Klice ke Karlstejnu
Keys to the Karlstein Castle

Summary/Abstract: The Karlstein Castle was founded by the King of Bohemia and Roman Emperor Charles IV as his private castle and thus combined the role of the monarch’s personal sanctuary with the Roman as well as Bohemian ideals. During the time of Wenceslas IV, the offi ce of the Burgrave of Karlstein would usually be held by members of the gentry who enjoyed the King’s exceptional trust. After 1436 Karlstein was designated as the place for permanent safekeeping of the Bohemian coronation jewels, crown archive, selected volumes of Records of the Land and rare holy relics. Retrospectively, the legalization of control exercised by both noble estates over Karlstein appears to be a part of a long historical process, in which the estates gradually weakened the ruler’s power and created a political system that was substantially diff erent from the conditions before the Hussite Revolution.

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