The Supreme Burgrave of the Kingdom of Bohemia, originally the Burgrave of Prague or the Burgrave of Prague Castle (

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, ...

: ''Nejvyšší purkrabí'';

German 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 ...

: ''Oberstburggraf;''

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''supremus burgravius'') was the most important land official of the Kingdom of Bohemia. They were the head of the

Bohemian Diet The Bohemian Diet ( cs, Český zemský sněm, german: Böhmischer Landtag) was the parliament of the Kingdom of Bohemia within the Austro-Hungarian Empire between 1861 and Czechoslovak independence in 1918. The Diet during the Absolutist Per ...

and the , and commander of the . The supreme burgrave was appointed directly by the king, was appointed for life and could only be deposed in exceptional circumstances. The traditional seat of the supreme burgrave was the in Prague.

History

In the Crown of the Kingdom of Bohemia, the title of burgrave was given by the

King of Bohemia The Duchy of Bohemia was established in 870 and raised to the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1198. Several Bohemian monarchs ruled as non-hereditary kings beforehand, first gaining the title in 1085. From 1004 to 1806, Bohemia was part of the Holy Roman ...

to the chief officer, or the regal official whose command is equivalent to a

viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning "k ...

's. From the 14th century, the burgrave of Prague—the highest-ranking of all burgraves, seated at

Prague Castle Prague Castle ( cs, Pražský hrad; ) is a castle complex in Prague 1 Municipality within Prague, Czech Republic, built in the 9th century. It is the official office of the President of the Czech Republic. The castle was a seat of power for kin ...

, gradually became the state's highest-ranking official, who also acted as the king's deputy; the office became known as the high or supreme burgrave of the Kingdom of Bohemia. After the reforms of

Maria Theresa Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position ''suo jure'' (in her own right). ...

(reign 1740–1780) and her son

Joseph II Joseph II (German: Josef Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; English: ''Joseph Benedict Anthony Michael Adam''; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from November 29, 1780 un ...

(reign 1780–1790), the title of supreme burgrave gradually lost its de facto power. The title of supreme burgrave was still granted, however, and its holder remained the first officer of the kingdom. It was abolished in 1848.

List

Notes

References

* * * * {{Cite book , title=Slovník českých dějin , publisher=Beta , isbn=80-902782-0-5 , pages=509 * ''Všeobecná encyklopedie 3'' . Prague: Diderot, 1999. p. 230. ISBN 80-902555-5-8. * ''Schulz, Václav'
Purkrabí Hradu pražského v letech 1438 - 1711
Архивная копия от 17 апреля 2019 на Wayback Machine * ''Tomek, Vácslav Vladivoj'

Архивная копия от 10 сентября 2012 на Wayback Machine// Česká čítanka Defunct government agencies

History

List

See also

Notes

References