Crown lands of the
Habsburg Monarchy

Habsburg Monarchy (1526-1804),
of the
Austrian Empire

Austrian Empire (1804–67),
and of the Cisleithanian part of
Austria-Hungary
.svg/250px-Flag_of_Austria-Hungary_(1869-1918).svg.png)
Austria-Hungary (1867–1918)
1348–1918
Flag
Coat of arms
Lands of the Bohemian Crown

Lands of the Bohemian Crown within the
Holy Roman Empire
.svg/250px-Banner_of_the_Holy_Roman_Emperor_with_haloes_(1400-1806).svg.png)
Holy Roman Empire (1618)
Capital
Prague
Languages
Czech, German, Latin
Religion
Roman Catholic
Hussite
Lutheran
Anabaptist
Jewish
Government
Monarchy
King
•
1346–1378
Charles IV (first)
•
1916–1918
Charles III (last)
History
•
Bohemian Crown established
7 April 1348
•
Inauguration of the
Luxembourg dynasty
7 April 1348
•
Became main part of
Bohemian Crown lands
5 April 1355
•
King confirmed Elector
25 December 1356
•
King Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
16 December 1526
•
Dissolution of Austro-
Hungarian Empire
31 October 1918
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Kingdom of Bohemia
Margraviate of Moravia
Duchies of Silesia
Upper Lusatia
Lower Lusatia
First Czechoslovak Republic
Electorate of Saxony
Kingdom of Prussia
Today part of
Austria
Czech Republic
Germany
Poland
The Lands of the Bohemian Crown, often called
Czech lands
.png/720px-Czech_Rep._-_Bohemia,_Moravia_and_Silesia_III_(en).png)
Czech lands in modern
times, were a number of incorporated states in
Central Europe

Central Europe during
the medieval and early modern periods connected by feudal relations
under the Bohemian kings. The crown lands primarily consisted of the
Kingdom of Bohemia, an electorate of the
Holy Roman Empire
.svg/250px-Banner_of_the_Holy_Roman_Emperor_with_haloes_(1400-1806).svg.png)
Holy Roman Empire according
to the Golden Bull of 1356, the Margraviate of Moravia, the Duchies of
Silesia, and the Lusatias, as well as other territories throughout its
history.
The joint rule of Corona regni Bohemiae was legally established by
decree of King Charles I issued on 7 April 1348, on the foundation of
the original
Czech lands
.png/720px-Czech_Rep._-_Bohemia,_Moravia_and_Silesia_III_(en).png)
Czech lands ruled by the
Přemyslid dynasty

Přemyslid dynasty until 1306.
By linking the territories, the interconnection of crown lands thus no
more belonged to a king or a dynasty but to the Bohemian monarchy
itself, symbolically personalized by the Crown of Saint Wenceslas.
During the reign of King Ferdinand I from 1526, the lands of the
Bohemian Crown became a constituent part of the Habsburg Monarchy.
Later they passed to the
Austrian Empire

Austrian Empire and the Cisleithanian half of
Austria-Hungary. By the
Czechoslovak declaration of independence

Czechoslovak declaration of independence in
1918, the remaining
Czech lands
.png/720px-Czech_Rep._-_Bohemia,_Moravia_and_Silesia_III_(en).png)
Czech lands became part of the First Czechoslovak
Republic.
The Bohemian Crown was neither a personal union nor a federation of
equal members. Rather, the
Kingdom of Bohemia

Kingdom of Bohemia had a higher status than
the other incorporated constituent countries. There were only some
common state institutions of the Bohemian Crown and they did not
survive the centralization of the
Habsburg Monarchy

Habsburg Monarchy under Queen Maria
Theresa in the 18th century. The most important of them was the
Bohemian Court Chancellery

Bohemian Court Chancellery which was united with the Austrian
Chancellery in 1749.[1]
Contents
1 Name
2 History
2.1 Přemyslids
2.2 Luxembourgs
2.3 Jagiellons
2.4 Habsburgs
3 Bohemian territories
3.1 Crown lands
3.2 Other territories
4 Administrative divisions
5 See also
6 References
7 External Links
Name[edit]
The
Lands of the Bohemian Crown

Lands of the Bohemian Crown (Latin: Corona regni Bohemiae) are
called země Koruny české or simply Koruna česká (Crown of Bohemia
or Bohemian Crown)[2][3][4] and České země (i.e. Czech lands) in
Czech language, the adjective český referring to both "Bohemian" and
"Czech". The German term Länder der Böhmischen Krone is likewise
shortened to Böhmische Krone or Böhmische Kronländer. Native names
include Silesian: Korana Czeskigo Krůlestwa, Lower Sorbian: zemje
Českeje krony, and Upper Sorbian: kraje Čěskeje Króny. The
denotation Lands of the
Crown of Saint Wenceslas

