Czech lands in the High Middle Ages facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kingdom of Bohemia, Margraviate of Moravia, Duchies of Silesia
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.svg) Coat of arms of the King of Bohemia
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The Czech lands and other countries under the control of Ottokar II
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The Czech lands (red) and other territories under the control of the Přemyslid dynasty around year 1301
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| Status | Personal union of the Přemyslid dynasty and then Luxembourgs, States of the Holy Roman Empire |
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| Capital | Prague | ||||||||
| Common languages | Czech, German, Latin | ||||||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism Judaism (Jews) Slavic Christianity (incorporated into Catholicism as liturgy) |
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| Government | Feudal monarchy | ||||||||
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| History | |||||||||
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• Bohemia raised to kingdom
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1198 | ||||||||
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• Bohemian Crown lands established
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7 April 1348 | ||||||||
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| Today part of |
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The history of the Czech lands in the High Middle Ages covers a time from about 1110 to 1335. This period, known as the High Middle Ages, includes the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries. It was a time when many new ideas in art, religion, and thinking appeared. People also started to feel more connected to their own groups, which later led to the idea of nations. Important Gothic cathedrals were built during this era.
Contents
A Kingdom is Born: The Czech Lands in the High Middle Ages
How Kingship Became Hereditary
After Duke Vladislav II died in 1174, there were many fights for the throne in Prague. This showed that the old rules for who would be the next ruler were not working anymore. The Holy Roman Emperor, Friedrich I Barbarossa, used these family fights to gain more control. He made Moravia a separate area with its own ruler, reporting to him. He also did the same with the Prague church leaders.
However, the Czech rulers, known as the Přemyslid dynasty, soon got back their power. Ottokar I of Bohemia became the ruler in 1197. He made important deals with the Roman Emperors. Because of these deals, the Bohemian rulers were allowed to be kings again. This was officially confirmed by Pope Innocent III in 1204.
Later, in 1212, Emperor Friedrich II issued a special document called the Golden Bull of Sicily. This document said that the Bohemian kingship would be passed down through families. It also confirmed the borders of the Bohemian lands and stated that Czech rulers could take part in important meetings of the Holy Roman Empire.
At this time, the Church wanted more independence from rulers. But in Bohemia, the king still had a lot of power. King Ottokar I agreed in 1221 and 1222 that the Church could own land and collect taxes from its towns. Church leaders would also be judged by church laws, not by regular courts. However, this agreement was never fully put into practice.
By the 13th century, the Church had set up its organization in Bohemia. The main areas were led by bishops, with smaller areas managed by deacons and priests. The Czech lands were called "Bohemia" in Latin, but in Czech and other Slavic languages, they were called "Čechy." The people of Bohemia and Moravia spoke Czech, forming a unified group that slowly became a medieval nation.
A Time of Change and New Rulers
In 1273, German princes chose Count Rudolf of Habsburg as their king. Ottokar II of Bohemia was against this choice. Ottokar was defeated and killed in a big battle in 1278.
Rudolf of Habsburg tried to weaken the Czech state after Ottokar's death. Ottokar's son, Wenceslaus II, was still a child. So, Otto of Brandenburg became his guardian and took control of Bohemia. Rudolf took control of Moravia. The Brandenburg soldiers treated Bohemia like a conquered land and stole a lot. This caused many problems, including a famine in 1281 and 1282.
In this difficult time, Czech nobles tried to fix things. They met in Prague in 1281 and decided to fight crime and bring order back to the country. This was an important meeting because representatives from Prague's Old Town and the Church were also invited. These meetings became very important for noble politicians. The provincial court in Prague also became more important, dealing with laws and keeping official records.
When Wenceslas II returned to Bohemia in 1283, he was still young. He was influenced by his mother and her new husband. But Wenceslas later gained confidence. In 1297, he showed off the wealth and power of Bohemia at his coronation. He couldn't expand his kingdom to the south because of the Habsburgs, so he looked north and east.
In 1291, he took control of Kraków. In 1300, he became the King of Poland. He also gained the Hungarian crown for his son, who was crowned Ladislaus V in Hungary.
At this point, the Přemyslid family was very powerful. Bohemia's strong position was linked to its growing economy. The Czech lands were famous for their silver. A big silver mining boom started in the mid-13th century near Jihlava. Many people came hoping to find silver. Jihlava grew quickly and got special laws for mining towns. Miners from German-speaking areas like Saxony and Tirol settled there.
Another big silver boom happened in the late 13th century near Sedlec. A new town, Kutna Hora, quickly became the second-largest town in Bohemia after Prague. The mining in Kutna Hora led to a money reform in 1300. An expert from Italy helped create a mining code, which was one of the most important documents of its kind in medieval Europe.
The End of the Přemyslid Dynasty
The growing wealth of the Czech kingdom made the Habsburgs angry. In 1304, the Roman King Albrecht of Habsburg tried to take the Kutna Hora mines by force, but he failed.
Wenceslas II kept his strong position. The King of Bohemia was one of the seven "prince electors" who chose the Roman emperor. He also had an important role at royal ceremonies. However, the Přemyslid family faced some challenges. They lost influence in Hungary in 1304, and Wenceslas's son had to leave Hungary and give up the Hungarian crown.
When Wenceslas II died in 1305, Bohemia was still very powerful. But a single event the next year changed everything. On August 4, 1306, someone killed 16-year-old Wenceslas III in Olomouc. This meant the male line of the Přemyslid family ended.
