Sigismund
Sigismund, (1368–1437), king of Hungary (1387–1437), Holy Roman emperor (1411–37), and king of Bohemia (1419–37). He was the son of Emperor Charles IV of the House of Luxemburg. After gaining the Hungarian throne through marriage to Mary, queen of Hungary, he tried unsuccessfully to stop a Turkish invasion of the Balkans.
The ecumenical Council of Constance was called in 1414, under Sigismund's auspices. It ended the Great Western Schism in the papacy and dealt with the heresy of John Huss. The emperor was bitterly condemned by the Hussites for permitting Huss—after promising him safe conduct and protection—to be burned at the stake. After Sigismund succeeded his brother Wenceslaus to the throne of Bohemia in 1419, the Hussites' refusal to accept him led to 15 years of warfare He was finally accepted as king in 1436.