Jean Ier of Bohemia

Jean Ier of Luxembourg , known as the Blind man born the August 12th 1296, count de Luxembourg in 1309, king de Bohême in 1310 by its first marriage, titular king of Poland. He dies in Crécy on August 26th 1346.

He is the son of Henri VII, count de Luxembourg and Germanic Roman Emperor, and of Marguerite of the Brabant (1276-1311). In 1322, following the marriage of his/her sister Marie of Luxembourg (1305-1324) with Charles IV Beautiful the, he becomes brother-in-law of king de France.

He marries in 1310 Elisabeth Přemyslovna (1292-1330), of which the brother, Venceslas III, king de Bohême, had died assassinated, without heir, in 1306, which did of it one of the most coveted parties Europe. He becomes thus king de Bohême and, for this reason, Prince-voter of the Holy roman Empire. Of this marriage, which was not without clouds, are resulting:

• Marguerite (1313 † 1341), married in 1328 with Henri XV (1304 † 1339), duke of Good Low-Bavaria
• (1315 † 1349), married in 1332 with Jean II the Good (1319 † 1364), king de France
• the future emperor Charles IV (1316 † 1378).
• Ottokar (1318 † 1320)
• Jean-Henri (1322 † 1375), count de Tyrol and margrave of Moravie
• Anne (1320 † 1338), married to Otton de Habsbourg (1301 † 1339), duke of Austria and Styrie
• Elisabeth (1323 † 1324)

Jean of Luxembourg, with half-French by his education, is mingled with the fights for the empire between Habsbourg and Wittelsbach, fascinating party for the seconds. In hillock with the hostility of the Czech nobility, it gives up the administration of the country to him and passes its life to traverse Europe, going to Luxembourg and the court of France. Thus, the King de France Philippe VI was due so that Jean Ier attends the service of Hommage returned solemnly by Edouard III of England for the Duché of Aquitaine, with Amiens, the June 6th 1329.

Knight-wandering, it tries to make of Prague a center of Chevalerie with an organization identical to that of the roundtable of the King Arthur. Between 1324 and 1326, it took share with the Guerre of the four lords against the town of Metz.

The December 24th 1332, Jean of Luxembourg and his troop take leave of the king Philippe VI of Valois to undertake a forwarding in Italy, in order to establish, with the agreement of the pope Jean XXII, which it went to meet with Avignon, a friendly kingdom in Lombardy. Jean de Marigny, bishop of Beauvais, principal adviser of the king, who leaves in Pèlerinage in Holy Land, accompanies them. The army of king de Bohême is supplemented on the way by many lords of the valley of the Rhone. Giovanni Villani writes that king Jean of Bohemia had with him more than 800 knights originating in France and of Burgundy.

By its matrimonial policy, its warlike diplomacy and its interventions it strongly marks its presence on the European chess-board and this in spite of its blindness. Thus one finds it in his native county and with the kingdom of Bohemia, in Silesia, Poland and Lithuania, in Germany, with the the Tyrol and in Italy of North, near the popes with Avignon and at the court of Kings de France. He is in particular governor of Languedoc of the November 30th 1338 with November 1341.

It remarie in 1334 with Beatrice of Bourbon (1320-1383), girl of Louis I {{er}}, duke of Bourbon, and Marie d' Avesnes. From this union Venceslas I {{er}} (1337 † 1383) is born , duke of Luxembourg, duke of the Brabant and Limburg.

In 1346, his/her son Charles having been elected King of the Romans a few weeks before, Jean the Blind man falls to the Bataille from Crécy in which it took part on the side of king de France. According to the legend, Edouard de Woodstock, Prince de Galles, would have adopted the Cimier of Jean, consisted amongst other things of a great flight (two wings of bird), as its currency Ich Dien (“I am useful”).