The dramatic 14th century – an era of economic and cultural flowering as well as profound crises such as the Plague, severe floods and the beginning of the Little Ice Age – was the century of Charles IV (1316 – 1378). The Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and King of Bohemia single-mindedly consolidated the power of his dynasty with wars and diplomatic skill, and in the Golden Bull he issued the Empire’s most important constitution, which remained in force until it was dissolved in 1806. He founded the Central Europe’s first university in Prague with the help of the Parler family, the best builders and sculptors of the age. Many historians have been confused by the fact that this pious emperor, who collected relics and was mindful of laws and rules, profited from – even instigated – the persecution of Jews and the plundering of their property. In this brilliantly written book, Olaf B. Rader paints a new picture of the most powerful emperor of the late Middle Ages, who has left a more lasting mark on Germany and Europe than we realise.