The 14th century marked a Golden Age in Czech history, especially during the reign of Charles IV. This era began after the extinction of the Přemyslid dynasty in 1306, leading to John of Luxembourg’s election as Bohemian king. John married Elisabeth, daughter of the last Přemyslid king, securing his claim. However, John was unpopular, as he spent little time in Bohemia, engaging in military campaigns across Europe until his death in 1346 at the Battle of Crécy. His son, Charles IV, succeeded him, ushering in a period of unprecedented growth and influence for Bohemia.
Charles IV had a cosmopolitan upbringing at the French court and brought that sensibility to his rule. He elevated Prague’s religious and political importance, making it the seat of an independent archbishopric in 1344 and consolidating the Bohemian kingdom by formalizing its core territories—Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, and Lusatia—under the Crown of Bohemia. Charles established Prague as an Imperial capital, expanded it by founding the New Town, and initiated major building projects, including the reconstruction of Prague Castle. In 1348, he founded Charles University, the first university in Central Europe, intending it as an international center of learning.
In 1355, Charles traveled to Rome, where he was crowned Holy Roman Emperor, a position he held until his death in 1378. His Golden Bull of 1356 codified the election process for future emperors and strengthened Bohemia’s role within the Holy Roman Empire, granting its king a place among the Empire’s seven electors. Charles also secured the electoral title of Brandenburg for his family, giving the Luxembourgs additional influence in Imperial politics.
Charles was succeeded by his son, Wenceslas IV, whose reign was marked by instability. Wenceslas lacked his father’s leadership skills, and his inability to resolve the Papal Schism led to his deposition as King of the Romans in 1400. His half-brother, Sigismund, later took up the imperial cause. Sigismund convened the Council of Constance, which condemned reformist Jan Hus. Hus’s execution in 1415 ignited the Hussite Wars, religious conflicts that shook the region for years. Although the wars formally ended in 1434, tensions persisted, with Sigismund finally recognized as Bohemian king shortly before his death in 1437. This marked the end of the Luxembourg dynasty’s rule in Bohemia, closing a chapter of Bohemia’s Golden Age.