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The House of Luxembourg ( lb, D'Lëtzebuerger Haus; french: Maison de Luxembourg; german: Haus Luxemburg) or Luxembourg dynasty was a royal family of the Holy Roman Empire in the Late Middle Ages, whose members between 1308 and 1437 ruled as kings of Germany and Holy Roman emperors as well as kings of Bohemia, List of rulers of Hungary, Hungary and List of rulers of Croatia, Croatia. Their rule was twice interrupted by the rival House of Wittelsbach.
Henry V's grandson Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor, Henry VII, Count of Luxembourg upon the death of his father Henry VI, Count of Luxembourg, Henry VI at the 1288 Battle of Worringen, was elected ''King of the Romans, Rex Romanorum'' in 1308. The election was necessary after the House of Habsburg, Habsburg king Albert I of Germany had been murdered, and Henry, backed by his brother Archbishop-Elector Baldwin of Luxembourg, Baldwin of Trier, prevailed against Charles, Count of Valois. Henry arranged the marriage of his son John of Bohemia, John with the Přemyslid dynasty, Přemyslid heiress Elisabeth of Bohemia (1292–1330), Elisabeth of Bohemia in 1310, through whom the House of Luxembourg acquired the Kingdom of Bohemia, enabling that family to compete more effectively for power with the Habsburg and Wittelsbach dynasties. One year after being crowned Holy Roman Emperor at Rome, Henry VII, still on campaign in Italy, died in 1313.
The prince-electors, perturbed by the rise of the Luxembourgs, disregarded the claims raised by Henry's heir King John, and the rule over the Empire was assumed by the Wittelsbach duke Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor, Louis of Bavaria. John instead concentrated on securing his rule in Bohemia and gradually vassalized the Silesian Piasts, Piast dukes of adjacent Duchy of Silesia, Silesia from 1327 until 1335. His son Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV, in 1346 mounted the Imperial throne. His Golden Bull of 1356 served as a constitution of the Empire for centuries. Charles not only acquired the duchies of Duchy of Brabant, Brabant and Duchy of Limburg, Limburg in the west, but also the former March of Lusatia and even the Margraviate of Brandenburg in 1373 under the Lands of the Bohemian Crown, Kingdom of Bohemia.
The family's decline began under Charles' son King Wenceslaus, King of the Romans, Wenceslaus, deposed by the prince-electors in 1400 who chose the Wittelsbach Elector Palatine Rupert, King of Germany, Rupert. In 1410 rule was assumed by Wenceslaus' brother Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Sigismund, who once again stabilized the rule of the Luxembourgs and even contributed to end the Western Schism in 1417; however, with his death in 1437, the senior branch of the dynasty became extinct. He was succeeded by his son-in-law, the Habsburg archduke Albert II of Germany, Albert V of Austria. The House of Habsburg, Habsburgs finally prevailed as Luxembourg heirs, ruling the Empire until the extinction of their senior branch upon the death of Maria Theresa in 1780.
* Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor, Henry VII (1275–1313) – elected king of Germany in 1308 in succession to the assassinated Albert I of Germany, Albert I, crowned emperor in 1312. He was succeeded by Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor, Louis IV from the House of Wittelsbach.
** Baldwin of Luxembourg, Baldwin – brother of Henry, prince-archbishop of Trier and thereby archchancellor of Kingdom of Burgundy-Arles, Burgundy 1307–1354.
* John the Blind (1296–1346) – only son of Henry. He was enfeoffed with Bohemia by his father in 1310, married the Přemyslid heiress Elisabeth of Bohemia and deposed the Bohemian king Henry of Bohemia, Henry the Carinthian.
* Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV (1316–1378) — eldest son of John. He was elected king of Germany in opposition to Louis IV in 1346 and succeeded his father as king of Bohemia in the same year, crowned emperor in 1355.
** John Henry, Margrave of Moravia – younger brother of Charles. He married Countess Margaret of Tyrol, daughter of Henry the Carinthian in 1330.
*** Jobst of Moravia (1351–1411) – eldest son of John Henry. Margrave of Brandenburg 1388–1411, elected King of the Romans in 1410.
* Wenceslaus, King of the Romans, Wenceslaus (1361–1419) – eldest surviving son of Charles. As margrave of Brandenburg from 1373 to 1378, he was elected king of Germany in 1376 and succeeded his father as king of Bohemia in 1378. Declared deposed by the prince-electors in 1400, he was succeeded by Rupert of Wittelsbach.
* Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Sigismund (1368–1437) – younger son of Charles. Margrave of Brandenburg from 1378 to 1388, he was king of Hungary and Croatia in union with Hungary, Croatia from 1387 in right of his wife Mary, Queen of Hungary, Mary, and was elected king of Germany in 1411, succeeding his brother as king of Bohemia in 1419, being crowned emperor in 1433 yet he left no male heirs.
* Elizabeth of Luxembourg, only child of Emperor Sigismund, married Archduke Albert V of Austria from the Albertinian line of the House of Habsburg in 1422, becoming queen of Hungary from 1437 as well as queen of Germany and Bohemia from 1438 until Albert's death in 1439. She was the heiress who conveyed the major portion of the Luxembourg inheritance to the Habsburgs and, later, the Jagiellon dynasty, Jagiellons through her daughter Elisabeth of Austria (1436–1505), Elisabeth of Austria.
History
This royal Luxembourg dynasty were not direct descendants of the original counts of Luxembourg, but descended instead from their relatives, a cadet branch of the Lotharingian ducal House of Limburg, House of Limburg-Arlon. In 1247 Henry V, Count of Luxembourg, Henry, younger son of Duke Waleran III, Duke of Limburg, Waleran III of Limburg inherited the County of Luxembourg, becoming Count Henry V of Luxembourg, upon the death of his mother Countess Ermesinde, Countess of Luxembourg, Ermesinde. Her father, Henry IV, Count of Luxembourg, Count Henry "the blind", was count of Namur, through his father, and Luxembourg, through his mother, who was also named Ermesinde of Luxembourg, Countess of Namur, Ermesinde. This elder Ermesinde was a member of the original House of Luxembourg, which was a branch of the House of Ardenne, and had ruled the county since the late 10th century.
Henry V's grandson Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor, Henry VII, Count of Luxembourg upon the death of his father Henry VI, Count of Luxembourg, Henry VI at the 1288 Battle of Worringen, was elected ''King of the Romans, Rex Romanorum'' in 1308. The election was necessary after the House of Habsburg, Habsburg king Albert I of Germany had been murdered, and Henry, backed by his brother Archbishop-Elector Baldwin of Luxembourg, Baldwin of Trier, prevailed against Charles, Count of Valois. Henry arranged the marriage of his son John of Bohemia, John with the Přemyslid dynasty, Přemyslid heiress Elisabeth of Bohemia (1292–1330), Elisabeth of Bohemia in 1310, through whom the House of Luxembourg acquired the Kingdom of Bohemia, enabling that family to compete more effectively for power with the Habsburg and Wittelsbach dynasties. One year after being crowned Holy Roman Emperor at Rome, Henry VII, still on campaign in Italy, died in 1313.
The prince-electors, perturbed by the rise of the Luxembourgs, disregarded the claims raised by Henry's heir King John, and the rule over the Empire was assumed by the Wittelsbach duke Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor, Louis of Bavaria. John instead concentrated on securing his rule in Bohemia and gradually vassalized the Silesian Piasts, Piast dukes of adjacent Duchy of Silesia, Silesia from 1327 until 1335. His son Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV, in 1346 mounted the Imperial throne. His Golden Bull of 1356 served as a constitution of the Empire for centuries. Charles not only acquired the duchies of Duchy of Brabant, Brabant and Duchy of Limburg, Limburg in the west, but also the former March of Lusatia and even the Margraviate of Brandenburg in 1373 under the Lands of the Bohemian Crown, Kingdom of Bohemia.
The family's decline began under Charles' son King Wenceslaus, King of the Romans, Wenceslaus, deposed by the prince-electors in 1400 who chose the Wittelsbach Elector Palatine Rupert, King of Germany, Rupert. In 1410 rule was assumed by Wenceslaus' brother Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Sigismund, who once again stabilized the rule of the Luxembourgs and even contributed to end the Western Schism in 1417; however, with his death in 1437, the senior branch of the dynasty became extinct. He was succeeded by his son-in-law, the Habsburg archduke Albert II of Germany, Albert V of Austria. The House of Habsburg, Habsburgs finally prevailed as Luxembourg heirs, ruling the Empire until the extinction of their senior branch upon the death of Maria Theresa in 1780.
