John

John, the blind king of Bohemia, the son of Count Henry III. of Luxemburg (afterwards the Emperor Henry VII.), was born on 10th August 1296, and, having married (1310) the heiress of Bohemia, was crowned king of that country in 1311. In the struggle between the rival houses of Austria and Bavaria for the imperial crown he gained the victory for the latter at Mühlendorf in 1322. In 1333-35 he was warring in Italy on behalf of the Guelphic party. In 1334 he married Beatrix of the French Bourbon house, and thenceforward was an active ally of the French king; he went to his assistance against the English in 1346, and fell at Crécy (26th August). He had been blind since 1340. During his reign Silesia was acquired from Poland.