What’s this about
Hello my fellow knights. One of the game’s biggest promises is the historical accuracy. So I’ve figured that I should shed some light on the historical background of story so you would understand what’s it all about. Enjoy.
##Historical background##
I bet that most of you will be surprised when I’ll say that Kingdom of Bohemia was, at the time, one of the (if not the most) influential countries in Holy Roman Empire. The Golden Bull of Sicily, issued by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, granted not only hereditary title of King to Ottokar I. (the first czech king) but also a number exclusive rights that made Kingdom of Bohemia exceptional.
The king became the premium prince-elector, able to vote on who the next emperor’s gonna be. Because of this, he was required to either send a bodyguard of 300 knights to escort the new emperor on his way to coronation or pay up 72000 bracteates, the price for hiring some random knights to escort the dude. The king also didn’t have to attend any official imperial meetings, except the ones in Merseburg, Nuremberg and Bamberg. Bohemia and Moravia became both autonomous and undivisible regions of HRE.
Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire
Let’s start with Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor. John of Luxemburg, Charles’ father, was more interested in foreign politics and fighting than in taking care of problems back home. Although the country’s economy and people suffered, John managed to secured several titles for Charles. John was also a known badass, dying blind and old at the of 50 in the Battle of Crécy. His last words are said to be: "With God’s help it will never be that a Bohemian king would run from a fight!"
Kingdom of Bohemia during the reing of Charles IV
During Charles’ reign, Prague became the Capital of Holy Roman Empire. He ordered and financed the construction of the Charles University, Charles Bridge, Charles Square, Prague Castle and the cathedral of Saint Vitus. He’s regarded as the “Father of the Homeland”.
The kidnapping of Wenceslaus IV - Game’s story##
Charles IV. had many children, with the two most important being his sons Wenceslaus IV (also called “the Idle”) and Sigismund. Wenceslaus became the new Emperor and King of Bohemia and Sigismund became the king of Hungary and Croatia. Since Wenceslaus preferred drinking and hunting to ruling, the relations with the rest of the empire deteriorated. The young king was first imprisoned in 1394 by the Czech nobility. He was freed by his brother John, duke of Görlitz. Because Wenceslaus ignored the rising number of problem in both Bohemia and within the Empire, he was deposed by a large coalition of rulers in 1400.
Wenceslaus would let his brother rule in Bohemia, and in return, Sigismund would help Wenceslaus get “his” imperial crown back. The clever Sigismund exploited his brother’s naivety, imprisoned him with the support of the czech nobles in 1402 in Vienna and ruled in Bohemia for several months. The ruthless takeover resembling invasion turned everyone against Sigismund. John of Liechtenstein finally freed the Wenceslaus in 1403.
