The Czech lands or the Bohemian lands ( cs, České země ) are the three
historical region
Historical regions (or historical areas) are geographical regions which at some point in time had a cultural, ethnic, linguistic or political basis, regardless of latterday borders. They are used as delimitations for studying and analysing soc ...
s of
Bohemia,
Moravia, and
Czech Silesia
Czech Silesia (, also , ; cs, České Slezsko; szl, Czeski Ślōnsk; sli, Tschechisch-Schläsing; german: Tschechisch-Schlesien; pl, Śląsk Czeski) is the part of the historical region of Silesia now in the Czech Republic. Czech Silesia is, ...
. Together the three have formed the Czech part of
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
since 1918, the
Czech Socialist Republic
The Czech Socialist Republic ( cs, Česká socialistická republika, ČSR) was a republic within the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. The name was used from 1 January 1969 to November 1989, when the previously unitary Czechoslovak state changed ...
since 1 January 1969 and the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
since 1 January 1993. The Czech lands are also referred to as Czechia.
In a historical context, Czech texts use the term to refer to any territory ruled by the
Kings of Bohemia, i.e., the
lands of the Bohemian Crown (') as established by Emperor
Charles IV in the 14th century. This would include territories like the
Lusatias (which in 1635 fell to
Saxony) and the whole of
Silesia
Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...
, all ruled from
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 king ...
at that time. After the conquest of Silesia by the
Prussian
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...
king
Frederick the Great in 1742, the remaining lands of the Bohemian Crown—Bohemia, Moravia and
Austrian Silesia
Austrian Silesia, (historically also ''Oesterreichisch-Schlesien, Oesterreichisch Schlesien, österreichisch Schlesien''); cs, Rakouské Slezsko; pl, Śląsk Austriacki officially the Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia, (historically ''Herzogth ...
—have been more or less co-extensive with the territory of the modern-day Czech Republic.
Alternative names
The term Czech lands has been used to describe different things by different people. While the Czech name of Bohemia proper is ''Čechy'', the adjective ''český'' refers to both "Bohemian" and "Czech". The non-auxiliary term (i.e. the term used in official Czech geographical terminology lists) for the present-day Czech lands (i.e. Bohemia, Moravia, Czech Silesia) is ''Česko'', documented as early as 1704. The official translation of the word ''Česko'' is Czechia.
During the period of the First and Second Czechoslovak Republic the Czech lands were frequently referred to as ''Historical lands'' in particular when mentioned together with
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
(which was never an autonomous historical region within the
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...
).
History
The Bohemian lands had been settled by Celts (
Boii) from 5th BC until 2nd AD, then by various Germanic tribes (
Marcomanni
The Marcomanni were a Germanic people
*
*
*
that established a powerful kingdom north of the Danube, somewhere near modern Bohemia, during the peak of power of the nearby Roman Empire. According to Tacitus and Strabo, they were Suebian.
Or ...
,
Quadi,
Lombards and others) until they moved on to the west during the
Migration Period (1st-5th century). At the beginning of the 5th century the population decreased vigorously and, according to
mythology
Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narra ...
led by a chieftain ''Čech'', the first
Western Slavs came in the second half of the 6th century. In the course of the decline of the
Great Moravian realm during the
Hungarian invasions of Europe in the 9th and 10th century, the Czech
Přemyslid dynasty established the
Duchy of Bohemia
The Duchy of Bohemia, also later referred to in English as the Czech Duchy, ( cs, České knížectví) was a monarchy and a principality of the Holy Roman Empire in Central Europe during the Early and High Middle Ages. It was formed around 870 b ...
. Backed by the
East Frankish
East Francia (Medieval Latin: ) or the Kingdom of the East Franks () was a successor state of Charlemagne's empire ruled by the Carolingian dynasty until 911. It was created through the Treaty of Verdun (843) which divided the former empire int ...
kings, they prevailed against the reluctant Bohemian nobility and extended their rule eastwards over the adjacent
Moravian lands.
In 1198 Duke
Ottokar I of Bohemia received the royal title by the
German anti-king
An anti-king, anti king or antiking (german: Gegenkönig; french: antiroi; cs, protikrál) is a would-be king who, due to succession disputes or simple political opposition, declares himself king in opposition to a reigning monarch. OED "Anti-, ...
Philip of Swabia. Attached to his
Kingdom of Bohemia was the
Margraviate of Moravia established in 1182 and
Kłodzko Land
Kłodzko Land ( pl, Ziemia kłodzka; cs, Kladsko; german: Glatzer Land) is a historical region in southwestern Poland.
The subject of Czech-Polish rivalry in the High Middle Ages, it became a Bohemian domain since the 12th century, although with ...
, the later
County of Kladsko
The County of Kladsko ( cs, Kladské hrabství, german: Grafschaft Glatz, pl, Hrabstwo kłodzkie) was a historical administrative unit within Bohemia as a part of the Kingdom of Bohemia and later in the Kingdom of Prussia with its capital at Kł ...
. From the second part of the 13th century onwards,
German colonists ("
German Bohemians
German Bohemians (german: Deutschböhmen und Deutschmährer, i.e. German Bohemians and German Moravians), later known as Sudeten Germans, were ethnic Germans living in the Czech lands of the Bohemian Crown, which later became an integral part of ...
