Joanna of Bavaria

Joanna of Bavaria

Queen consort of Germany and Bohemia
Tenure	1378–1386

Spouse	Wenceslaus, King of the Romans
House	House of Wittelsbach (by birth) House of Luxembourg (by marriage)
Father	Albert I, Duke of Bavaria
Mother	Margaret of Brieg
Born	c. 1362
Died	31 December 1386 (aged 23–24)
Burial	Prague Castle

Joanna of Bavaria (c. 1362–1386) was the second child of Albert I, Duke of Bavaria, by his first wife Margaret of Brieg. Her siblings included William VI, Count of Holland, Johanna Sophia of Bavaria and Margaret of Bavaria. Her paternal grandparents were Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV and Margaret II, Countess of Hainault.

Marriage

Joanna married on 29 September 1370 to Wenceslaus, King of the Romans, son of Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV by his second wife, Anna of Swidnica. At the time of the wedding, Johanna was eight years' old, and Wenceslaus was nine.

Joanna was not the first choice of a bride for Wenceslaus; Charles IV had planned for him to marry Elisabeth of Nuremberg, but the marriage never took place, since Elisabeth married Rupert of Germany instead.

On Charles's death in 1378, Wenceslaus inherited the kingdom of Bohemia. With Wenceslaus' accession, Joanna became Queen of Bohemia, Germany, and Rome. and she also became Electress of Brandenburg as successor to Wenceslaus' half-sister Katharine of Bohemia.

Death

The marriage lasted for sixteen years, however the couple had no children (it is said that Wenceslaus was infertile. Joanna died in 1386 at the age of twenty-three or twenty-four.^[1]

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 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. Rudolph I of Germany

9. Matilda of Habsburg

19. Gertrude of Hohenburg

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. Casimir I of Poland

12. Bolesław III the Generous

25. Maria Dobroniega of Kiev

6. Ludwik I the Fair

26. Wenceslaus II of Bohemia

13. Margaret of Bohemia

27. Judith of Habsburg

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

↑ Czech Wikipedia

German royalty
Preceded by Elizabeth of Pomerania	Queen consort of Germany 10 June 1376 – 31 December 1386	Vacant Title next held by Sofia of Bavaria
Preceded by Elizabeth of Pomerania	Queen consort of Bohemia 29 November 1378 – 31 December 1386	Vacant Title next held by Sofia of Bavaria
German nobility
Preceded by Katharine of Bohemia	Electress consort of Brandenburg 2 October 1373 – 29 November 1378	Succeeded by Mary of Hungary
Preceded by Joanna of Brabant	Duchess consort of Luxembourg 29 November 1378 – 31 December 1386	Vacant Title next held by Agnes of Opole