Visiting Prague

Summary: the first two kings of the Přemysl dynasty. From a tribe to a state.

Arriving form the Atlantic to the Black Sea, in the 5th century B.C., the Celtic Tribes already had an organized society. One form of societal organization, with a military aristocracy who spoke the same language (an Indo-European language), had common manners and habits, shearing a way of living. The Boii was a Celtic tribe, divide in two sections, one of which settled in Cisalpine Gaul around Bononia (Bologna) and the other one in what was later Bohemia, to which it gave its name. The Cisalpine group, after struggling against the Romans throughout the 3rd century BC, was subdued and made a Latin colony. The second group, which joined with another Celtic tribe, the Helvetii, to invade Gaul, was defeated by Julius Caesar. He allowed the survivors to settle in Gaul between the Loire and Allier rivers. The remaining Boii in Bohemia were expelled by the Marcomanni a Germanic tribe in 8th century BC. During the 6th century the Slavic Tribes arrived to the territory of Bohemia and also invasions from nomads of Turko-Tartar. In 630 A.C. the Slavic Tribe won over the nomads and the tribe started to be organized and united.
The first historically known Czech ruler was the Prince Bořivoj (?-894), was a loyal ally of Great Moravian Empire, baptised by Methodius, but later his son Spytihněv (?-905) extricated himself from this influence. Czechs recognised supremacy of the family clan of Přemyslides. Its founding father was a semi-mythical figure Přemysl the Ploughman. When Bořivoj´s widow Ludmila, who was murdered in 921 she was proclaimed saint.
The feudal lords and their mailed horsemen saved Western Europe, they took their own reward out of the lands they saved and out of the neighbour whom they insisted on saving, till they eventually become an unmitigated nuisance from which  Bohemia suffered as much as any other country. Wenceslas was then the first Přemysl prince of Bohemia.  Between the German west and the Barbarians at east there was every reason for erecting strongholds in Bohemia as in other countries in Europe. Wenceslas ordered to build a chapel in the Hradsany in which was housed the relic of St. Vitus but nothing to protect Bohemia. Wenceslas also changed political orientation of the country from Bavaria to Saxony. In between 929 and 935, because of disputes inside of the family to rule Bohemia, he was murdered by his own brother, Boleslav I and after death he becomes the patron saint of the country, the ideal ruler in eternity, symbol of Czech statehood. Although the myth says that Wenceslas is not death, but fast asleep inside a mountain, making up for nights spent in prayer.
In 935 Wenceslas´ brother Boleslav I, cherished ambitious plans against Germans. He also defeated by Otto I but he successfully protected his country. He also defeated Magyars freeing Moravia and uniting it to Bohemia. He conquered a considerable part of the country between the Carpathian Mountains and the Danube. By getting close to Poland he managed to come to a good understanding with Duke Mieceslav I, the ruler of that country.

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