Bohemia
Bohemia (Čechy in Czech, Böhmen in German) is an historical region in central Europe, occupying the western and middle thirds of the Czech Republic. With an area of 52,750 sq. km. and 6.25 million of the country's 10.3 million inabitants, Bohemia is bounded by Germany to the west, Poland to the north-east, the Czech province of Moravia to the east and Austria to the south. Bohemia's borders are marked with mountain ranges such as the Bohemian Forest, the Ore Mountains or Krkonoše as part of the Sudeten mountains.
Note: In Czech language, there is no distinction between the adjectives Bohemian and Czech (Česky).
History of Bohemia
Roman authors provide the first clear reference to this area as the home of the Boii, a Celtic people. As part of the territory often crossed during the major Germanic and Slavic migrations, the area was settled from the 1st century BC by Germanic (probably Suebic) peoples including the Marcomanni. After their migration to the south-west, they were replaced around the 6th century by the Slavic precursors of today's Czechs.
After freeing themselves from the rule of the Avars in the 7th century, Bohemia's Slavic inhabitants came (in the 9th century) under the rule of the Premysl dynasty, which continued until 1306. With Bohemia's conversion to Christianity in the 9th century, close relations were forged with the East Frankish kingdom, then part of the so-called Carolingian empire, later the nucleus of the Holy Roman Empire of which Bohemia was an autonomous part from the 10th century.
The title of "King of Bohemia", already granted to the Premyslid dukes Vratislav II (1085) and Vladislav II (1158), became hereditary (1198) under Ottokar I, whose grandson Ottokar II (king 1253-1278) founded a short-lived empire also covering modern Austria. The mid-13th century saw the beginning of substantial German immigration as the court sought to make good the losses resulting from the brief Mongol invasion of 1241. In 1346, Charles IV became king of Bohemia. In 1348 he founded central Europe's first university in Prague.
A national Czech movement against (mainly German) foreign immigrants was promoted by the religious movement of Hussites under the leadership of Jan Hus, a precursor of Martin Luther, who was eventually burned at the stake. When the crusade against heresy was declared by the Pope, it created a period of turmoil in Bohemia called the Hussite Wars. Bohemia was granted freedom of religion on 1436 by so-called Basel Compatates (Peace and Freedom between Catholics and Utraquists (today: Bohemian Church) but this lasted for only a short time. In 1462, pope Pius II declared Basel Compactates for unvalid.
In 1609, Bohemian king Rudolph II, who was titular catholic, was coerced by Bohemian nobility to publish Maiestas Rudolphina, which confirmed older Confessio Bohemica of 1575.
Bohemia became a part of the Habsburg Lands (later - after 1810 - unofficial called Austrian empire) in 1526 (young Bohemian king Ludvik died in well-known Mohacs Battle against Turks), when Bohemian Parliament vote Ferdinand of Habsburg for Bohemian king. Bohemian state respectively Bohemian Crown (which included Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia) never lost its independence in juristic terms, but Habsburg kings powered centralisation, strong governement, germanisation and anihilisation of Bohemian political elites and Bohemian parliament.
There were 4 big Bohemian revolts against Habsburg king's centralisation:
First revolt (1546-1547) - against king Ferdinand I, who contravene the law; in 1547 Ferdinand I broke down the militarz opposition of Bohemian nobility and towns; persecutions, confincations of property, two aristocrats and two burghers were executed.
Second revolt (1618-1622} - uprising of non-catholic maiority against recatolisation of catholic old king Matyas II of Habsburg and his heirs, ultra-catholic duke Ferdinand of Stiria. King's officers were defenestrated; all negotiations attempts fallen after Matyas II's death in March 1619. Ferdinand of Stiria was dethronised by so-called Directorium (cabinet with 30 members of best men of country, voted by Bohemian parliament in summer 1618) and parliament voted Fridrich of Palatinate for king of Bohemia (his wife was Elisabeth Stuart, daughter of English king James). In November 1620, troops of Ferdinand of Stiria defeated king Fridrich of Bohemia at Bila Hora, near Prague. In 1622, Ferdinand owerthrown the country and Fridrich with Elisabeth fled in exile. As king of Bohemia Ferdinand II started terror: confications, persecutions, re-catholisation. 27 men of Bohemian elites (mainly members of cabinet (Directorium)) were horribly tortured and executed in 1621 at Old Town Square, Prague. In 1627, all non-catholics have must converted to catholicism or exiled the country.
Third revolt (1741-1742} - part of Bohemian nobility recognized Karel Albrecht of Bavaria as Bohemian king Karel III. In autumn 1742, troops of Maria Theresia of Habsburg defeated Karel III's troops. In 1743, Maria became Bohemian queen.
Fourth revolt (1914-1918) - Bohemian exile politics led to independency of Bohemian Kingdom and dethronisation of Habsburgs.
Thomas G. Masaryk became a P. M. of Bohemian exile cabinet. Bohemian exile government became a member of Britain-France-Russia coalition and independent Bohemian army was formed in Serbia, France, Italy and Russia (famous Bohemian Legion fought against russian Bolsheviks}. In October 28, 1918 home resistance group called 'Maffia' made a coup against Habsburgs. In November 13, 1918, Bohemian Kingdom became a republic and integrated new province, Slovakia. After this, name of the state was 'Czechoslovakia'.
After World War I, Bohemia became the cornerstone of the newly-formed country of Czechoslovakia. Czechoslovakia became a rich and liberal democratic republic, and Tomás_Masaryk was elected as its first president. The foreign policy of Czechoslovakia was oriented with France and Great Britain. Czechoslovakia formed a military coalition with France, the Yugoslavian Kingdom and the Romanian Kingdom (the so-called Little_Entente).
After 1933, Czechoslovakia was impended by Adolf Hitler's Germany.
Czechoslovakia then had the best equipped army of Central Europe (40 divisions against Hitler's 53 divisions and first quality weapons). However in 1938, the Cabinet of Jan Syrovy capitulated before Hitler after the perjury of France and the coercion of Great Britain. The capitulation of September 30, 1938 was a black-day for all non-nazi people of Bohemia and also for many German anti-Hitler-refugees.
Between 1938-1939, Czechoslovakia was occupied by Nazi troops and the
German Protectorate of Bohemia-Moravia (Reichsprotektorat Böhmen-Mähren) was formed. Hitler started several years of terror, and many Bohemians fled in 1939 to France and Great Britain.
After the dissolution of Czechoslovakia (1993}, Bohemia became The Czech Republic.
See also
Bohemia is also a place in the State of New York in the United States of America: see Bohemia, New York.