") settled in the mountainous border area on the basis of the kings' invitation during the ''
Ostsiedlung'' (in
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
they lived already from the early 12th century) and lived alongside the Slavs.
The Silesian lands north of the
Sudetes mountain range had been ruled by the Polish
Piast dynasty from the 10th century onwards. While Bohemia rose to a kingdom, the
Silesian Piasts
The Silesian Piasts were the elder of four lines of the Polish Piast dynasty beginning with Władysław II the Exile (1105–1159), eldest son of Duke Bolesław III of Poland. By Bolesław's testament, Władysław was granted Silesia as his h ...
alienated from the fragmenting
Kingdom of Poland
The Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Królestwo Polskie; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a state in Central Europe. It may refer to:
Historical political entities
* Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom existing from 1025 to 1031
* Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom exi ...
. After in 1310 the Bohemian crown had passed to the mighty
House of Luxembourg
The House of Luxembourg ( lb, D'Lëtzebuerger Haus; french: Maison de Luxembourg; german: Haus Luxemburg) or Luxembourg dynasty was a royal family of the Holy Roman Empire in the Late Middle Ages, whose members between 1308 and 1437 ruled as kin ...
, nearly all
Silesian dukes The Duke of Silesia was the sons and descendants of the Polish Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth. In accordance with the last will and testament of Bolesław, upon his death his lands were divided into four or five hereditary provinces distributed amon ...
pledged allegiance to King
John the Blind and in 1335 the Polish king
Casimir III the Great
Casimir III the Great ( pl, Kazimierz III Wielki; 30 April 1310 – 5 November 1370) reigned as the King of Poland from 1333 to 1370. He also later became King of Ruthenia in 1340, and fought to retain the title in the Galicia-Volhynia Wars. He ...
officially renounced Silesia by the
Treaty of Trentschin. King John had also acquired the lands of
Bautzen
Bautzen () or Budyšin () is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and the administrative centre of the district of Bautzen. It is located on the Spree river. In 2018 the town's population was 39,087. Until 1868, its German name was ''Budi ...
and
Görlitz (later
Upper Lusatia) in 1319 and 1329. His son and successor Charles IV, also
King of the Romans since 1346, incorporated the Silesian and Lusatian estates into the Bohemian Crown and upon his coronation as
Holy Roman Emperor confirmed their indivisibility and affiliation with the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...
.
In 1367 Emperor Charles IV also purchased the former
March of Lusatia
The March or Margraviate of Lusatia (german: Mark(grafschaft) Lausitz) was as an eastern border march of the Holy Roman Empire in the lands settled by Polabian Slavs. It arose in 965 in the course of the partition of the vast '' Marca Geronis''. ...
(
Lower Lusatia
Lower Lusatia (; ; ; szl, Dolnŏ Łużyca; ; ) is a historical region in Central Europe, stretching from the southeast of the German state of Brandenburg to the southwest of Lubusz Voivodeship in Poland. Like adjacent Upper Lusatia in the sou ...
) in the northwest. However, during the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...
both Lusatias passed to the Electorate of Saxony by the
Peace of Prague. After the Bohemian Crown (
Crown of Saint Wenceslas) passed to the
House of Habsburg in 1526, the Bohemian
crown lands together with the
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...
and the
Austrian "hereditary lands" became part of the larger
Habsburg monarchy. In 1742 the Habsburg queen
Maria Theresa lost the bulk of Silesia to Prussia upon the
First Silesian War
The First Silesian War (german: Erster Schlesischer Krieg, links=no) was a war between Prussia and Austria that lasted from 1740 to 1742 and resulted in Prussia's seizing most of the region of Silesia (now in south-western Poland) from Austria. T ...
, part of the
War of the Austrian Succession.
Duchy of Bohemia and the Holy Roman Empire in 11th century.svg, The Czech state in form of Duchy of Bohemia
The Duchy of Bohemia, also later referred to in English as the Czech Duchy, ( cs, České knížectví) was a monarchy and a principality of the Holy Roman Empire in Central Europe during the Early and High Middle Ages. It was formed around 870 b ...
(green) in 11th century, within the Holy Roman Empire (light green).
Locator Lands of the Bohemian Crown within the Holy Roman Empire (1618).svg, Czech lands in form of Lands of the Bohemian Crown (red) in the 17th century, within Holy Roman Empire
Coats of arms
The coat of arms of the Czech Republic incorporates those of the three integral Czech lands: Bohemia proper, Moravia, and Czech Silesia. The arms of Bohemia originated with the Bohemian kingdom, like those of Moravia with the Moravian margraviate. The arms of Czech Silesia originated as those of all of the historical region of Silesia, much of which is now in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
.
Small coat of arms of the Czech Republic.svg, Bohemia, also used as the Lesser coat of arms of the modern Czech Republic
Moravia.svg, Moravia
Coat of arms of Silesia.svg, Silesia
Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...
Coat of arms of the Czech Republic.svg, Greater coat of arms of the present-day Czech Republic
See also
*
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
References
Sources
*
{{coord missing, Czech Republic
.
.
Historical regions in the Czech Republic
Geography of the Czech Republic
History of Bohemia
History of Czech Silesia
History of Moravia
History of Austria-Hungary
Crown land
Boii
Czech lands under Habsburg rule