Kaiser Ludwig IV. Imperiale Herrschaft und reichsfürstlicher Konsens

Summary Emperor Louis IV. Imperial Rule and Princely Consent The rule of Louis IV (1314–1347) has provoked controversial judgments – by his contemporaries as well as by modern scholars. He was both condemned as a predecessor of the Antichrist on earth by the popes in Avignon and praised as a most Christian emperor by his followers. Modernhistoriography has addressed him as “Louis the Bavarian”.But this name implies the absence of the universal virtues attributed to a Roman emperor and accepts the damnation of Louis's enemies. This article discusses the controversial memories of the 14th century as well as the political framework of the Roman-German monarchy. The latter was established by princely elections and accepted by the important political players; one of its features was the imperial coronation in Rome. Louis's struggle for power determined the first decade of his reign. From 1325 to 1330 he shared rule with his Habsburg relative Frederick of Austria, a unique period of double-kingship in medieval ...