one of the seven prince-elector
Prince-elector
The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
s of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
and - in succession of Wenceslaus III - claimant to the Polish and Hungarian
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
throne. His attempts to follow his father as King of the Romans
King of the Romans
King of the Romans was the title used by the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire following his election to the office by the princes of the Kingdom of Germany...
failed with the election of Louis IV of Wittelsbach
Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Louis IV , called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was the King of Germany from 1314, the King of Italy from 1327 and the Holy Roman Emperor from 1328....
in 1314. He later would support Louis in his rivalry with Frederick the Fair of Habsburg, culminating in the 1322 Battle of Mühldorf
Battle of Mühldorf
The Battle of Mühldorf was fought near Mühldorf am Inn on September 28, 1322 between the Duchy of Bavaria and Austria...
and in return he received the Egerland
Egerland
The Egerland is a historical region in the far north west of Bohemia in the Czech Republic at the border with Germany. It is named after the German name Eger for the city of Cheb and the main river Ohře...
as a reward.
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
, Poland, Lithuania
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th /13th century until 1569 and then as a constituent part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1791 when Constitution of May 3, 1791 abolished it in favor of unitary state. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic...
, Tyrol
County of Tyrol
The County of Tyrol, Princely County from 1504, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1814 a province of the Austrian Empire and from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary...
, Northern Italy
Kingdom of Italy (medieval)
The Kingdom of Italy was a political entity under control of Carolingian dynasty of Francia first, after the defeat of the Lombards in 774. It was finally incorporated as a part of the Holy Roman Empire in 962....
and Papal Avignon
Avignon Papacy
The Avignon Papacy was the period from 1309 to 1376 during which seven Popes resided in Avignon, in modern-day France. This arose from the conflict between the Papacy and the French crown....
. A rival of King Władysław I the Elbow-high to the Polish crown, John supported the Teutonic Knights
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
in the Polish–Teutonic War
Polish–Teutonic War (1326–1332)
Polish–Teutonic War was the war between the Kingdom of Poland and the State of the Teutonic Order over Pomerelia, fought from 1326 to 1332.-Background:...
from 1326 to 1332. He also made several Silesian dukes
Duchies of Silesia
The Duchies of Silesia resulted from divisions of the original Duchy of Silesia after 1138.In accordance with the last will and testament of Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth, the Kingdom of Poland was, upon his death in 1138, divided into five hereditary provinces distributed among his sons, including...
swear an oath of allegiance to him. In 1335 in Congress of Visegrád
Congress of Visegrád (1335)
The first Congress of Visegrád was a 1335 summit in Visegrád in which Casimir III of Poland, Charles I of Hungary, and John I of Bohemia formed an anti-Habsburg alliance...
, Władysław's successor King Casimir III the Great of Poland paid a significant amount of money in exchange for John's giving up his claim to the Polish throne.
John lost his eyesight at age 39 or 40 from ophthalmia
Ophthalmia
Ophthalmia is inflammation of the eye. It is a medical sign which may be indicative of various conditions, including sympathetic ophthalmia , gonococcal ophthalmia, trachoma or "Egyptian" ophthalmia, ophthalmia neonatorum ,...
in 1336, while crusading in Lithuania. A treatment by the famous physician Guy de Chauliac
Guy de Chauliac
Guy de Chauliac or Guigonis de Caulhaco was a French physician and surgeon who wrote a lengthy and influential treatise on surgery in Latin, titled Chirurgia Magna...
had no positive effects. At the outbreak of the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
in 1337 he allied with King Philip VI of France
Philip VI of France
Philip VI , known as the Fortunate and of Valois, was the King of France from 1328 to his death. He was also Count of Anjou, Maine, and Valois from 1325 to 1328...
and even was governor of Languedoc
Languedoc
Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² .-Geographical Extent:The traditional...
from 30 November 1338 to November 1340. He was killed at age 50 in 1346, while fighting alongside the French against the English
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
at the Battle of Crécy
Battle of Crécy
The Battle of Crécy took place on 26 August 1346 near Crécy in northern France, and was one of the most important battles of the Hundred Years' War...
. The medieval chronicler Jean Froissart
Jean Froissart
Jean Froissart , often referred to in English as John Froissart, was one of the most important chroniclers of medieval France. For centuries, Froissart's Chronicles have been recognized as the chief expression of the chivalric revival of the 14th century Kingdom of England and France...
left the following account of John's last actions:
...for all that he was nigh blind, when he understood the order of the battle, he said to them about him: 'Where is the lord Charles my son?' His men said: 'Sir, we cannot tell; we think he be fighting.' Then he said: 'Sirs, ye are my men, my companions and friends in this journey: I require you bring me so far forward, that I may strike one stroke with my sword.' They said they would do his commandment, and to the intent that they should not lose him in the press, they tied all their reins of their bridles each to other and set the king before to accomplish his desire, and so they went on their enemies. The lord Charles of Bohemia his son, who wrote himself king of Almaine and bare the arms, he came in good order to the battle; but when he saw that the matter went awry on their party, he departed, I cannot tell you which way. The king his father was so far forward that he strake a stroke with his sword, yea and more than four, and fought valiantly and so did his company; and they adventured themselves so forward, that they were there all slain, and the next day they were found in the place about the king, and all their horses tied each to other.
