The Wise Ruler. Emperor Charles IV's Concept of Governance and Its Realisation.Revisiting the Constitutional History of the Late-Medieval Empire

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Eva Schlotheuber
• Subject Area: Medieval History
• Term: from 2013 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 241397925

Charles IV (r. 1346-1378) of the House of Luxembourg was one of the most influential rulers of the Middle Ages. His political "reach" and "imposing presence" resulted in his celebration by Peter Moraw as "the most important ruler of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation during the late Middle Ages" and as the paradigm of a "great king". Within the framework of contemporary discussion on the theory and nature of political rule, Charles IV developed an independent concept of governance, the exploration of which can be used as an innovative and fruitful model for the discussion of late-medieval constitutional history. In an unstable political situation, and hampered by competing claims to power, the Emperor tried to anchor his rule in the realm of the divine, citing "wisdom and virtue" as the key concepts underpinning his governance. It is particularly revealing to examine the web of authorising and legitimising allusions to iconic personalities and events from the past developed by the Emperor and to compare these to his concrete realisation of theoretical concepts in the day-to-day realities of royal politics. Comparing and contrasting Charles IV's concept of governance to its realisation allows us to reach a new understanding of his political activities and to illuminate the workings of the mechanisms he employed to achieve integration. The strategies and flexibility with which the Emperor countered the claims of his noble peers shed revealing light on the tense relationship between theory and practice, representation and conceptualisation, open actors and hidden strategies. The aim of the planned monograph is to use the backdrop of contemporary Europe to foreground the formative power of politico-religious concepts on the constitution of the Empire, which gains a new internal coherence in the process.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants