Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor

Born Wenceslaus in 1316, he was the eldest son of John of Bohemia, who died at Crécy in 1346, and Elizabeth, sister of the last male Přemyslid king. He inherited Luxembourg from his father and claimed Bohemia through his mother's sainted bloodline, which he emphasized throughout his life. Prince-electors made him King of the Romans that same year in opposition to Louis IV; after Louis died, Charles was re-elected in 1349. Crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 1355 and King of Burgundy in 1365, he became the only ruler to wear all the Empire's crowns. In 1356 he issued the Golden Bull, a constitutional law that redefined how emperors would be chosen and reshaped imperial politics structurally. The image he cultivated - wise, pious, peace-loving - endured long after his death in 1378, particularly in Bohemia, where he remains a defining figure.