CEREMONIÁLNÍ KONFLIKT PŘI SVĚCENÍ PRAŽSKÉHO ARCIBISKUPA LAMBERKA (1607)
CEREMONIAL CONFLICT DURING THE ORDINATION CEREMONY OF THE ARCHBISHOP OF PRAGUE CHARLES VON LAMBERG IN 1607

Summary/Abstract: The Early Modern imperial court represented a type of social environment where a number of conflicts could arise. The ceremonial also played an important role here. The traditional privilege of ceremonial precedence, which was based on the ideal system of a hierarchical order of dignitaries and the imperceptible gaps in the court ceremonial, gave many of the courtiers and foreign diplomats and representatives an opportunity to enforce their own social status to the detriment of others or on the contrary defend and protect them. An interesting example of a ceremonial conflict is the argument that took place during the ordination ceremony of the Archbishop of Prague Charles von Lamberg in 1607. Emperor Rudolf II actually initiated it as he refused to take part in this festive occasion and sent all the members of the Privy Council instead of himself. When the foreign diplomats of Spain, Venice and of the Holy See learned about it, they decided not to take part in the festivities either as they did not want to put their position at risk. The reason behind the the Emperor’s behaviour was an effort to express his symbolic disagreement with the activities of foreign diplomats, i.e. of the monarchs who sent them, as these activities conflicted with the Emperor’s plans in certain aspects.

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