First dukes of the Přemyslid dynasty in the "Annales Bohemorum" by Wenceslaus Hajek: creation of a historical fiction and its purposes

Authors

  • Georgij P. Melnikov Institute of Slavic Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences , Институт славяноведения РАН

Keywords:

Annales Bohemorum, Czech Chronicle, Wenceslaus Hajek, Přemyslid dynasty, Czech statehood

Abstract

The Annales Bohemorum (Czech Chronicle) by Wenceslaus Hajek (published in 1541) contains a mythical story about the first Czech princes of the Přemyslid dynasty; the story was mainly composed by the author of the chronicle. The purpose of this historiographic fi ction is to raise the prestige of the Czech Duchy at the early, pagan, stage of its existence using a description of the "good deeds" of the princes. One of the its main purposes was to integrate the pagan period into the historical retrospective of the Czech statehood as a phase in which the basic institutions of the government and the laws of the country were formed. Thus, thanks to historical fiction the chronicler established a concept of state continuity of the Czech Principality and the value of the pagan age as well. This concept was supposed to contribute to the strengthening of the Czech identity and patriotism at the beginning of the reign of the Habsburgs.

Downloads

Published

28-12-2017

Issue

Section

Early Slavic history

Most read articles by the same author(s)