A look at the history behind Epiphany and Twelfth Night.
Czechs and Poles in the Middle Ages: Rivalry, Cooperation and Alliances
October 22, 2015 By
The article contains a description of the development of Czech-Polish relations in the Middle Ages.
The Emperor’s Spooky Night
October 22, 2015 By
Emperor Charles IV reveals in his autobiography what happened to him one night at Prague Castle, and how he saw a huge swarm of locusts.
Medieval London as Seen through the Eyes of Czech and German Travellers
May 7, 2015 By
The aim of this article is to analyze the first depictions of London in Czech literature, namely in travel journals of the Czech writer and traveller Wenzel Schaseck of Birkov and the German burgher Gabriel Tetzel of Gräfenberg
Imperial Memory and the Charles Bridge: Establishing Royal Ceremony for Future Kings
September 26, 2014 By
The History behind the Charles Bridge Built during the reigns of Charles IV (1346-1378) and his son, Wenceslas IV (1363-1419), the Charles Bridge crosses the river Vltava in Prague, joining the Old Town on its eastern side, the commercial hub of the city, and the Hradčany and Malá Strana on the west, where the castle and cathedral are located
Characteristics of Medieval Artillery in the Light of Written Sources from Bohemia and Poland
September 8, 2014 By
Artillery appears in Central Europe at the end of the 14th c. and it starts playing a more significant role only in the next century.
Taxes, Loans, Credit and Debts in the 15th Century Towns of Moravia: A Case Study of Olomouc and Brno
September 7, 2014 By
The paper explores urban public finance in the late medieval towns on the example of two largest cities in Moravia—Olomouc and Brno.
The cultural identity of medieval Silesia: the case of art and architecture
August 11, 2014 By
The cultural identity of architecture and visual arts of the Middle Ages in Silesia can be analyzed in the following frameworks: 1.) the distinct formal features of local artwork; 2.) the specific content expressed through it. Macro factors (the type of materials and their availability) are important in architecture, as are architectural patterns and styles.
The Adamites: Hippie Heretics of the Middle Ages
August 10, 2014 By
Wandering through forests and hills, some of them fell into such insanity that men and women threw off their clothes and went nude, saying that clothes had been adopted because of the sin of the first parents, but that they were in a state of innocence.
Boundaries in the making – Historiography and the isolation of late medieval Bohemia
July 27, 2014 By
This paper deals with an episode of early 15th century Bohemian history. During the so-called Hussite wars, a coalition of Catholic powers tried to establish a far-reaching blockade on trade and commerce against the kingdom of Bohemia, which then was considered to be a hotbed of heresy, and to be rebellious against its legitimate ruler and the papal church.
Great Moravia: The Forgotten Kingdom
May 17, 2014 By
Great Moravia was an important, if short lived, autonomous state in medieval Central Europe.
Fortified Settlements of the 9th and 10th Centuries ad in Central Europe: Structure, Function and Symbolism
March 10, 2014 By
The structure, function(s) and symbolism of early medieval (9th–10th centuries ad) fortified settlements from central Europe, in particular today’s Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia, are examined in this paper.
The Early German Settlement of North Eastern Moravia: and What the Pied Piper of Hamelin Had to Do with It
December 29, 2013 By
Long ago, primordial forests, dark and impenetrable, surrounded the mountainous frontier, which today separates northeastern Bohemia from large parts of northern Moravia in the Czech Republic. This area was situated north of the sparsely populated flatlands of the March (Morava) River. The stillness of the forests remained largely undisturbed by man.
An early medieval symbol carved on a tree trunk: pathfinder or territorial marker?
December 23, 2013 By
The chance discovery of a carved symbol on a waterlogged tree of the six–ninth century AD may be the earliest mark on a living tree that has so far come to light.
Christ in Motion: Portable Objects and Scenographic Environments in the Liturgy of Medieval Bohemia
December 5, 2013 By
It accordingly seems clear, from many preserved accounts, that by the end of the fifteenth century the rubric of the Church of Prague was no longer the same and that progressive versions contained different layers of alteration to the performance practice of Palm Sunday ritual.
The Christianisation of Bohemia and Moravia
July 27, 2013 By
The territory of what is now Czech Republic consists of essentially two lands, Bohemia and Moravia.
Examples of Medieval Plague Treatises from Central Europe
July 19, 2013 By
Studying the phenomenon of the plague in the Middle Ages one discovers that by far the most numerous source material directly connected to the epidemics is represented by the plague treatises
Bohemian Barbarians: Bohemia in Late Antiquity
April 15, 2013 By
The settlement of the Bohemian Basin passed through a very complicated development during Late Antiquity.
Jan Hus: The 15th Century Czech Reformer
January 20, 2013 By
Neil Fowler performs as Jan Hus (c.1369 – 1415) and depicts his life and teachings.
My kingdom in pledge : King Sigismund of Luxemburg’s town pledging policy, case studies of Segesd and Bartfa
January 13, 2013 By
This thesis strives to present a small part of this huge and complex topic by analyzing one of the most interesting aspects of Sigismund’s pledging policy, namely, pldeges of the towns.
God’s Warriors from the Czech Kingdom – the Terror of Central and Eastern Europe in the First Half of the 15th Century
October 28, 2012 By
The aim of this study is to point out a distinct phenomenon in the history of Central And Eastern Europe wherein part of the population of a fairly small kingdom in Central Europe invoked justified fear throughout the majority of Europe. Czech history is not all that popular a theme of study within the framework of European history. One of the few exceptions is the period of the first half of the 15th century in particular.
Charles IV: Religious Propaganda and Imperial Expansion
September 23, 2012 By
The Bohemian Charles IV (1316 – 1378) was crowned King of Bohemia in 1347, King of the Romans in 1349, and Holy Roman Emperor in 1355.
The medieval peasant house in Bohemia – continuity and change
September 16, 2012 By
The archaeologically resolved theme of the medieval peasant house can be divided into three developmental areas, an understanding of which has various groundings, while yielding diverse results.
Labor Markets After the Black Death: Landlord Collusion and the Imposition of Serfdom in Eastern Europe and the Middle East
August 19, 2012 By
The differences in the imposition of serfdom led to different economic and political effects for the peasantry in Europe. In Western Europe, wages rose, grain prices fell, and the consumption of meat, dairy products, and beer increased. More and more peasants moved into a widening “middle class” that could afford to buy manufactured goods.
In Heaven and on Earth: Church Treasure in Late Medieval Bohemia
August 15, 2012 By
My work, thus, focuses on the intellectual concepts and practical policies involved in the development of treasuries in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries in Bohemia. It oscillates between three main disciplines of history: art, religious, and cultural history.
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