PRAGUE CITY LINE - Your Guide Through Prague

List of the crowned kings of Bohemia

It has been a long time since the first royal coronation was held in 1086 and many sovereigns had been sitting on the royal throne. Some of them more and some of them less influenced the history of our country. Now we would like to introduce the crowned heads on the Czech throne to you.

Vratislav II.
The Czech prince Vratislav II became the first king in the history of Bohemia in 1086 was the first to have this title. Beside the Czech throne he also occupied the Polish throne. The Přemyslid king died in 1092.

Vladislav I. (Vladislaus I)
Vladislav was born around 1110. He descended from the Přemyslid dynasty and he became the Prince of Bohemia in 1140. Later in 1158 he was crowned the King of Bohemia. It was his credit that Judith bridge was built over the river Vltava. Also the church of Virgin Mary under the Chain was built and the Strahov Monastery and other convents were founded during his reign. The king Vladislav I died in 1174.

Vladislav II (Vladislaus II)
The Prince of Bohemia Vladislav II was the second king from the Přemyslid dynasty. He sat on the throne in 1158. He died in 1174.

Přemysl Otakar I (Ottokar I)
Přemysl Otakar I. (Ottokar I)  He was the third king of the Přemyslid dynasty. He was crowned in 1198. His contribution to the history was that he ensured heritable title for his successors.

Václav I. (Wenceslaus I)
Václav I., the son of Přemysl Otakar I.,  became the forth king of Bohemia. He was born in 1205 and died in September 1253.

Přemysl Otakar II. (Ottokar II)
Přemysl Otakar II. was son of Václav I. and he was born in 1233. Be became familiar as the Iron and Golden King. He also became Duke of Austria, Styria, Carynthia and Carniola. He died in 1278.

The descendants of Přemysl Otakar II were: Václav II. (Wenceslaus II), Václav III. (Wenceslaus III), Jindřich Korutanský (Henry the Carinthian ) and Rudolf I. Habsburský (Rudolph I of Habsburg).

Jan Lucemburský (John of Luxembourg)
John of Luxembourg was born in 1296 in Luxembourg. He married Eliška Přemyslovna (Elisabeth of Přemyslid) in 1310, whereby he sat on the Czech throne. He was festively crowned in 1311. He left the Kingdom of Bohemia due to his arguments with aristocracy and he gave it up to his son Karel IV. (Charles IV) in 1333. He died in the Battle of Crécy in 1346.

Karel IV. Lucemburský (Charles IV of Luxembourg)
This very significant sovereign was born in 1316 to Jan Lucemburský (John of Luxembourg) and Eliška Přemyslovna (Elisabeth of Přemyslid). He gained many important titles during his life –  Margrave of Moravia, the King of Bohemia and the Holy Roman Emperor, which happened in 1355. He sat on the Czech throne as the King of Bohemia in 1346. He had merit in construction of many monuments in Prague such as Karlův most (Charles Bridge), Karlova Univerzita (Charles University), Nové Město pražské (New Town of Prague), Hladová zeď (Hungry Wall) and many more. Charles IV died in 1378.

Václav IV. Lucemburský (Wenceslaus IV of Luxembourg)
Wenceslaus IV, the son of Charles IV and Anne of Swidnica) was born in 1361. He became the King of Bohemia when he was only two. He was incredibly talented because he was able to admistrate the land at the age of seven. He also became the King of the Holy Roman Empire in 1376. Wenceslaus IV died in 1419 and his remains were saved in Chrám svatého Víta (St. Vitus Cathedral).

Zikmund Lucemburský (Sigismund of Luxembourg)
Sigismund was born in 1368 as son of Charles IV. He not only executed the function of the King of Hungary of Rome and Germany, he also became the King of Bohemia in 1419 the Holy Roman Emperor in 1433. Sigismund of Luxembourg died in 1437.

Albrecht II. Habsburský (Albrecht II of Habsburg)
Albrecht II of Habsburg was born in Vienna in 1397. He was a son-in-law of the Czech king Zikmund Lucemburský (Sigismund of Luxembourg). He was elected Duke of Austria in  1404, in 1437 he became the King of Bohemia and Hungary. After he had passed the Royal Route in June 1438 he was festively crowned in St. Vitus Cathedral. His career climaxed in 1438 when he became the King of the Holy Roman Empire. Albrecht II died in 1439.

Ladislav Pohrobek (Ladislaus the Posthumous)
This sovereign was born in 1440 as son of Albrecht II. Habsburský (Albrecht of Habsburg). He got the by-name Posthumous because he was born four months after his father Albrecht´s death. It was naturally impossible for him to start to rule, therefore his guardian Fridrich III temporarily replaced him. Ladislav was crowned the King of Bohemia in 1453. The King Ladislaus the Posthumous died in 1457 and his remains were saved in Chrám svatého Víta (St. Vitus Cathedral).

