Abduction of Wenceslas IV. Events

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Wenceslas IV was not a very capable ruler. During his reign, he was kidnapped several times in an attempt to remove him from power.
The first time he was captured in Königshof near Beroun in 1394 and taken to Wildberg Castle (Upper Austria).
In 1402, Wenceslas’ brother, King Sigismund of Hungary, who aspired to the Bohemian throne with the support of the high nobility, imprisoned his brother a second time. Wenceslas was taken to Vienna, from where he managed to escape in November 1403 with the help of allied lords.
In the meantime, however, Sigismund managed to impose higher taxes on both towns and monasteries. The towns that refused to submit to him were conquered and plundered. The conflict escalated into a long civil war, which did not subside even after Wenceslas’ death.

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