After the battle, legend states that John's personal crest
Crest (heraldry)
A crest is a component of an heraldic display, so called because it stands on top of a helmet, as the crest of a jay stands on the bird's head....
(a pair of black wings) and motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
Ich dien ("I Serve") were adopted in slightly modified form by Edward, the Black Prince
Edward, the Black Prince
Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, Prince of Aquitaine, KG was the eldest son of King Edward III of England and his wife Philippa of Hainault as well as father to King Richard II of England....
, and since then they have been part of the badge
Prince of Wales's feathers
The Prince of Wales's feathers is the heraldic badge of the Heir Apparent to the British and Commonwealth Realms thrones. It consists of three white feathers emerging from a gold coronet. A ribbon below the coronet bears the motto Ich dien...
of the Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
.
John was succeeded as King of Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
by his eldest son Charles (later Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
). In Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
, he was succeeded by his son by his second wife, Wenceslaus
Wenceslaus I, Duke of Luxembourg
Wenceslaus I was the first Duke of Luxembourg from 1355...
.
The manner of his death gave rise to the obsolescent idiom, "to fight like King John of Bohemia", meaning "to fight blindly".
Funeral
The body of John the Blind was moved to Kloster Altmünster ("Old-Minster Abbey") in Luxembourg. When the abbey was destroyed in 1543 the corpse was moved to Kloster NeumünsterNeumünster Abbey
Neumünster Abbey is a public meeting place and cultural centre, located in the Grund district of Luxembourg City in southern Luxembourg. After the original Benedictine Abbey on the Altmünster Plateau had been destroyed in 1542, the monks built a new abbey or Neumünster in 1606 in the Grund...
("New-Minster Abbey") in Luxembourg. During the confusion of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
the mortal remains were salvaged by the Boch industrialist family (founders of Villeroy & Boch
Villeroy & Boch
Villeroy & Boch is a large manufacturer of ceramics with the company headquarters located in Mettlach, Germany.-Company history:The company began in the tiny French village of Audun le Tiche, where François Boch set up a pottery company with his three sons in 1748. Later, the company moved to...
, ennobled in 1892) and hidden in an attic room in Mettlach
Mettlach
Mettlach is a municipality in the district Merzig-Wadern, in Saarland, Germany. It is situated on the river Saar, approx. 7 km northwest of Merzig, and 30 km south of Trier.Villeroy & Boch's headquarters are in Mettlach....
on the Saar River. The legend has it that the monks of the abbey asked Pierre-Joseph Boch for this favor.
His son Jean-François Boch met with Prince Frederick William of Prussia
Frederick William IV of Prussia
|align=right|Upon his accession, he toned down the reactionary policies enacted by his father, easing press censorship and promising to enact a constitution at some point, but he refused to enact a popular legislative assembly, preferring to work with the aristocracy through "united committees" of...
on his voyage through the Rhineland
Rhineland
Historically, the Rhinelands refers to a loosely-defined region embracing the land on either bank of the River Rhine in central Europe....
in 1833 offering the remains as a gift. As Prince Frederick considered John the Blind to be one of his ancestors he ordered Karl Friedrich Schinkel
Karl Friedrich Schinkel
Karl Friedrich Schinkel was a Prussian architect, city planner, and painter who also designed furniture and stage sets. Schinkel was one of the most prominent architects of Germany and designed both neoclassical and neogothic buildings.-Biography:Schinkel was born in Neuruppin, Margraviate of...
to construct a funeral chapel. The chapel was built in 1834 and 1835 near Kastel-Staadt
Kastel-Staadt
Kastel-Staadt is a municipality in the Trier-Saarburg district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....
on a rock above the town. In 1838 on the anniversary of his death John the Blind was laid in a black marble Sarcophagus
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
in a public ceremony.
In 1945 the Luxembourg government took the chance to obtain possession of the bones. In a cloak and dagger operation the remains were moved to the crypt of the Notre-Dame Cathedral, Luxembourg
Notre-Dame Cathedral, Luxembourg
Notre-Dame Cathedral is the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. It was originally a Jesuit church, and its cornerstone was laid in 1613....
