12. - 15. století
The Luxembourg
An important European ruling dynasty
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The Luxembourg was a very powerful dynasty during the middle ages. The reign of Luxembourg culminated during the 13th and the 14th century, when even Holy Roman Emperors came from their lines.
The royal family of Luxembourg derived its origin from the mythical "Howling Wind"; however, in reality, their dynasty originated from Countess Ermesinda in the first half of the 13th century. The dynasty of Luxembourg became very important thanks to their political role in France. After 1308 the Luxembourg´s power shot up almost rocket like. Balduin of Luxembourg was elected Archbishop in Trèves (thus elector with the right to elect the Holy Roman Emperor) and he greatly helped his brother Henry the Seventh to be elected as a Roman King. He
granted the Bohemian Kingdom to his son John and then the power of Luxembourg became strongly rooted into European politics.
The peak of the reign of Luxembourg was the reign of Charles the Fourth, who also became Holy Roman Emperor and who turned Prague into a European metropolis . After his death, the reign of Wenceslas the Fourth was already weakened through numerous disagreements with his brother Sigismund and with the remaining relatives of the Luxembourg family.
Finally, the rivalry ended with the victory of Emperor Sigismund after the death of Wenceslas the Fourth. Sigismund then became the head of the dynasty and simultaneously their last legitimate male member. The dynasty died off on the spear side by his death in 1437.
