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The article deals with an interesting draft which contains an interview with Nikolay Haitov, found in the personal archives of the writer, journalist and script-writer Georgi Georgiev-Ravninov (26.12.1930 – 1.11.1990). The draft also contains a letter signed by Nikolay Haitov, which throws light on the process of writing, editing, censorship and publishing in the press under the communist regime in Bulgaria.
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The current issue of Phonetica Pragensia is published at the occasion of the Institute of Phonetics celebrating the 100th anniversary of its official foundation. The aim of this paper is to provide background to the contributions that follow, namely a historical perspective to the tradition of long-term experimental research set up in Prague by the early phonetic pioneers and continued until today. Drawing primarily on archival materials, the article brings a more detailed account of the constitutive years in comparison to the reviews published so far. It reveals the complexity that is involved in the process of establishing and sustaining a new (phonetics) institute, which might be informative to wider audiences as well.
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This article was inspired by a reedition of two documents prepared for this number of HUCP by Jana Ratajová, which concern the professional career of the Czech physicist Julius Suchý (1879–1920). The aim of this contribution was to outline the broader context of Suchý’s stay with Hendrik A. Lorentz at the Leiden University in 1908–1909 and his subsequent habilitation in theoretical physics at the Czech Technical University in Prague in 1913. The circumstances of finishing his habilitation are illustrated by Suchý’s letters to Hendrik A. Lorentz, written in 1909–1911, whose transcription (from the German original) is included as this article’s supplement.
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In 1923, Richard (Meszleny-)Messer, a Germanist who lived in Bratislava, tried to habilitate at the Czech Faculty of Philosophy of the Charles University on the basis of a Czech-written study on R. M. Rilke and a lecture on epic Mariology in German poetry from the Middle Ages until the present. Despite the support of many colleagues (especially A. Novák, A. Kraus, and O. Fischer), the habilitation process was after several months stopped. This contribution presents an outline of the main factors and stages of this ultimately failed process, as far as one can discern them from textual evidence, with the aim of uncovering the background of the events.
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This study deals with the earliest days of historical Slavistics at the Czech university in Prague and its perhaps most important representative, Jaroslav Bidlo (1868–1937). It follows his connection with the Prague university since his studies, when he belonged to the oldest generation of the so-called Goll’s school of historical sciences, through his stays at universities in Krakow, Moscow, and Petersburg, and the development of his academic career from habilitation to full professorship in 1910. Also included is an overview of Bidlo’s teaching and organising activities at the Prague university. Bidlo’s career culminated when he was elected dean of the Faculty of Philosophy (1915/1916) and later, when in the 1930s he was for three years active in the academic senate. Bidlo’sinterwar activities at the Charles University clearly show how an originally rather marginal research field could, due to changes in the geopolitical situation, become prominent and enjoy full state support.
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The subject of this contribution is the academic career of Czech historian Milada Paulová, the first woman who managed to reach the highest academic ranks in Czechoslovakia. Milada Paulová focused on modern history, on mapping anti-Habsburg resistance in the Czech Lands and in countries, which later formed Yugoslavia. Following the wishes of Jaroslav Bidlo, she was also active in Byzantine studies. Her interest in recent history provoked a number of questions, such as: Is the study of recent past really a science? Can one apply to it traditional scientific methods and maintain scientific independence of political pressures? Milada Paulová’s interest in the subject was fully vindicated only after the Second World War, when modern history became an independent area within the historical sciences.
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The viewing of archival materials, and especially those which contain health data, is in the Czech Republic viewed in different ways but the overall approach is marked by ambivalence, lack of clarity and controversy. The authors summarize currently valid legislation related to the subject, discuss the rights and duties of archives and researchers and focus on information as regards health and death of diseased persons. Their interpretation is based, among other things, on the decision of the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic and published opinions of the Office for Personal Data Protection. They also discuss recent historiographic trends, which tend to advocate unrestricted access to information pertaining to victims of the totalitarian regimes of the twentieth century, especially Nazism. The authors conclude that it is not the duty of archives to protect sensitive data from researchers, who are, after all, fully responsible for using them in their scientific work and publications in a manner that conforms to valid legislation and ethical guidelines.
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This contribution offers an analysis and edition of the Latin original and Czech translation of already the second letter sent by Josef Stepling to James Short. The letters were found in the Archives of the Royal Society in London. The first dealt with the fall of meteorites in southern Bohemia, the second (subject of the current study) describes how the impact of Lisbon earthquake that took place on 1 November 1755 was felt in the west Bohemian spa town of Teplice. The author also traces Stepling’s later interest in this natural phenomenon.
