Wenceslaus I, Duke of Luxembourg

Wenceslaus I
Wenceslaus I of Luxembourg
Count of Luxembourg, Arlon and Durbuy
Reign	1353-13 March 1354
Predecessor	Emperor Charles IV
Duke of Luxembourg
Reign	13 March 1354-7 December 1383
Successor	Wenceslaus IV
Duke of Brabant and Limburg with Joanna
Reign	1355-1383
Predecessor	John III
Successor	Joanna
Born	25 February 1337 Prague
Died	Luxembourg
Burial	Abbaye d'Orval, Belgium
Spouse	Joanna, Duchess of Brabant
House	Luxembourg
Father	John of Bohemia
Mother	Beatrice of Bourbon

Wenceslaus I (also Wenceslas, Venceslas, Wenzel, or Václav, often called Wenceslaus of Bohemia in chronicles) (25 February 1337 – 7 December 1383) was the first Duke of Luxembourg from 1354. He was the son of John the Blind, King of Bohemia, and Beatrice of Bourbon.

Life

Beatrice of Bourbon, gave birth to her only child, Duke Wenceslaus I, on February 25, 1337, in Prague. In 1353 Charles IV King of Bohemia, Count of Luxembourg and elected Holy Roman King, entrusted the county, their father's inheritance, to his half-brother Wenceslaus. In 1352, Wenceslaus married Joanna (1322 – 1406), daughter of John III, Duke of Brabant and Limburg, and Marie d'Évreux. In 1354 Charles raised Luxembourg to the status of a duchy. In 1355, Joanna inherited Brabant and Limburg. In order to guarantee the indivisibility of Brabant, Wenceslaus signed the Joyous Entry, but had to fight against his brother-in-law Louis II of Flanders, who asserted his share of the duchy. He failed to prevent the seizure of Brussels by the Flemings, but a certain Everard 't Serclaes succeeded by an audacious coup in driving them out of the city. Thereafter, Wenceslaus had to face primarily internal disorders. In 1371, he overestimated his military capacities and waged war with William II, Duke of Jülich, resulting in humiliating defeat at the Baesweiler, losing a part of his army, and several noblemen. He was captured and suffered 11 months of captivity.

File:Wenceslas Crypt.jpg

Burial Place in Abbaye d'Orval, Belgium

Wenceslaus died in Luxembourg, leaving Joanna as sole ruler of Brabant, and was succeeded by Wenceslaus II (Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia) as duke of Luxembourg. There are speculations that he might have died of leprosy. His last wish was his heart to be displaced from his dead body and sent to his wife (Joanna stayed in Brussels). He is buried in a crypt at the now-ruined Orval Abbey in Belgium.

Wenceslaus I of Luxembourg wrote the lyric poetry interpolated in Jean Froissart's Méliador, which was identified as his by Auguste Longnon in the 1890s (Wenceslas was a patron of this chronicler). His lyric output comprises 79 poems (11 ballades, 16 virelais, 52 rondeaux).

Further reading

Wenceslaus I, Duke of Luxembourg House of Luxembourg Born: 25 February 1337 Died: 7 December 1383
Regnal titles
Preceded by Charles I	Count of Luxembourg 1353-1354	Succeeded by Elevated to Duke
Preceded by Elevated from Count	Duke of Luxemburg 1354-1383	Succeeded by Wenceslaus II
Preceded by John III	Duke of Brabant 1355–1383 with Joanna	Succeeded by Joanna as sole ruler