Crown of Saint Wenceslas (země Koruny
svatováclavské) refers to the Crown of Saint Wenceslas, part of the
regalia of the Bohemian monarchs.
History[edit]
For more detailed histories, see History of the Lands of the Bohemian
Crown (1526–1648), History of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown
(1648–1867), and History of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown
(1867–1918).
Přemyslids[edit]
In the 10th and 11th century the
Duchy of Bohemia, together with
Moravia

Moravia (the
Margraviate of Moravia

Margraviate of Moravia from 1182 on), and Kłodzko Land
were consolidated under the ruling Přemyslid dynasty.
Duke Ottokar I of
Bohemia

Bohemia gained the hereditary royal title to the
Duchy of
Bohemia

Bohemia in 1198, from the German (anti)−king Philip of
Swabia, for his support. Along with the title, Philip also raised the
duchy to the
Kingdom of Bohemia

Kingdom of Bohemia rank. The regality was ultimately
confirmed by Philip's nephew the German king Frederick II, later the
Holy Roman Emperor

Holy Roman Emperor (1220−1250), in the
Golden Bull of Sicily

Golden Bull of Sicily issued
in 1212.
The Přemyslid king Ottokar II of
Bohemia

Bohemia acquired the
Duchy of
Austria

Austria in 1251, the
Duchy of Styria
.svg/250px-Flag_of_Styria_(state).svg.png)
Duchy of Styria in 1261, the
Egerland

Egerland in 1266,
the
Duchy of Carinthia

Duchy of Carinthia with the
March of Carniola
.svg/500px-Duchy_of_Carniola_locator_map_(1250).svg.png)
March of Carniola and the Windic March
in 1269 as well as the March of
Friuli

Friuli in 1272. His plans to turn
Bohemia

Bohemia into the leading
Imperial State

Imperial State were aborted by his Habsburg
rival King Rudolph I of Germany, who seized his acquisitions and
finally defeated him in the 1278 Battle on the Marchfeld.[1]
Luxembourgs[edit]
In 1306 the House of Luxembourg, began producing Bohemian kings upon
the extinction of the Přemyslids. They significantly enlarged the
Bohemian lands again, including when King John the Blind vassalized
most Polish Piast dukes of Silesia. His suzerainty was acknowledged by
the Polish king
Casimir III the Great

Casimir III the Great in the 1335 Treaty of
Trentschin. John also achieved the enfeoffment with the Upper Lusatian
lands of
Bautzen

Bautzen (1319) and
Görlitz

Görlitz (1329), by the German king Louis
IV.
Coats of arms of the
Holy Roman Empire
.svg/250px-Banner_of_the_Holy_Roman_Emperor_with_haloes_(1400-1806).svg.png)
Holy Roman Empire and the Bohemian Crown on the
Tower of
Charles Bridge

Charles Bridge in Prague.
King John's eldest son Charles IV was elected
King of the Romans

King of the Romans in
1346 and succeeded his father as King of
Bohemia

Bohemia in the same year.
Charles IV created the Bohemian Crown, together with the incorporated
provinces in 1348. The Luxembourg dynasty reached its high point, when
Charles was crowned
Holy Roman Emperor

Holy Roman Emperor in 1355.[1] By his Imperial
authority he decreed that the united Bohemian lands should endure
regardless of dynastic developments, even if the Luxembourgs should
die out.[5]
In 1367 he purchased
Lower Lusatia
.svg/440px-Locator_Lower_Lusatia_within_the_Holy_Roman_Empire_(1618).svg.png)
Lower Lusatia from his stepson Margrave Otto V of
Brandenburg and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. Beside their home
County of Luxembourg

County of Luxembourg itself, the dynasty held further non-contiguous
Imperial fiefs in the Low Countries, such as: the
Duchy of Brabant
.svg/500px-Locator_Duchy_of_Brabant_(1350).svg.png)
Duchy of Brabant and
Duchy of Limburg, acquired through marriage by Charles' younger
half-brother Wenceslaus of Luxembourg in 1355; as well as the
Margraviate of Brandenburg
.svg/250px-Brandenburg_Flag_1657-1701_(new).svg.png)
Margraviate of Brandenburg purchased in 1373. As both the King of
Bohemia

Bohemia and the Margrave of Brandenburg had been designated
Prince-electors in the Golden Bull of 1356, the Luxembourgs held two
votes in the electoral college, securing the succession of Charles's
son Wenceslaus in 1376.
With King Wenceslaus, the decline of the Luxembourg dynasty began. He
himself was deposed as
King of the Romans

