Charles IV : Portrait of a Medieval Ruler

Vaclav Zurek

ISBN 10: 8024655233 / ISBN 13: 9788024655239

Published by Karolinum,Nakladatelstvi Univerzity Karlovy,Czech Republic Jun 2026, 2026

About this Item

Neuware - A critical examination of the life and legacy of Charles IV. Charles IV, King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor, has been called 'one of the most learned and diplomatically skillful sovereigns' of the fourteenth century. Having moved the seat of the Holy Roman Empire to Prague and founding the first university in Central Europe, Charles IV is a towering figure in Czech history and a crucial character in the story of medieval Europe. Recent research, especially in art history, has tended to present Charles IV in a purely positive, unblemished light: viewing him and his imperial court as the engine behind a flourishing of culture in the region. This book views Charles IV through a more critical lens, examining the careful construction that went into the way he presented himself and the characteristic manifestations of Charles' execution of royal power. The first part of the book offers a chronological description of Charles' life within the broader context of the times and the House of Luxembourg. The second part provides a close look into Charles IV's style of rule while focusing on phenomena that reveal his personal conception of power and how it was wielded.

Seller Inventory # 9788024655239

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Charles IV : Portrait of a Medieval Ruler
• Publisher: Karolinum,Nakladatelstvi Univerzity Karlovy,Czech Republic Jun 2026
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 8024655233
• ISBN 13: 9788024655239
• Binding: Taschenbuch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 199W x 141H x 24D millimeters 199 millimeters width by 141 millimeters height by 24 millimeters depth
• Weight: 482 grams

About this title

Synopsis

A critical examination of the life and legacy of Charles IV.

Charles IV, King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor, has been called “one of the most learned and diplomatically skillful sovereigns” of the fourteenth century. Having moved the seat of the Holy Roman Empire to Prague and founding the first university in Central Europe, Charles IV is a towering figure in Czech history and a crucial character in the story of medieval Europe.

Recent research, especially in art history, has tended to present Charles IV in a purely positive, unblemished light: viewing him and his imperial court as the engine behind a flourishing of culture in the region. This book views Charles IV through a more critical lens, examining the careful construction that went into the way he presented himself and the characteristic manifestations of Charles’ execution of royal power. The first part of the book offers a chronological description of Charles’ life within the broader context of the times and the House of Luxembourg. The second part provides a close look into Charles IV’s style of rule while focusing on phenomena that reveal his personal conception of power and how it was wielded.

About the Authors

Václav Žůrek is a historian at the Czech Academy of Sciences’ Centre for Medieval Studies. He is the managing editor of Studia Mediaevalia Bohemica.

Ian Finlay Stone graduated from the University of Cambridge and has translated works for various agencies and government bureaus.