Pfand in Krieg und Frieden

The study analyses the pledge policy of Sigismund of Luxembourg in the Bohemian lands. After a description of the current state of research, the available sources of the pledges of church property and court property are presented. In accordance with contemporary views, the pledges of church and court property are treated separately. It is shown that the pledges were an important political instrument for Sigismund. They secured the financial backing for wars and at the same time served to stabilise the dynasty’s rule after the end of the Hussite revolution. Finally, an attempt is made to quantify the total amount of pledges on the court and church estates in Bohemia during Sigismund’s reign.