Notable members
* Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor, Henry VII (1275–1313) – elected king of Germany in 1308 in succession to the assassinated Albert I of Germany, Albert I, crowned emperor in 1312. He was succeeded by Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor, Louis IV from the House of Wittelsbach.
** Baldwin of Luxembourg, Baldwin – brother of Henry, prince-archbishop of Trier and thereby archchancellor of Kingdom of Burgundy-Arles, Burgundy 1307–1354.
* John the Blind (1296–1346) – only son of Henry. He was enfeoffed with Bohemia by his father in 1310, married the Přemyslid heiress Elisabeth of Bohemia and deposed the Bohemian king Henry of Bohemia, Henry the Carinthian.
* Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV (1316–1378) — eldest son of John. He was elected king of Germany in opposition to Louis IV in 1346 and succeeded his father as king of Bohemia in the same year, crowned emperor in 1355.
** John Henry, Margrave of Moravia – younger brother of Charles. He married Countess Margaret of Tyrol, daughter of Henry the Carinthian in 1330.
*** Jobst of Moravia (1351–1411) – eldest son of John Henry. Margrave of Brandenburg 1388–1411, elected King of the Romans in 1410.
* Wenceslaus, King of the Romans, Wenceslaus (1361–1419) – eldest surviving son of Charles. As margrave of Brandenburg from 1373 to 1378, he was elected king of Germany in 1376 and succeeded his father as king of Bohemia in 1378. Declared deposed by the prince-electors in 1400, he was succeeded by Rupert of Wittelsbach.
* Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Sigismund (1368–1437) – younger son of Charles. Margrave of Brandenburg from 1378 to 1388, he was king of Hungary and Croatia in union with Hungary, Croatia from 1387 in right of his wife Mary, Queen of Hungary, Mary, and was elected king of Germany in 1411, succeeding his brother as king of Bohemia in 1419, being crowned emperor in 1433 yet he left no male heirs.
* Elizabeth of Luxembourg, only child of Emperor Sigismund, married Archduke Albert V of Austria from the Albertinian line of the House of Habsburg in 1422, becoming queen of Hungary from 1437 as well as queen of Germany and Bohemia from 1438 until Albert's death in 1439. She was the heiress who conveyed the major portion of the Luxembourg inheritance to the Habsburgs and, later, the Jagiellon dynasty, Jagiellons through her daughter Elisabeth of Austria (1436–1505), Elisabeth of Austria.
Genealogy
House of Limburg–Arlon
Having succeeded to the county of Luxemburg, the younger branch of the House of Limburg-Arlon is the family that succeeded in getting one of its scions elected Holy Roman Emperor. From there descended the Kings of Bohemia, several other Emperors and a King of Hungary as shown below.Early Luxembourg counts
The House of Luxemburg stemmed from the House of Ardenne (or Ardennes, French ''Maison d'Ardenne'') which was an important medieval noble family from Lotharingia, known from at least the tenth century. They had several important branches, descended from several brothers:Parisse, ‘Généalogie de la Maison d'Ardenne’, La maison d'Ardenne Xe-XIe siècles. Actes des Journées Lotharingiennes, 24 - 26 oct. 1980, Centre Univ., Luxembourg, (1981) 9-41 *The House of Ardenne–Luxembourg, including the counts of Luxembourg, descended from Count Sigfried of Luxembourg *The House of Ardenne–Verdun, with several dukes of Lower Lotharingia, descended from Count Gozlin of Bidgau *The House of Ardenne–Bar, with several dukes of Upper Lotharingia, descended from Duke Frederick I of Upper Lorraine. Two houses descended from the women of the counts of Luxembourg, the counts of Loon and the Counts of Grandpré, Ardennes, Grandpré, which wear a shield barry. Both families had a place in relation to the succession of the Ardennes-Verdun dynasty, House of Ardennes. Indeed, the count of Grandpré was the next heir of Conrad II of Luxembourg, the last representative of the Ardennes dynasty, but Emperor Frederick Barbarossa preferred that Luxembourg was held by a lord Germanic rather than French and attributed the county to Henry IV of Luxembourg, Henry, son of Conrad's aunt Ermesinde and Count Godfrey I of Namur. The counts of Loon were also in position to claim the inheritance Luxembourg, albeit weaker position:See also
*Jacquetta of LuxembourgReferences
{{Authority control House of Luxembourg, Roman Catholic families History of Central Europe History of Luxembourg