History of Bohemia Part III - Heresy in the Golden Age
The Holy Roman Empire was neither Holy nor Roman nor an Empire. - Voltaire Golden Seal of Emperor Charles IV So I have covered ancient history and the early middle ages, the next period is regarded as the golden age of Bohemia. It was the age during which this small region became the seat of Europe's largest empire. Prague and Bohemia flourished like never before or since. This was the result of the accomplishments of a man who was half Bohemian through his mother yet favored her heritage over his fathers. Charles IV was arguably the most powerful Czech who ever lived. This is not a European history blog so I am not going to recount the long, tedious fascinating history of the Holy Roman Empire but I think some background is helpful in order to set the stage for this next chapter in Bohemian history. The HRE was founded about 800 AD when Charlemagne was crowned and lasted one thousand years until Napoleon defeated its armies in 1806. In theory, it was holy because of the blessing...