Kamil Krofta (17 July 1876 – 16 August 1945) was a
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus'
Places
* Czech, ...
historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...
and
diplomat
A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...
.
[Honajzer George (1995). ''Vznik a rozpad vládních koalic v Československu v letech 1918-1938.'' stablishment and dissolution of government coalitions in Czechoslovakia in the years 1918-1938.Prague: Orbis.]
Life and career
Born and schooled in
Plzeň
Plzeň (; German and English: Pilsen, in German ) is a city in the Czech Republic. About west of Prague in western Bohemia, it is the Statutory city (Czech Republic), fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 169,000 inhabita ...
, he studied history in
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
starting in 1894, then from 1896 to 1899 in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
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, timezone = CET
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, timezone_DST ...
. From 1901 he worked at the
National Archives. Beginning in 1911, he was a professor of Austrian (and later, Czech) history at
Charles University
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, image_name = Carolinum_Logo.svg
, image_size = 200px
, established =
, type = Public, Ancient
, budget = 8.9 billion CZK
, rector = Milena Králíčková
, faculty = 4,057
, administrative_staff = 4,026
, students = 51,438
, undergr ...
, following the
Jaroslav Goll
Jaroslav Goll (14 July 1846 – 8 July 1929) was a Czech historian, medievalist, educator, writer and translator. He was a representative of the historical positivism. He studied history at the Charles University in Prague under Czech Václav ...
school of thought. In his research, he focused on the late medieval and early Czech history, especially that of the peasantry as well as the church.
In 1920, he became the first Czechoslovak envoy to
The Vatican and was instrumental in the mutual recognition of both states. From 1922 until 1925, he resided as envoy in Vienna and lectured at the
Comenius University
Comenius University in Bratislava ( sk, Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave) is the largest university in Slovakia, with most of its faculties located in Bratislava. It was founded in 1919, shortly after the creation of Czechoslovakia. It is name ...
in
Bratislava
Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...
. From 1925 to 1927 he was the Czechoslovak envoy in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
. After returning to Prague, he headed the Presidium of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Krofta was a key foreign policy advisor to
Edvard Beneš
Edvard Beneš (; 28 May 1884 – 3 September 1948) was a Czech politician and statesman who served as the president of Czechoslovakia from 1935 to 1938, and again from 1945 to 1948. He also led the Czechoslovak government-in-exile 1939 to 1945 ...
who headed the Ministry until he became
President of Czechoslovakia in 1935. Krofta served as
Minister of Foreign Affairs
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...
from 29 February 1936 until 4 October 1938.
[Staff report (May 29, 1936). Krofta Upholds League. '']New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' He succeeded
Milan Hodža
Milan Hodža (1 February 1878 – 27 June 1944) was a Slovak politician and journalist, serving from 1935 to 1938 as the prime minister of Czechoslovakia. As a proponent of regional integration, he was known for his attempts to establish a demo ...
.
[Vadnay, Emil (October 5, 1938). SLOVAKS' DEMANDS SHAKE UP CABINET; Czechs Give More Posts to Settle Differences With National Group TWO GENERALS ARE ADDED Shift Is Expected to Help in Effecting an Accord With Germany Slovak Minister Quits Slovak Legion in Vienna. '']New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
''
Krofta became an active participant in the resistance during the
German occupation of Czechoslovakia
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
through the National Revolution Preparatory Assembly (''Přípravný národní Revoluční výbor''). In 1944, was he arrested and initially held at
Pankrác Prison
Pankrác Prison, officially Prague Pankrác Remand Prison (''Vazební věznice Praha Pankrác'' in Czech language, Czech), is a prison in Prague, Czech Republic. A part of the Czech Prison Service, it is located southeast of Prague city centre in ...
. He was later moved to the
Small Fortress in
Terezín
Terezín (; german: Theresienstadt) is a town in Litoměřice District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,800 inhabitants. It is a former military fortress composed of the citadel and adjacent walled garrison town ...
and remained incarcerated until the camp was liberated in May 1945. He died in
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
a few months later as a result of the abuse and neglect during imprisonment. He was awarded
Order of Saint Sava
The Royal Order of St. Sava is an Order of merit, first awarded by the Kingdom of Serbia in 1883 and later by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. It was awarded to nationals and foreigners for meritorious ach ...
.
Selected publications
* ''Kurie a církevní správa zemí českých v době předhusitské''
* ''Řím a Čechy před hnutím husitským''
* ''Historia Fratrum a Rozmlouvání starého Čecha s mladým rytířem''
* ''Listy z náboženských dějin českých''
* ''Bílá hora''
* ''Přehled dějin selského stavu v Čechách a na Moravě''
* ''Čtení o ústavních dějinách slovenských''
* ''Čechové a Slováci před svým státním sjednocením''
* ''Žižka a husitská revoluce''
* ''Z dob naší první republiky''
* ''Nesmrtelný národ''
* ''Malé dějiny československé''
References
External links
Kamil Kroftavia Open Library
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Krofta, Kamil
1876 births
1945 deaths
Writers from Plzeň
People from the Kingdom of Bohemia
Politicians from Plzeň
Czech Freemasons
Foreign ministers of Czechoslovakia
Government ministers of Czechoslovakia
Ambassadors of Czechoslovakia to Germany
Recipients of the Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk
Ambassadors of Czechoslovakia to Austria
Ambassadors of Czechoslovakia to the Holy See
Recipients of the Order of St. Sava
Czech resistance members
Czechoslovak civilians killed in World War II
Resistance members who died in Nazi concentration camps