King of the Romans in 1400. The Duchies of
Brabant, Limburg (in 1406), and even Luxembourg itself (in 1411) were
ceded to the French House of Valois-Burgundy; while the Margraviate of
Brandenburg passed to the
House of Hohenzollern

House of Hohenzollern (in 1415).[5]
Nevertheless, the joint rule of the Bohemian Lands outlived the
Hussite

Hussite Wars and the extinction of the Luxembourg male line upon the
death of Emperor Sigismund in 1437.
Jagiellons[edit]
Vladislas II of the Jagiellon dynasty, son of the Polish king Casimir
IV, was designated King of
Bohemia

Bohemia in 1471, while the crown lands of
Moravia, Silesia, and the Lusatias were occupied by rivaling King
Matthias Corvinus

Matthias Corvinus of Hungary. In 1479 both kings signed the Treaty of
Olomouc, whereby the unity of the Bohemian crown lands was officially
retained unchanged and the monarchs appointed each other as sole heir.
Upon the death of King Matthias in 1490, Vladislas ruled the Bohemian
crown lands and the
Kingdom of Hungary
.svg/250px-Flag_of_Hungary_(1867-1918).svg.png)
Kingdom of Hungary in personal union.
Habsburgs[edit]
Lands of the Bohemian Crown

Lands of the Bohemian Crown with
Austria-Hungary
.svg/250px-Flag_of_Austria-Hungary_(1869-1918).svg.png)
Austria-Hungary (1910)
When Vladislas' only son Louis was killed at the
Battle of Mohács

Battle of Mohács in
1526 ending the
Jagiellon dynasty

Jagiellon dynasty rule in Bohemia, a convention of
Bohemian nobles elected his brother-in-law, the Habsburg archduke
Ferdinand I of Austria, as the new king of the Bohemian crown lands.
Together with the Archduchy of
Austria

Austria "hereditary lands" and the
Hungarian kingdom, they formed the Habsburg Monarchy, which in the
following centuries grew out of the
Holy Roman Empire
.svg/250px-Banner_of_the_Holy_Roman_Emperor_with_haloes_(1400-1806).svg.png)
Holy Roman Empire into a separate
European power. Attempts by the Bohemian Protestant Reformation
estates to build up an autonomous confederation were dashed at the
1620 Battle of White Mountain, whereafter the administration was
centralised at Vienna. Moreover, the Habsburg rulers lost the Lusatias
to the
Electorate of Saxony

Electorate of Saxony in the 1635 Peace of Prague, and also most
of
Silesia

Silesia with Kladsko to King
Frederick II of Prussia

Frederick II of Prussia in the 1742
Treaty of Breslau.[1]
In the Modern era, the remaining crown lands of Bohemia,
Moravia

Moravia and
Austrian
Silesia

Silesia became constituent parts of the
Austrian Empire

Austrian Empire in
1804, and later the Cisleithanian half of
Austria-Hungary
.svg/250px-Flag_of_Austria-Hungary_(1869-1918).svg.png)
Austria-Hungary in 1867.
After
World War I

World War I and the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian
monarchy, these became the historic regions usually referred to as the
Czech lands
.png/720px-Czech_Rep._-_Bohemia,_Moravia_and_Silesia_III_(en).png)
Czech lands forming the Czech Republic. Austrian
Silesia

Silesia with the
Hlučín Region

Hlučín Region is today known as Czech Silesia, with the exception of
eastern Cieszyn
Silesia

Silesia which passed to the
Second Polish Republic
.svg/250px-Flag_of_Poland_(1928-1980).svg.png)
Second Polish Republic in
1920.[5]
Bohemian territories[edit]
Crown lands[edit]
Crown land
Type
Map
Capital or important city
Ethnic group
Religion
Notes
Bohemia
Kingdom
Prague
Bohemians (Czechs)
Germans
Roman Catholic
Hussite

Hussite (15th-17th centuries)
Anabaptist

Anabaptist (15th-17th centuries)
Lutheran
Royal dignity first bestowed upon Vratislaus II of
Bohemia

Bohemia in 1085,
hereditary since 1198 under King Ottokar I; Electorate of the Holy
Roman Empire, confirmed by the Golden Bull of 1356. Included the
Imperial domain of
Egerland

Egerland (Chebsko), obtained by King Wenceslaus II
between 1291–1305, definitely given in pawn to
Bohemia

