Gold coin John of Luxembourg - Husband and Father proof

A three-part gold coin miniseries from the Czech Mint pays tribute to John of Luxembourg. The second piece of this historical puzzle commemorates him as a husband and father.

After the assassination of King Wenceslas III, the Přemyslid dynasty unexpectedly died out in the male line, and a long period of political chaos ensued in Bohemia. Two foreign rulers - Henry of Carinthia and Rudolf of Habsburg - fought for the throne. However, influential Czech nobles and church leaders did not want either of them on the throne, so they hatched a plan to marry off the last unmarried Přemyslid woman, who was Wenceslas III’s sister, Elisabeth of Bohemia. They chose John of Luxembourg as her husband for a simple reason - he was the son of the powerful King of Rome and future emperor. The bold plan succeeded, and John and Elizabeth ascended the Bohemian throne. Their wedding became a grand event of European significance, but their relationship was far from ideal. John gained a rebellious country and perhaps an overly self-assured wife, who sought to restore the monarchy in the spirit of her family. Elizabeth gained a strong and capable husband, who, however, neglected and plunged the kingdom into debt. The marriage of convenience eventually turned into open hostility. John took the children away from Elizabeth- including the future King Charles IV - so that she could not turn them against him. Elizabeth rebelled, and they clashed militarily. Although the king and queen sought to reconcile, they never grew close again. When Elizabeth later died of consumption, the indifferent John soon remarried. Beatrix of Bourbon, of the French royal line, bore him another son, but the kingdom did not take to him. By that time, the Czechs already recognized the wife of the heir to the throne, Charles IV - Blanche of Valois - as their queen…

The reverse side of the coin, designed by medalist Jiří Hanuš, DiS., is divided into two halves by a polished band. On the right, you will find Elizabeth of Bohemia kneeling, and on the left, John of Luxembourg walking away. In the midst of the marital discord stands Charles IV, who follows his father but looks back at his mother. Hovering above the boy’s head is the royal crown, for which he must still grow… On the obverse side of the coin, which is common to the entire mini-series, you will find John’s coat of arms and the Luxembourg castle of Vianden, which was both his birthplace and a symbol of power. Because the coins of the Czech Mint are issued under a foreign license from the island of Niue, the obverse side also bears its national emblem, the nominal value of 10 DOLLARS (NZD), and the year of issue 2026- all incorporated into a Gothic design.

On the other two coins, John of Luxembourg is depicted as a foreign king and a blind knight.