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Anne of Bohemia (DNB00)

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ANNE OF BOHEMIA (13661394), first queen of Richard II, was the eldest daughter of the
Emperor Charles IV by his fourth wife, Elizabeth of Pomerania. She was born at Prague on 11
May 1366. Her father was the son of that blind king, John of Bohemia, who was killed at the battle
of Cressy, and was king of Bohemia himself as well as emperor. The place he fills in history is
peculiar. Educated at Paris, his leanings all through life were French and papal. He was not too
well loved by the Germans, and was only accepted as emperor because no rival candidate could be
induced to stand. He was not too well loved elsewhere, and got crowned at Rome only on
condition never to enter Italy again without the leave of the pope. He was, nevertheless, a man of
great energy, made terms with all parties, and obtained from Innocent VI the celebrated Golden
Bull, which settled the constitution of the Roman Germanic empire so long as it existed. But, worn
out with a hopeless struggle between conflicting interests, he died in 1378 at the age of 62. In that
same year the great schism in the papacy began, and though Charles was succeeded as emperor by
his own son Wenceslaus, the old alliance with France had received its death-blow. In 1379
Wenceslaus began to make overtures to Richard II touching the support of Urban VI against his
rival Clement VII at Avignon; and England, Germany, and Flanders very soon made common
cause against France. Towards the end of the following year the Earl of Kent and two others were
sent over to Flanders to conclude with ambassadors named by the emperor for the King of
England's marriage to his sister, Anne of Bohemia. In the commission given to the English
plenipotentiaries it is expressly stated that Richard had selected her on account of her nobility of
birth, and her reputed gentleness of character. The omission of all reference to beauty is perhaps
significant. The house of Luxemburg to which she belonged was not generally distinguished for
this quality.
It was intended to receive the bride in England before Michaelmas (RYMER (1816 seq.), vii. 302);
but in June the frightful insurrection of Wat Tyler and the bondmen occasioned some delay. An
embassy, however, was commissioned on 1 December to receive her and bring her to England; and
on the 13th of the same month a general pardon to the rebels was issued at her intercession.
Meanwhile she remained at Brussels, whither she had been conducted by the Duke of Saxony, till
she could cross the sea in safety. Twelve armed vessels, full of Normans, were sent by the King of
France to intercept her. The Duke of Brabant, however, who was Anne's uncle, sent to remonstrate
with the French king, Charles V, who thereupon ordered the Normans into port, declaring that he
did so merely for the love of his cousin Anne, and out of no regard for the King of England. She
then pursued her journey, accompanied by the Duke of Brabant to Gravelines, where the Earls of
Salisbury and Devonshire received her with a guard of 500 spears, and conducted her to Calais.
After waiting some time for a favourable wind, she embarked on Wednesday morning, 18 Dec.,
and reached Dover the same day. Scarcely had she landed when a heavy ground swell of quite an
unusual character dashed the vessels in port against each other, and the very ship in which she had
come over was broken to pieces by the violence of the sea.
On the third day after her landing she went on to Canterbury, where she was met by the king's
uncle, Thomas, afterwards Duke of Gloucester. The city of London gave her a magnificent

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