Bohemia by King Louis
IV in 1322 and subsequently ruled in personal union with Bohemia
proper; as well as the County of Kladsko, established in 1459 and
conquered by the Prussian king
Frederick the Great

Frederick the Great in 1742.
Moravia
Margraviate
Olomouc,
Brno
Moravians
Germans
Roman Catholic
Hussite

Hussite (15th-17th centuries)
Anabaptist

Anabaptist (15th-17th centuries)
Lutheran
Principalities of Olomouc,
Brno

Brno and Znojmo, acquired by Přemyslid and
Slavník Bohemian rulers after the 955 Battle of Lechfeld, lost in 999
to
Poland

Poland and reconquered by Duke Bretislaus I in 1035. Elevated to a
margraviate by the Přemyslid dukes in 1182, Bohemian fief from 1197.
Silesia
Duchies
Wrocław
Germans
Moravians
Poles
Roman Catholic
Lutheran
Many various duchies, acquired by the 1335 Treaty of Trentschin
between King John of
Bohemia

Bohemia and King Casimir III of Poland. The
Habsburg queen
Maria Theresa
.jpg/440px-Kaiserin_Maria_Theresia_(HRR).jpg)
Maria Theresa lost
Silesia

Silesia in 1742 to the Prussian king
Frederick the Great

Frederick the Great by the Treaty of Breslau, with the exception of
its South-East part which became called Austrian
Silesia

Silesia (later Czech
Silesia). Today divided between Poland, the Czech Republic, and
Germany.
Upper Lusatia
Margraviate
Bautzen, Görlitz
Germans
Sorbs
Roman Catholic
Lutheran
Former
Milceni

Milceni lands of Meissen, finally incorporated by King John of
Bohemia

Bohemia in 1319 (Bautzen) and 1329 (Görlitz). The Habsburg emperor
Ferdinand II of Habsburg lost the Lusatias to the Electorate of Saxony
with the 1635 Peace of Prague. Formally part of the Crown of Bohemia
until 1815, today divided between
Germany

Germany and Poland.
Lower Lusatia
Margraviate
Lübben
Germans
Sorbs
Lutheran
Former March of Lusatia, acquired by Emperor Charles IV from Margrave
Otto V of Brandenburg in 1367. The Habsburg emperor Ferdinand II of
Habsburg lost the Lusatias to the
Electorate of Saxony

Electorate of Saxony with the 1635
Peace of Prague. Formally part of the Crown of
Bohemia

Bohemia between until
1815, today divided between
Germany

Germany and Poland.
Other territories[edit]
Margraviate of Brandenburg
The Brandenburg Electorate, acquired by Charles IV from Margrave Otto
V in 1373. Charles' son Sigismund lost Brandenburg in 1415 to
Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg.
The adjacent northern part of the
Upper Palatinate

Upper Palatinate ("Bohemian
Palatinate") at Sulzbach, incorporated by Charles IV in 1355. Charles'
son Wenceslaus lost the area in 1401 to the Electorate of the
Palatinate under King Ruprecht of Germany.
Egerland
Administrative divisions[edit]
Coat of arms of the Bohemian crown lands (until 1635), clockwise from
left above: (checked) Eagle of Moravia, Eagle of Lower Silesia, Ox of
Lower Lusatia, Eagle of Upper Silesia, Wall of Upper Lusatia, en
surtout Bohemian Lion, upon Crown of Saint Wenceslas, garlanded by
lime. Drawn by
Hugo Gerard Ströhl

Hugo Gerard Ströhl (1851–1919)
Kraje of Kingdom of Bohemia
Bechyně

Bechyně (German: Beching)
Boleslav (German: Jung-Bunzlau)
Čáslav

Čáslav (German: Tschaslau)
Chrudim
Hradec Králové
_-_Velké_náměstí.jpg/512px-Hradec_Králové_(Königgrätz)_-_Velké_náměstí.jpg)
Hradec Králové (German: Königgrätz)
Kladsko (German: Glatz)
Kouřim

Kouřim at
Prague

Prague (German: Prag)
Litoměřice

Litoměřice (German: Leitmeritz)
Loket (German: Elbogen)
Vltava

Vltava (German: Moldau)
Plzeň

Plzeň (German: Pilsen)
Podbrdsko at
Beroun

Beroun (German: Beraun)
Prácheň at Písek
Rakovník

Rakovník (German: Rakonitz)
Slaný

Slaný (German: Schlan)
Žatec

Žatec (German: Saaz)
Kraje of Margraviate of Moravia
Brno

Brno (German: Brünn)
Hradiště (German: Ungarisch Hradisch)
Jihlava

Jihlava (German: Iglau)
Olomouc

Olomouc (German: Olmütz)
Přerov

Přerov (German: Prerau)
Znojmo

Znojmo (German: Znaim)
Duchies of Silesia
Brzeg (German: Brieg)
Bytom (German: Beuthen)
Cieszyn (German: Teschen)
Głogów (German: Glogau)
Jawor (German: Jauer)
Legnica (German: Liegnitz)
Nysa (German: Neiße)
Oleśnica (German: Oels)
Opava (German: Troppau)
Opole (German: Oppeln)
Pszczyna (German: Pless)
Racibórz (German: Ratibor)
Ścinawa