. The tomb reads
Quotes
According to the Cronica ecclesiae pragensis benesii krabice de weitmile, before he died at the Battle of Crécy, he said: "With God's help it will never be that a Bohemian king would run from a fight!"Family and children
First, to Elisabeth of Bohemia (1292–1330). In this marriage he had the following children:
- Margaret of Bohemia (8 July 1313–11 July 1341, PraguePraguePrague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
), married in StraubingStraubingStraubing is an independent city in Lower Bavaria, southern Germany. It is seat of the district of Straubing-Bogen. Annually in August the Gäubodenvolksfest, the second largest fair in Bavaria, is held....
12 August 1328 to Henry XIV, Duke of BavariaHenry XIV, Duke of BavariaHenry XIV, duke of Bavaria, as duke of Lower Bavaria also called Henry II., .- Family :He was a son of Stephen I, Duke of Bavaria and Jutta of Schweidnitz....
. - BonneBonne of BohemiaBonne of Luxemburg, Duchess of Normandy, Countess of Anjou and of Maine , was born Jutta , the daughter of John the Blind of Luxemburg, king of Bohemia and his first wife Elisabeth of Bohemia. She was the first wife of King John II of France; however, as her death occurred a year prior to his...
(21 May 1315–11 September 1349, Maubuisson), married in MelunMelunMelun is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Located in the south-eastern suburbs of Paris, Melun is the capital of the department, as the seat of an arrondissement...
6 August 1332 to King John II of FranceJohn II of FranceJohn II , called John the Good , was the King of France from 1350 until his death. He was the second sovereign of the House of Valois and is perhaps best remembered as the king who was vanquished at the Battle of Poitiers and taken as a captive to England.The son of Philip VI and Joan the Lame,...
. - Charles IVCharles IV, Holy Roman EmperorCharles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
(14 May 1316–29 November 1378), King of Bohemia and Holy Roman EmperorHoly Roman EmperorThe Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
. - Ottokar ("Otto") (22 November 1318–20 April 1320), Prince of Bohemia.
- John HenryJohn Henry, Margrave of MoraviaJohn Henry of Luxembourg, Czech: Jan Jindřich, German: Johann Heinrich , was Count of Tyrol from 1335 to 1341 and Margrave of Moravia from 1349 until his death....
(Jan Jindřich) (12 February 1322, MělníkMelnik-Places:Bulgaria* Melnik, Bulgaria, a town in Bulgaria* Shiroka Melnishka Losa, a Bulgarian wine grape also known as MelnikCzech Republic* Mělník, a townUnited States* Melnik, Wisconsin, an unincorporated community...
–12 November 1375), MargraveMargraveA margrave or margravine was a medieval hereditary nobleman with military responsibilities in a border province of a kingdom. Border provinces usually had more exposure to military incursions from the outside, compared to interior provinces, and thus a margrave usually had larger and more active...
of MoraviaMoraviaMoravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
. - AnnaAnne of Bohemia (1323–1338)Anne of Bohemia , also known as Anna of Luxembourg, was a daughter of John of Bohemia and his first wife, Elizabeth of Bohemia. Anne was a member of the House of Luxemburg.- Early Life and Family :...
(1323–3 September 1338), twin of Elizabeth, married 16 February 1335 to Otto, Duke of AustriaOtto, Duke of AustriaOtto IV, the Merry was a Duke of Austria and the youngest son of Albert I of Germany and Elisabeth of Tirol.Otto was born in Vienna. He had two brothers, namely Frederick the Handsome and Albert II...
. - Elizabeth (1323–1324), twin of Anna.
Second (December 1334), to Beatrice of Bourbon
Beatrice of Bourbon (1320-1383)
Beatrice of Bourbon was a French noblewoman member of the House of Bourbon and by marriage Queen of Bohemia and Countess of Luxembourg.She was the youngest daughter of Louis I, Duke of Bourbon and Mary of Avesnes.-Marriage:...
, daughter of Louis I, Duke of Bourbon
Louis I, Duke of Bourbon
Louis I de Bourbon, le Boiteux, the Lame was Count of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis and La Marche, and the first Duke of Bourbon.-Life:...
. This marriage produced one son:
- Wenceslaus I of Luxembourg (25 February 1337 - 7 December 1383), Duke of Luxembourg and BrabantDuke of BrabantThe Duchy of Brabant was formally erected in 1183/1184. The title "Duke of Brabant" was created by the German Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in favor of Henry I, son of Godfrey III of Leuven . The Duchy of Brabant was a feudal elevation of the since 1085/1086 existing title of Landgrave of Brabant...
.
His illegitimate son Nicolaus was Patriarch of Aquileia
Patriarch of Aquileia
The Patriarch of Aquileia was an office in the Roman Catholic Church. During the Middle Ages the Patriarchate of Aquileia was a temporal state in Northern Italy. The Patriarchate of Aquileia as a church office was suppressed in 1752....
from 1350 to 1358.