The Involvement in Literary Culture of the Wives of Charles IV of Bohemia

Charles IV of Bohemia (1316-1378), King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor, ruled in what is often called a Golden Age of outstanding cultural achievements, centered at his cosmopolitan court in Prague. He famously founded a university, supported humanists, spoke five languages and wrote an autobiography. But of his four wives, Blanche of Valois (1316–1348), Anne of the Palatinate (1329–1353), Anne of Schweidnitz (1339–1362), and Elizabeth of Pomerania (1345/47–1393), less is known (especially in English). I aim to investigate the extent of their involvement in literary culture, their personal intellectual lives and education, the education provided to their daughters, what books they owned, commissioned or had access to, how chroniclers and their husband wrote about them, and their role as literary patronesses. I anticipate learning to what extent they each were involved, and why, as well as its effect on Czech literary culture, politics, and ideals of Czech queenship.

Faculty Supervisor:

Shami Ghosh

Student:

Partner:

Masaryk University

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Toronto

Program: