Joanna of Bavaria

Joanna of Bavaria
Joanna of Bavaria
Queen consort of Germany and Bohemia
Tenure	1370–1386
Born	1356; The Hague (?)
Died	31 December 1386 (aged 30-31); Prague
Burial	Prague Castle
Spouse	Wenceslaus, King of Germany and Bohemia (m. 1370)
House	House of Wittelsbach
Father	Albert I, Duke of Bavaria
Mother	Margaret of Brieg

Joanna of Bavaria (1362 – 1386), a member of the House of Wittelsbach, was Queen of Germany from 1376 and Queen of Bohemia from 1378 until her death, by her marriage with the Luxembourg king Wenceslaus.^[1]

Life

Presumably born in The Hague, Joanna was the second child of Duke Albert I of Bavaria (1336–1404), by his first wife Margaret (1342–1386), a daughter of the Piast duke Louis I of Brzeg. Her siblings included Count William VI of Holland, Johanna Sophia of Bavaria and Margaret of Bavaria. Her paternal grandparents were Emperor Louis IV and his consort Countess Margaret II of Hainaut.

Joanna's itinerary to the Prague court, 1370

From August 1370 Joanna travelled to Prague, where she was married on 29 September 1370 to Wenceslaus, son and heir of Emperor Charles IV by his third wife, Anna of Swidnica. The emperor had to obtain a papal dispense due to the close relatedness of the couple. The marriage was not consummated until 1376.

The conjugal bond suited the Luxembourg ruler to strengthen ties with the Bavarian duke, who held extensive estates in the Low Countries; nevertheless, Joanna was not the first choice of a bride for Wenceslaus. Charles IV had initially planned for him to marry the Hohenzollern princess Elisabeth of Nuremberg, but the marriage never took place, since Elisabeth married Rupert of the Palatinate instead.

Charles had his son elected King of the Romans in 1376 and upon his death in 1378, Wenceslaus also inherited the Kingdom of Bohemia. With Wenceslaus' accession, Joanna became Queen of both Bohemia and Germany. She also became Electress of Brandenburg as successor to Wenceslaus' half-sister Catherine.

Death

The marriage lasted for sixteen years, however the couple had no children (it is said that Wenceslaus was infertile due to his alcoholism). Joanna died in 1386 at the age of thirty or thirty-one,^[2] allegedly from the consequences of an attack by Wenceslaus' hunting dogs.

Wenceslaus gave Johanna a magnificent funeral, which took place at Žebrák castle. According to custom, Joanna's body was exposed for a few days in Prague churches and was later buried in Prague Castle.

Wenceslaus later married Joanna's cousin, Sofia of Bavaria, but this marriage also bore no issue. Wenceslaus was deposed from the throne of Germany in 1400 and was succeeded by Elisabeth of Nuremberg's husband, Rupert.

Ancestors

Ancestors of Joanna of Bavaria

16. Otto II, Duke of Bavaria

8. Louis II, Duke of Bavaria

17. Agnes of the Palatinate

4. Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor

18. Rudolf I of Germany

9. Matilda of Habsburg

19. Gertrude of Hohenberg

2. Albert I, Duke of Bavaria

20. John II, Count of Hainaut

10. William I, Count of Hainaut

21. Philippa of Luxembourg

5. Margaret II, Countess of Hainault

22. Charles of Valois

11. Joan of Valois

23. Margaret, Countess of Anjou

1. Joanna of Bavaria

24. Henry V, Duke of Legnica

12. Bolesław III the Generous

25. Elisabeth of Kalisz

6. Ludwik I the Fair

26. Wenceslaus II of Bohemia

13. Margaret of Bohemia

27. Judith of Habsburg^[3]

3. Margaret of Brieg

28. Henry III, Duke of Głogów

14. Henry IV the Faithful

29. Matilda of Brunswick-Lüneburg

7. Agnes of Głogów

30. Herman, Margrave of Brandenburg-Salzwedel

15. Matilda of Brandenburg

31. Anne of Austria

References and sources

^ N.Y.), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York (2005). Prague: The Crown of Bohemia, 1347-1437. Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 978-1-58839-161-2.
^ Czech Wikipedia
^ Suckale, Robert; Crossley, Paul (2005). Prague: The Crown of Bohemia, 1347-1437. Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 16. ISBN 9781588391612. Retrieved 23 October 2018.

German royalty
Preceded by Elizabeth of Pomerania	Queen consort of Germany 1376 – 1386	Vacant Title next held by Sofia of Bavaria
Preceded by Elizabeth of Pomerania	Queen consort of Bohemia 1378 – 1386	Vacant Title next held by Sofia of Bavaria

[1] N.Y.), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York (2005). Prague: The Crown of Bohemia, 1347-1437. Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 978-1-58839-161-2.

[2] Czech Wikipedia

[3] Suckale, Robert; Crossley, Paul (2005). Prague: The Crown of Bohemia, 1347-1437. Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 16. ISBN 9781588391612. Retrieved 23 October 2018.

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