| Sigismund of Luxembourg | |
|---|---|
| |
| Details | |
Born |
14 • 2 • 1368 |
Died |
9 • 12 • 1437 |
Alias(es) |
Red Fox |
Titles |
Holy Roman Emperor King of Hungary and Croatia King of Germany King of Bohemia King of Italy Prince of Silesia Margrave of Lusatia |
Gender |
Male |
Nationality |
Holy Roman Empire |
Locations |
Hungary |
| Family | |
Parents |
Charles IV (father) |
Relatives |
Wenceslas (brother) |
Sigismund of Luxembourg, known as the "Red Fox," was King of Hungary and later he was the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. He was the son of Charles IV and therefore the brother of Wenceslas IV.
Sigismund was well known for his clever negotiating skills and he was very capable when it came to use of interests of putting his subordinates against one another.
Codex entry
Sigismund of Luxembourg, son of Charles IV, was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1387, King of Germany from 1411, King of Bohemia from 1419 and King of Italy from 1431. He was also Prince of Silesia, from 1419 Margrave of Lusatia and most notably Holy Roman Emperor between 1433 and 1437.
At an early age, he was sent to be educated at the Hungarian court, quickly mastering the tough conditions of politics. Like other members of his family, he was abducted at least once (in his case by the Hungarian nobility). Having lost faith in the Hungarian nobility, he turned his attention to Bohemia and became engaged in hostilities with his half-brother, Wenceslas. Some of the Bohemian nobility welcomed Sigismund, hoping he would rid them of their ineffective monarch, while others sided with Wenceslas, resulting in long-lasting wars, in the course of which Sigismund and his Hungarian army (consisting in no msall part of Cuman mercenaries) repeatedly pillaged Bohemia, often with the help of Bohemian - and especially Moravian - lords themselves. Sigismund fought not only to seize his brother's throne, but also against the Hussites with the aim of seizing the Imperial crown. He regarded himself as the defender of Christianity and in 1409 even founded the Order of the Dragon to wage ware against all enemies of the Christian faith. (One of the later members of the order was the infamous Vlad the Impaler, inspiration for the fictional Dracula).
After the death of Wenceslas, Sigismund brought to Bohemia four unsuccessful crusades against the the Hussites. He died soon after the signing of the Compacts – a set of agreements with the reformers guaranteeing freedom of religious belief to every inhabitant of the lands of Bohemia and Moravia.