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The paper summarises available information about the figure of the third bishop of Prague. By the means of comparison with the other known figures of that time it tries to stress the singular features of this person, recognising Thiddag as a very interesting and important individual. Especially in the comparison with his predecessor Adalbert, whose biographers wrote rather a religious and conformal hagiographical work stressing the cliché of a saintly figure, the portray of Thiddag created mostly by his peer and colleague Thietmar of Merseburg presents a rather vivid and trustworthy picture of a diligent bishop with good ties to the empire. Unlike Adalbert he was able to solve his strife with the Bohemian duke and stay somewhat firmly in his office to the end of his days.
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The review of an often-debated topic relies on a very broad theoretical reevaluation of basic ideas of political power, relationships and concepts. Author proposes a broad summary of the nature of power and government in Central Europe in the given period. The development of the political power in Bohemia and its relation to the imperial world is put in the context of the other Central European states. The relationship is described since its very beginnings in 805, although the first century gives us only a very limited number of sources. Later contacts such as the church connections, possible regular payments from Bohemia, the possibility of a regular feudal oath are thoroughly described by the author. Bohemia is then understood as a part of a broader imperial world, almost similarly to the other duchies of the Empire. This position could be also beneficial for the building of the political power of the Přemyslids.
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The aim of this article is to investigate the information about the possible Saxon-Bohemian contacts in the missionary field during the 10th and in the beginning of the 11th century. Although the Bavarian contacts are probably rightfully considered important and crucial in the current picture of Christianization of Bohemia, there are interesting facts that support the possibility, that the Saxons played an important role in the forming of Bohemian Christianity, too. The first and third bishops of Prague were of Saxon descent and even the fourth bishop originated from the similar region. The main church of Prague was dedicated to St. Vitus, who could also be connected with the Saxon area and the Corvey monastery in particular. The Corvey monastery could serve as a possible missionary centre.
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The paper is a comprehensive summary of the history of one of the most important imperial monasteries and original institution of bishop Thiddag. Author provides a very deep study of the development of the monastery during the age of the Carolingians and the Ottonians. The relationship between the abbey and the ruler was always somewhat good and important, although sometimes (especially during the rule of Otto I) not uncomplicated. The paper evaluates the information we can get from the both major saxon chronicles of the age – Widukind’s and Thietmar’s. The last part of the article summarises the information we posses about the possible role Corvey as a scholar institution of given period.
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The paper thinks through the development of the ideal of the bishop in the 10th and 11th century. It points out the transformation of the former picture of an ascetic prelate to the self-confident administrator of the entrusted diocese, as it is given by the sources presenting the life and career of the bishop of Prague – Thiddag. While the sources of the 10th century give us the monkish ideal of the bishop’s work, a rather traditional model of a saintly bishop, living a humble life, devoted to the asceticism and fulfilling his duties diligently, but with a certain self-denial; the ideal of the 11th century shifts to the selfconfident bishops, managing their administrative duties and even the mundane tasks without any trouble, not desiring to run away to the monastic solitude or regretting their work for the Empire. Their relationship towards their diocese is confirmed by the efforts to enlarge its properties and rights, fulfilling thusly the work begun by their predecessors. The comparison focused on the development of the ideal of the bishop allows us to think deeply about the circumstances and causes bringing the changes of the priorities of the bishops in this very important period leading to the Gregorian reform.
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This paper is devoted to the analysis of the episcopal behavior and the interpretive frameworks that writers of the Ottonian age used to describe their actions. The focus of the research are various narrative representations, which were attached to the relationships between bishops and kings in the medieval historiography. The saintly bishop, the spiritual instructor of a king, the prosecutor of a ruler, and the bishop-traitor were the most prominent literary models, or modes of description, used in texts from the tenth and eleventh centuries. These modes of episcopal representations, in their relation to royal power, are perceived as parts of the coherent narrative strategies utilized by the medieval historiographers to meet their own aims. These aims included increasing the prestige of a community represented by a bishop, criticizing royal policies, condemning political rivals or justifying their own position. It is argued that all these various literary roles, thrusted upon bishops by chroniclers, hagiographers or polemicists, were realizations of the milestone concepts of episcopal power and medieval political theology: admonition and familiarity. These literary roles thus allowed Ottonian writers to imagine a bishop as being an intimate friend, a loyal lord, a prophet and a pastor to the ruling king and his realm.
