Elizabeth of Pomerania - wife, queen, mother

The subject of this bachelor thesis is Elizabeth of Pomerania, the fourth and last wife of Charles IV, King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor. Using her as an example, this work examines the status of a medieval queen and empress in general terms. By entering into a marriage with Charles IV, a role was bestowed upon Elizabeth to play as the wife of a monarch, from which arose certain tasks that she had to fulfil. She acquired her husband's titles and shared his position of a monarch and as a woman her primary task was to bring heirs into the world. Elizabeth was a young bride and she outlived the aging emperor by 15 whole years, during which she stood down from prominence into a position of empress-widow. This thesis asks what tasks Elizabeth's role entailed and whether she fulfilled expectations placed on her. By these criteria the work is divided into thematic chapters - marriage to Charles IV, the role of a monarch, a mother and at last a widow, all of which follow a rough chronological order, with some themes overlapping over the whole course of Elizabeth's life. The main milestones are: Elizabeth's date of birth (1346 or 1347), her marriage to Charles IV (1363), the emperor's death (1378) and the empress' own death (1393). Key words Elizabeth of Pomerania, Charles IV, Luxembourg dynasty,..