Wenceslaus Hájek of Libočany ( cz, Václav Hájek z Libočan; german: Wenzeslaus Hagek von Libotschan; la, Wenceslaus Hagecius, Wenceslaus Hagek a Liboczan; died 18 March 1553) was a

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

chronicle A chronicle ( la, chronica, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and ...

r, author of famous '' Czech Chronicle'' (1541), also called the ''Hájek's Chronicle''. This work served as the main source of Czech historical and national consciousness until the end of the 18th century, when numerous errors and fabrications contained in it were recognized.

Life

A scion of a noble family based in Libočany near

Žatec Žatec (; german: Saaz) is a town in Louny District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 19,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Ohře river. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monumen ...

, western

, Hajek was ordained priest of the Kostelec parish near

Budyně nad Ohří Budyně nad Ohří (german: Budin an der Eger) is a town in Litoměřice District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,100 inhabitants. It lies on the Ohře river. The town centre is well preserved and is protected ...

in 1520. One year later, he became a chaplain in

Zlonice Zlonice is a market town in Kladno District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,300 inhabitants. Administrative parts Villages of Břešťany, Lisovice, Tmáň and Vyšínek are administrative parts of Zlonice. G ...

. Hajek initially was a member of the Bohemian

Unity of the Brethren Unity of the Brethren (Latin ''Unitas Fratrum'') may refer to: *Unity of the Brethren (Czech Republic), the province of the Moravian Church in the Czech Republic *Unity of the Brethren (Texas), a Protestant church formed in the 1800s by Czech immig ...

but later converted to

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

(a significantly minority religion in otherwise Protestant Bohemia at that time). In 1524 he served as a preacher at the St. Thomas' Church in Prague quarter

Malá Strana Malá Strana (Czech for "Little Side (of the River)", ) or more formally Menší Město pražské () is a district of the city of Prague, Czech Republic, and one of its most historic neighbourhoods. In the Middle Ages, it was a dominant cente ...

(Lesser Town); from 1527 as a dean of

Karlštejn Castle Karlštejn Castle ( cs, hrad Karlštejn; german: Burg Karlstein) is a large Gothic castle founded in 1348 by Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor-elect and King of Bohemia. The castle served as a place for safekeeping the Imperial Regalia as well ...

and a priest in Tetín. In May 1533, he was appointed royal administrator of the

Vyšehrad Chapter The Vyšehrad Chapter ( cs, Vyšehradská kapitula), officially the Royal Collegiate Chapter of Ss. Peter and Paul at Vyšehrad ( cs, Královská kolegiátní kapitula sv. Petra a Pavla na Vyšehradě), is a collegiate chapter established at the ...

. Hájek reached the peak of ecclesiastical career when he became provost of Stará Boleslav Chapter, however, he fell from grace shortly afterwards and retired to

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 ...

Works

His famous ''Czech Chronicle'' (''Kronika česká'' in original), written in old humanistic Czech, cover the

history of the Czech lands The history of the Czech lands – an area roughly corresponding to the present-day Czech Republic – starts approximately 800,000 years BCE. A simple chopper from that age was discovered at the Red Hill ( cz, Červený kopec) archeological sit ...

from the legendary early medieval rulers

Lech, Czech, and Rus Lech, Czech and Rus' (, ) refers to a founding legend of three Slavic brothers who founded three Slavic peoples: the Poles (or Lechites), the Czechs, and the Rus'. The three legendary brothers appear together in the ''Wielkopolska Chronicle'' ...

up to the coronation of King Ferdinand I in 1526. It was translated into German by Johann Sandel (1596), and later extensively studied by

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as t ...

(1749–1832). Long considered one of the best sources of Czech history, modern criticism has found it to be quite inaccurate, although still useful for information about

Czech literature Czech literature can refer to literature written in Czech, in the Czech Republic (formerly Czechoslovakia, earlier the Lands of the Bohemian Crown), or by Czech people. Most literature in the Czech Republic is now written in Czech, but histori ...

traditions of the time.

Notes

References

* This work in turn cites: ** Palacky, ''Würdigung der alten böhmischen Geschichtschreiber'' (Prague, 1830–69)

External links

*
Kronika Česká
' digitalised copy {{DEFAULTSORT:Hajek, Wenceslaus 1553 deaths 1500s births 16th-century Bohemian writers Czech male writers 16th-century Bohemian historians 16th-century Bohemian Roman Catholic priests People from Louny District