ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on Anne’s natal family and Bohemia/Holy Roman Empire. Anne’s father was Emperor Charles IV (r. 1346–1378), one of the most famous Holy Roman emperors in the late middle ages and by far the most feted historical emperor in the modern Czech Republic. The chapter will cover Anne’s family background, including both her Luxembourg and Přemyslid relatives, as well as an overview of the cultural and political achievements of her father. Charles IV turned Prague into a major cultural center; he sponsored major building projects, relic collecting, and literary development. All of this, along with Anne’s family’s position and connections in Eastern Europe, will be used to show the strategic importance of the marriage for Richard II and England (even beyond the alliance between two allies of Pope Urban VI during the schism).