Ścinawa (German: Steinau)
Świdnica

Świdnica (German: Schweidnitz)
Wrocław

Wrocław (German: Breslau)
Żagań (German: Sagan)
Ziębice (German: Münsterberg)
Margraviate of Lusatia
Upper Lusatia
.svg/440px-Locator_Upper_Lusatia_within_the_Holy_Roman_Empire_(1618).svg.png)
Upper Lusatia at Bautzen
Lower Lusatia
.svg/440px-Locator_Lower_Lusatia_within_the_Holy_Roman_Empire_(1618).svg.png)
Lower Lusatia at Lübben
See also[edit]
Part of a series on the
History of the Czech lands
Early history
Unetice culture
Boii

Boii (Gauls, Celts)
Marcomanni

Marcomanni (Germanic peoples)
Migration Period

Migration Period (West Slavs)
Samo's Empire
Middle Ages
Great Moravia
Duchy of Bohemia
Bohemian Crown (Holy Roman Empire)
Czech lands
.png/720px-Czech_Rep._-_Bohemia,_Moravia_and_Silesia_III_(en).png)
Czech lands in the High Middle Ages
Bohemian Reformation
Hussite

Hussite Wars
Early modern period
Habsburg Monarchy
Czech lands
.png/720px-Czech_Rep._-_Bohemia,_Moravia_and_Silesia_III_(en).png)
Czech lands 1526–1648
Thirty Years War
Austrian Empire
Czech lands
.png/720px-Czech_Rep._-_Bohemia,_Moravia_and_Silesia_III_(en).png)
Czech lands 1648–1867
Austria-Hungary
Czech lands
.png/720px-Czech_Rep._-_Bohemia,_Moravia_and_Silesia_III_(en).png)
Czech lands 1867–1918
World War I
Czechoslovakia
First Czechoslovak Republic
German Occupation
World War II
Czechoslovak Socialist Republic
Soviet Occupation
Velvet Revolution
Czech and Slovak Federative Republic
Czech Republic
Dissolution of Czechoslovakia
European Union
Czech Republic

Czech Republic portal
v
t
e
Czech lands
History of the Czech lands
List of rulers of Bohemia
Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen
Crown of the Kingdom of Poland
Crown of Aragon
Crown of Castille
v
t
e
Crown lands
Lands of the Bohemian Crown
Bohemia
Moravia
Silesia
Upper Lusatia
Lower Lusatia
Lands of the German Crown
Duchy of Saxony
Lower Lorraine
Upper Lorraine
Duchy of Franconia
Duchy of Swabia
Duchy of Bavaria
Lands of the Hungarian Crown
Hungary proper
Transylvania
Croatia
Crown of the Kingdom of Poland
Greater Poland
Lesser Poland
Royal Prussia
References[edit]
^ a b c d Geschichte der tschechischen öffentlichen Verwaltung Karel
Schelle, Ilona Schelleová, GRIN Verlag, 2011 (in German and Czech)
^ "The Archives of the Crown of Bohemia". National Archive of the
Czech Republic

Czech Republic (Národní archiv ČR). Retrieved 6 June 2014.
^ Teich, Mikuláš (editor) (1998).
Bohemia

Bohemia in history (1. publ. ed.).
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 117.
ISBN 0-521-43155-7. CS1 maint: Extra text: authors list
(link)
^ "
Silesia

Silesia – Pearl in the Crown of Bohemia". National Gallery in
Prague

Prague (Národní galerie v Praze). Retrieved 6 June 2014.
^ a b c Prinz, Friedrich (1993). Deutsche Geschichte in Osten Europas:
Böhmen und Mähren (in German). Berlin: Wolf Jobst Siedler Verlag
GmbH. p. 381. ISBN 3-88680-200-0. Retrieved 25 February
2013.
External Links[edit]
"Bohemia", BBC Radio 4 discussion with Norman Davies, Karin Friedrich
and Robert Pynsent (In Our Time, Apr. 11, 2002)
Coordinates: 50°05′00″N 14°25′00″E / 50.0833°N
14.4167°E