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The author deals with the sources that the oldest Czech chronicler, the Dean of the Prague Chapter Cosmas († 1125) used for his interpretation of older Czech history and the personality of the third Prague bishop Thiddag (998–1017). On the basis of an analysis of Cosmas’s text, the author concluded that the chronicler had, in addition to the Imperial annals, a catalogue of Prague bishops, incomplete reports of the succession of Czech rulers, several annalistic records of Czech history, and an oral tradition. The lack of information in some places was replaced by his rhetorical abilities. As for Bishop Thiddag, Cosmas tells about his election and enthronement, then about his death on June 11, 1017. It is apparent that Cosmas did not know much about the third bishop of Prague and the events that took place under his office, so he helped out the usual rhetorical topoi.
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The phenomena of the proprietary churches is connected with the very beginnings of the Christianity in Moravia and later in Bohemia, too. The founders of the churches of the period of the 9th and 10th century were – as attested by the sources – only the members of Mojmirid and Přemyslid dynasty, the rank of Slavník who founded the church in Libice is still a matter of discusion. From the 11th century on, the increasing number of documents tells us that the other members of elites – magnates or majors – founded their churches. The founders and their posterity definitely had a considerable influence on the function of these churches, appointed priests and decided or co-decided how the incomes of the churches will be used. The conclusion, that by this only their economical interests were served, is however to be rejected. The founders not only strengthened their prestige, but they were also motivated by their belief and hope for salvation. Since the half of the 12th century the number of proprietary churches increased rapidly, the members of the elite (retinues) holding now the hereditary lands started to settle on their properties and built late-romanesque churches next to the court residences. This phase of development (until the end of the phenomena of the proprietary churches during the emancipation of the Bohemian church in the first third of the 13th century) is however not a part of this paper.
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The codicological and paleographical analysis of the ms. Heiligenkreuz, Stiftsbibliothek Nr. 217 combined with the scrutiny of the content introduces the audience into the material evidence for the begginings of the literacy in Bohemia at the end of the 10th century. It demonstrates that the above mentioned codex, which mostly included poenitentials and Carolingian capitularies, was written ca. 950 in today’s Southern Germany. Before 1000, probably c. 990, it was donated to or bought for Prague bishopric (founded 976), where it was not just used and read, but the churchmen also copied in it documents important for Bohemian Church (letter of Stephan V, 885 sent to Moravia), or diverse texts compiled in Prague (contract between St. Adlabert-Vojtěch, bishop of Prague, duke Boleslav II and the elites; two sermons probably written by St. Adalbert).
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The author evaluates the information the Thietmar’s Chronicle provides about the ongoing Christianization of the Slavic people at the turn of the first and second millennium. It summarises the terms and views of the chronicler, especially the view of the collective Christianization of the whole peoples. The article especially analyses Thietmar’s view on the cases stressing the relations and transformations of the pre-christian (or non-christian) beliefs to the spreading Christianity. It seems that the key factor in perceiving certain people as Christians was for the chronicler the religion of their elites and working church administrative. Important role is dedicated to the bishops – colleagues of the writer Thietmar – who were responsible for the missionary efforts between the Slavs. Their work is at the focus point of the narrative.
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The paper aims to reevaluate the ideological and theological questions connected with the first two coronations of the Piast rulers. The author tries to present the actions of Polish kings-to-be as a possible redefinition of their position within the recreated medieval Roman empire (not against it as a more traditional view puts it). Very important role plays the utilization of Holy Lance, or its copy possessed by the Polish rulers. Author uses especially the written accounts of Thietmar’s Chronicle put in certain antithesis with the only positive contemporary description of Mieszko II’s kingship – the letter written (or stylized) by Matilda of Swabia. The kingship of Piasts is described rather as a religious and ideological, rather than political act.
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Christianization of the Rus’ is a subject of many existing articles and monographs. This article however deals it again from a somewhat untraditional perspective. It stresses the possible influence not only the center of Eastern Christianity, the Byzantine Empire, but also the centers representing the Western Christianity, that is, the Roman Empire and the Papacy had on this process. At the same time, a certain parallel between the events surrounding the Cyril and Methodius’s mission, the acceptance of Christianity in Bulgary and the Christianization of the Rus’ is pointed out.
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