Henry of Bohemia, who was married to Wenceslas III's sister, wanted the throne. But after some struggle, Rudolf of Habsburg became king. He married the widowed queen, Elizabeth Richeza, to support his claim. Rudolf died unexpectedly in 1307, and the crown went back to Henry of Bohemia. Elizabeth Richeza then became close with Jindrich of Lipá, a powerful Czech lord.
Henry's rule was weak and did not bring good times to Bohemia. To solve the problems, leaders from important monasteries suggested a marriage. They contacted the Roman Emperor Henry VII of Luxemburg. They suggested his son, John, marry Elisabeth of the Přemyslids, who was Wenceslas II's daughter. John had to take control of Bohemia by force.
The Reign of John of Luxemburg
On February 7, 1311, John of Luxemburg and Elisabeth of Přemyslids were crowned in Prague. But John's rule started with many problems.
The powerful Bohemian lords were worried about foreign advisors that John's father sent. John was new to the country and inexperienced. So, John promised to only appoint Bohemian nobles to important jobs. He also promised to use the army only for defense, reduce taxes, and expand inheritance rights for nobles.
As long as Emperor Henry VII was alive, the Bohemian lords did not challenge John much. But after Henry died in 1313, the lords pushed John to get rid of his foreign advisors. They even rebelled against him. In 1319, John's marriage also faced a crisis, and Elisabeth was imprisoned.
However, after this difficult start, John became a very popular and respected ruler in Europe. He greatly increased Bohemia's international standing and expanded its territory. From 1319 to 1329, he brought Upper Lusatia back under Czech control. From 1327 to 1342, he gained most of the Silesian areas. These actions helped create the future "Lands of the Bohemian Crown." He also gained the important Cheb region in 1322.
John was a skilled diplomat. He used difficult situations to his advantage. The Roman Emperor Louis IV had problems with the Pope. The new Pope, Clement VI, had been the teacher of John's oldest son, Charles. The Pope saw Charles as a possible new Roman King. So, on July 11, 1346, Charles of Luxemburg was elected Roman King.
A few weeks later, on August 26, 1346, King John died in the Battle of Crécy. He had been blind for several years but was helping the French king in the Hundred Years' War against England. His death marked the end of a ruler seen as a true knightly hero in medieval Europe.
Life in Medieval Bohemia: Social Structure
In the middle of the 13th century, Czech society had two main groups.
The first group was the upper class, which included members of the Catholic Church (clergy) and the nobility. Along with the king, this small group managed the state, defended the land, spread Christianity, and guided the lives of everyone else.
The largest group was the working people. This included farmers (about 80% of the population) and city dwellers (about 15%). They did physical labor and traded goods. This group paid taxes to support the upper classes.
Some people were not part of these main groups. They were often viewed with suspicion and lived on the edges of society. This included wanderers, performers, beggars, and criminals.
Nobles and Knights in Bohemia
The late 12th and 13th centuries brought big changes to the Czech lands. Landowners formed the nobility, divided into higher lords and lower nobles.
From the 12th century, the Czech nobility became part of the knightly culture popular in Western Europe. To become a knight, you had to earn it through brave actions, especially in battle. Only then would the ruler make you a knight. The most important values were chivalry, loyalty to God, and the Church.
New ways of farming came to the Czech lands from foreign settlers. The "three-field system" was slowly introduced. Farmers would plant winter wheat in one field, spring crops in another, and leave the third field empty for animals to graze. They rotated the fields every three years. Even with these new methods, crop yields were often low, and famines could still happen. Common crops included barley, wheat, peas, and other vegetables. People also raised cattle, pigs, goats, and sheep.
Farmers and City Life
New settlers brought not only new farming methods but also new laws.
To start a new village, a "locator" would find a good spot and get permission from the landowner. He would then divide the land for houses and fields. The settlers became subjects of the landowner and paid taxes twice a year. Farmers were often "serfs," meaning they were tied to the land they worked. However, they could keep their land and pass it on to their children. This system became common in the Czech lands.
Before the 13th century, Bohemia did not have many towns with clear laws for trade or crafts. But in the 13th century, a network of cities began to grow. Some grew from old markets, while others were new towns built in undeveloped areas. German immigrants played a big role in building these new towns in Silesia, Bohemia, and Moravia. Traders were usually richer than craftsmen, especially those who sold luxury goods.
Many important Czech and Moravian cities were founded by the king. The king would give permission and special rights to these "royal cities." Over time, some cities were given to queens, and their taxes went to the queen's court. These were called "dowry towns." Mining was also controlled by the king and became very important after silver was discovered. By 1300, there were about 40 royal cities in the Czech lands.
Gothic Architecture: Reaching for the Heavens
During the time of the last Přemyslid rulers, especially King Wenceslas I, a new art style arrived in Bohemia. This style, called Gothic, came from France. Gothic architecture aimed to show the Christian desire to reach heaven. The tall, vertical lines of Gothic cathedrals seemed to point towards the sky, showing an effort to rise above the earthly world. Gothic style, including fashion, was known for its long, stretched-out shapes and emphasis on vertical lines.
At first, the Czech lands did not have enough money to build huge Gothic cathedrals like those in Western Europe. So, the basic parts of Gothic building, like tall, pointed arches, were introduced slowly. The monastery in Prague is seen as one of the best examples of early Gothic architecture in Bohemia. The use of Gothic style in churches showed a deeper religious feeling. For example, Agnes of Bohemia founded a religious order, and Zdislava Berka, a noblewoman, cared for the sick.
In everyday life, the rise of Gothic style was linked to the culture of knights and royal courts. Examples include castles built by kings, like Zvikov Castle and Bezděz Castle, and by nobles, like Michalovice Castle. Stone houses in towns and city walls were also built in the Gothic style. Gothic culture came to Bohemia from Germany.
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