John of Marignolli and the Historiographical Project of Charles IV
John of Marignolli and the Historiographical Project of Charles IV

Summary/Abstract: In 1355 an Italian Franciscan, John of Marignolli, was asked by Charles IV to compose a chronicle of Bohemia. His Chronicon Bohemorum is conserved into three manuscripts, two of which are now in Prague’s National Library. Marignolli’s work followed a project of historiographical renovation: Charles aimed to rewrite Bohemian historiography in order to celebrate his election as Emperor. It was Marignolli’s task to collect all the previous chronicles, revise them and bring about a brand new universal narrative leading to contemporary Bohemian history. Shortly after Marignolli’s death, Charles IV gave the Bohemian writer Přibík Pulkava of Radenín the same appointment: in 1374 he wrote an alternative Chronica Bohemiae, copied beside Marignolli’s one in both of the Prague manuscripts. These two chronicles are very different from one another: it’s likely that Charles didn’t appreciate Marignolli’s work and asked Pulkava to write a text more suitable for his purposes.

• Details
• Contents