Jiří z Poděbrad (George of Poděbrad)
George of Poděbrad was born in 1420. During the reign of his ancestor, Ladislaus the Posthumous, he held the office of the Country Administrator, and after Ladislaus´death in 1458 he was crowned the Czech King. He was the only sovereign of Bohemia who had not descended from the royal dynasty but from a feudal aristocratic estate. Shortly before his death in 1471 he managed to ensure the heritable succession title for the Jagiellon dynasty.

Vladislav II. Jagellonský (Vladislaus II Jagiellonian)
This sovereign was born in Poland in 1458. He descended from the Jagiellonian dynasty and he sat on the throne of Bohemia in 1470 after the death of George of Poděbrad. However, in 1490 he changed the royal residence for Budin whereby his royal power suffered a great loss. Vladislav was a lover of art and during his reign so-called Jagiellonian Gothic was developed in which style many construction modifications in Prague Castle were carried out. In 1515 the sovereign signed the succession agreement with the Habsburgs, which resulted in formation of the Habsburg Commonwealth of Nations under which also the Czech lands belonged until 1918. Vladislav II. Jagellonský died in Hungary in 1516.

Ludvík Jagellonský (Louis the Jagiellonian)
Louis the Jagiellonian was born in Hungary in 1506. He was festively crowned in Prague in 1509. More frequently he used to stay abroad than in Bohemia whereby his power was getting weak. He died in the Battle of Mohacs in 1526.

Ferdinand I. Habsburský (Ferdinand I of Habsburg)
Ferdinand I of Habsburg was born in 1503. In 1526 he became the King of Hungary and mainly of Bohemia. He was also the Holy Roman King and later also Emperor. The process of recatholisation resulted in rebellion of the Czech Estates in 1546. However, the sovereign supressed it. He died in 1564 and his remains are saved in Chrám svatého Víta (St. Vitus Cathedral).

Maxmilián II. Habsburský (Maximilian II of Habsburg)
Maximilian was born in Vienna in 1527. He became the Holy Roman and Czech King in 1562. He had two sons, Rudolf II. and Matthias I. Maximilian died in 1576 and is buried in Chrám svatého Víta (St. Vitus Cathedral) in Prague.

Rudolf II. (Rudolph II)
The son of Maximilian II was born in 1552. He became the King of Bohemia after the death of his father in 1575. Besides, he was also the King of Hungary, Germany and Holy Roman Emperor. Rudolph II was a lover of art, therefore he invited noted artists, alchemists and scientists to Prague.  His collections rank among very important historical uniques these days. His disease made him pass the reign on his brother Matthias. Rudolph II died in 1612 and was buried in St. Vitus Cathedral.

Matyáš I. (Matthias I)
Matthias was born in 1557. At the beginning of the 17th century he became the successor to the thrones which had belonged to his brother Rudolph II. So he became the King of Hungary, Bohemia and after Rudolph´s death also the Holy Roman Emperor. Matthias transferred his roayl residence from Prague to Vienna. He died in 1619.

The next sovereigns to rule were Ferdinand II., Fridrich Falcký (Frederick of the Palatine), Ferdinand III., Ferdinand IV., Leopold I., Josef I. (Joseph I), and finally Karel VI (Charles VI).

Marie Terezie (Mary Theresia)
Marie Terezie was born in Vienna in 1717. She sat on the throne in 1740. She was the Queen of Bohemia and Hungary and Archduchess of Austria. She carried out many reforms concerning educational and also judicial systems. Mary Theresia died in 1780 and her remains are layed in the Capuchin Tomb in Vienna.

Josef II. (Joseph II)
The son of Marie Terezie (Mary Theresia) was born in 1741. Besides being the king of Bohemia and Hungary he also became the Holy Roman Emperor. Due to his Josephinian reforms he issued the Patent of Tolerance and abolished serfdom. He also managed to reduce the power of the Catholic Church. He ruled in the spirit of enlightened absolutism. He died in 1790 and together with his mother he was layed in the Capuchin Tomb in Vienna.

Descendants
After the Emperor Joseph II the following sovereigns sat on the throne: Leopold II, František I. (Francis I), Ferdinand I the Gracious, František Josef I. (Francis Joseph I), Karel I. (Charles I).

All about: Prague 1 Monuments

All About: Prague 2 Monuments

All about: Prague 3 Monuments

All about: Prague Castle

All about: Royal route and the coronation of King

Categories: Royal Route | Leave a Comment
Monuments: Prague Castle

« « Secret of St. Wenceslas Crown – Czech kings | The Klausen Synagogue and Rabbi Löw » »