Records: the Bohemian Rebellion

## **The Unchristian Christmas**

Recently-deceased Charles IV's pro-France policy had led to dissociation with English Lollardy and reformed Rome, both of which were hot topics and populist movements in Bohemia. Charles IV was related to French King Charles V (the French Charles was the Bohemian Emperor's nephew).

When the French king went on his Fear and Loathing recruitment tour, he got his uncle to commit Kingdom of Burgundy troops to the cause, driving a deeper wedge between the increasingly protestant Bohemians and their spiritual sources. This alone had driven Bohemia into a low-grade civil war, where the locals were known for being "very passionate" about the issues of the day.

Nor did the Bohemians buy into the Satanic connection of magic, but were increasingly sold on the Arthur-Merlin narrative, especially as associated stories came out of England.

When the Battle of Calais was decided so decisively that Charles IV fled, there was now popular perception of a risk that a magic-armed army was going march across Europe and wipe out the kingdom that delivered allies to France

### **Royal Pain**

At the passage of Wenceslaus in the Battle of Calais, the Crown of Bohemia instead passed to second son Sigismund. At the time, Sigismund was also Margrave of Brandenburg, a position that happened to be a Prince-elector in the Holy Roman Empire (which was now engulfed in a wide-spread, mostly-low grade civil war).

As Crown of Bohemia, that also gave Sigismund a second vote (out of seven), which was why he'd been obligated to travel to Frankfurt to cast a vote. In all fairness, he was a tender 10-years old with few true protectors. The Bohemian nobility, led by the House of Rosenberg, were stalwart Bohemians, and their goals were more localized peace and order than anything else.

John of Görlitz, Sigismund's younger brother, was acting Duke of Görlitz, but as he was seven years old, this was an effective regency. Not that it stopped the need for their presence, and at the time, the boys were together under the care of a Rosenberg processional as they tried to help keep the peace in these northern lands of the House of Luxembourg.

### **Mid-December Madness**

As the Luxembourg-Rosenberg caravan made it to Frankfurt, an Imperial Free City, riots were taking place because of the rights granted – and taken right back as they were mortgaged away to local nobility.

What should've been safety in numbers was instead a highly-visible target, and the sons of the emperor who'd gone back on his deal was now riding through town. The Luxembourg-Rosenberg processional was attacked by the rioting crowd and destroyed.

The Kingdom of Bohemia was now without a designated successor. The House of Rosenberg had just lost their leadership, a blow to the overall Bohemian nobility. Likewise, Brandenburg and Görlitz were both without leadership, as was (technically) the crusader states of Prussia and Livonia.

Still, the lands of the Bohemian Crown had no shortage of claimants. To the east, the March of Moravia was divided between Jobst (younger brother of Charles IV) and Procopius. From the west, Wenceslaus I, Duke of Luxembourg (and half-brother to Charles IV), staked his claim – though was currently dealing with the post-Calais ire of England and Aquitaine.

## **The Darling Daughter**

The closest should've had the best shot, but Jobst had his own significant ambitions and they included more warfare in the middle of an already boiling maelstrom. The Bohemian nobility that might've otherwise accepted him, instead preemptively rebelled against his claims, not wanting to overextend themselves by sending troops marching off when other troops were marching right past.

In the HRE spirit of electing an emperor, the Bohemian nobility elected to recognize Anne of Bohemia, Charles IV's eldest single daughter, as Queen regnant (ruling suo jure). Not that they were suddenly willing to submit to the dictates of a 12-year old girl, but they were willing to set her up as a figurehead and get her married off to someone who would keep the peace in Bohemia.

Given her charm and grace at having been raised in the Bohemian court, and a dowry of Bohemia itself, there were instantly suitors. Bohemia came with baggage of rival claimants, but with the nobility semi-united behind her, had a legitimate and credible claim.

### **Sending her Safely Away**

The road had not been kind to Sigismund or John, but staying in Prague wasn't going to be much better as long as Jobst was within striking distance. Jobst couldn't fight all the nobility, but if he took out their figurehead, he became the only local alternative.

This led to the House of Rosenberg sending their young queen *west* to reside safely in a court where Jobst could not strike, where she would be informed of events at home, her rulings sought – and where she could search for a champion for Bohemia.

By this point, it was late February, 1379. Word was just coming in that Wenceslaus of Luxembourg had fallen and Edward IV was circling around Paris. The Parisian court wasn't a great option. Heading east wasn't any better. England, though, was intriguing.

The Bohemians were still enamored with the Lollard movement and were increasingly entranced by stories of Merlin's Magic. Rumor had it that Catarina Visconti had the inside track on Crown Prince Edward, but the court of Bordeaux was intriguing...