Czech History
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Moravian Empire (843 – 907)
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Premyslid Family (870 – 1306)
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John of Luxemburg, Charles IV., Hussitism
Jagellonians Family (1478 – 1526)
Habsburg Family (1526 – 1918)
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St. Wenceslaus, Premysl Otakar II.
Luxemburg Family (1310 – 1437)
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St. Cyril and St. Methodius
battle on Bílá hora, empress Marie Teresa
Czechoslovakia
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Czechoslovak Republic
Czechoslovak Socialistic Republic
Czechoslovak Federative Republic
Czech Republic
(1918 – 1938; T. G. Masaryk)
(1948 – 1989; communism)
(1989 – 1992)
(1993 – present)
Great Moravian Empire (833 – 907)
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first western Slavic state
833 – after annexation of principality of
Nitra – formation of Great Moravian
Empire (prince Mojmír I.)
863 – invitation of Cyril a Methodius
(duke Rostislav I.) – effort of
emancipation from the Frankish
Empire influence
Svatopluk (870 – 894) – after St.
Methodius death (885) admitted Franc
Empire protection (payments for
peace) – empire stabilization, expansion
on East and South (see map)
fall of Empire (907) after Hungarian
invasion (Mojmir II.)
St. Cyril (826 - 869) a St. Methodius (815 – 885)
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Slavic missionaries (brothers) invited
to Great Moravia by prince Rostislav
I. – effort for emancipation from the
Franc Empire influence
inventors of Glagolitic alphabet –
used for Slavonic manuscripts
using of old Slavic language for
religious service (for common
people)
863 – 885 mission on the Great
Moravia
seat on Velehrad (Southern Moravia)
St. Wenceslaus (907 – 935)
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main patron saint for Bohemia
from Premyslid Family (ruling
duke family in Bohemia)
peace payments to Frankish
Empire
built rotunda of St. Vitus on
Prague Castle
consistent Christianization in the
whole Bohemian princedom
murdered by his brother canonization
Premysl Otakar II. (1233 – 1278)
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ruled in 1253 – 1278
Premyslid Family – king iron and golden
Styria (marriage, 1252), Hungary
(marriage, 1260), expansion of the
Bohemian state
foundation of royal cities and support of
economic development (king gold)
ambitious – aspiration on the position of
Holy Roman Empire king – leading
crusades to Lithuania (Koningsberg, 1255)
(king iron)
Czech noble opposition (restricted by
Premysl) together with Rudolph I.
Habsburg – battle of Durnkrut (1278;
Hungary) – Premysl death
John the Blind Luxembourgish (1296 – 1346)
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die out of the Premyslid Family (1306)
marriage of John of Luxemburg with
Elisabeth the Premyslid (1310, crowned for
the Bohemian king in 1311)
territorial enlargement of Bohemian
kingdom (Silesia, Northitalian cities) – never
stay in the kingdom for the long time
(tournaments, battles)
motto: „It is gonna never be that Czech
king is running away from the battlefield“.
Dying in the battle of Crecy (1346, hundred
years war; the same day as the day of death
Premysl Otakar II.)
Charles IV. (1316 – 1378)
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son of John of Luxemburg and Elizabeth
the Premyslid, educated in France (former
name Wenceslaus)
king of Holy Roman Empire (1346) and
emperor (1355)
founder of Prague archbishopric (1344),
Bohemian crown jewelry (1346), Charles
University (1348), Karlstein (1348),
Charles bridge (1357) etc.
marriage politics as the tool for regional
enlargement and politics (4 wives; added
Palatinate, Lusatia), gained Brandenburg
(1371)
Hussites (1420 – 1434)
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burning of Master Jan Hus (1415, religious
Council of Constance where he should defend
himself)
protestant and reform movement in Roman
Catholic church relates with Master Hus heritage –
to live according to the Bible, criticizing the
church
foundation of city Tábor (where they decided to
live according to the Bible)
leader Jan Zizka (+1424), Hussites fought off 5
crusades against Bohemia
defeat of hussitism – battle of Lipany (1434) –
Hussites against Hussites
negative economic impacts on the whole kingdom
Battle of White Mountain (1620)
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one of the battles in so called Thirty years
war (1618 – 1648)
catholic league (Habsburg) against
protestants
21. 6. 1621 – execution of 27 Bohemian
noblemen on Old Town Square in Prague
for the participation in contrahabsburg
uprising (fight for noble privileges and
religious freedom – after Hussitism in
Bohemia was religious toleration)
strengthen of Catholicism and
confirmation of absolutistic regime of
Habsburg – emigration wave (J.A.
Komensky)
Jan Amos Komensky (1592 – 1670)
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teacher of the nations (died in Naarden, NL)
prostestant bishop
Work:
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Informatory of nursery school
Orbis pictus (first pictorial schoolbook in the world)
Language Gate Opened (how to learn languages)
Didactica Magna (contains principles of modern
education, e.g.: education for all, free of charge and in
mother tongue, compulsory school attendance, clearness
of education, process from known to unknown, from
simplicity to complexity of the knowing of the Nature,
adequacy of the theme to the age, accent on praxis).
Includes opinion on the education concept – splits
education in 4 periods, each for 6 years :
0–6
childhood – nursery school
6 – 12
boyhood – general school
12 – 18 adolescenthood – grammar school
18 – 24
youth – academy + 2 years of traveling
Maria Teresa (1717 – 1780)
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empress from the Habsburg house
enlightened ruler, number of reforms:
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Military service (administrative military
districts; war with Prussia (1756 – 1763))
justice (forbidding of right of torture)
regional administration (attendance to the
office as well as for qualified nonaristocrats;
first compact lists of possessions of all subjects
– registries)
education (1773) – secularizing of universities
(restriction of the Jesuits influence), prototypal
schools, unification of requirements on schools
and teachers as well, school hierarchy, teaching
only in German
Czechoslovakia
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Czechoslovak Republic (1918 – 1938)
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Czechoslovak Socialistic Republic (1948 – 1989)
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takeover of all power by communistic party
Region of interest of USSR
Czechoslovak Federal Republic (1989 – 1992)
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founders: T. G. Masaryk, E. Benes
united, centralistic, national state based on the idea of
„czechoslovakismus“)
model and garantor was France
Tomas Garrigue Masaryk – first Czechoslovak president (till 1935),
after him dr. E. Benes
nationalities: Czech (6,7 mil; 50%), German (3,1 mil; 23%); Slovak (2
mil; 23%), Hungarian (0,8 mil; 5,5%), Karpatorusíni (0,5 mil; 3,5%),
others (0,5 mil; 4%)
continuing in democratic development before 1948
issue with national structure (Slovak vs. Czech)
Czech Republic (1993 – present)
Other famous Czechs
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František Palacký (1799 – 1876; historian)
Tomas Garrigue Masaryk (1850 – 1938; first Czechoslovak president)
Nobel Laureates:
 Jaroslav Heyrovský (chemistry; polarograph)
 Jaroslav Seifert (literature)
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Thank you for your attention
Made by Zdena Palupová and Jitka Müllerová