XV-wieczni królowie Czech w relacjach kronikarzy śląskich klasztorów kanoników regularnych oraz klasztoru kłodzkiego

Abstract

Three chronicles which came into existence in the monasteries of canons regular in Silesia, in Wrocław and Żagań as well as in Bohemian Kłodzko, can be defined as monastic chronicles. The information not referring to the affairs of the monasteries (except the most extensive, a Catalogue of Żagań abbots) occupies relatively little space. This holds good for the information about the Kings of Bohemia. They usually appear in these chronicles in the context of matters connected with Silesia or Kłodzko and the monasteries of canons regular in those places. The chroniclers refrained from voicing subjective opinions about the kings, excluding King George, and they accepted them as the rulers of the Silesia district. Thus the appraisal and the opinions about the Bohemian kings are generally balanced and precise. They do not differ much from one another in the chronicle accounts and they refer more to them as the superior rulers in Silesia rather than referring to them as persons. The Bohemian kings are perceived and appraised by the chroniclers insofar as their attitude towards the Catholic Church and the Hussite movement is concerned. Thus only George of Poděbrady received from them a negative rating because he was viewed as a heretic and ‘invader of Kingdom of Bohemia’. Fiscal policy played an important role in the chroniclers’ evaluation of the kings and it was expressed in the imposition of excessive tax burdens. However, at the same time, the chroniclers lauded the privileges granted to the monasteries by the rulers and their upholding of the old laws. The origin of a Bohemian king coming from a famous Imperial house was of great importance to the chroniclers of Żagań. The Habsburgs, who were related to the emperor’s House of Luxemburg (Albrecht who ruled for about two years and Ladislaus the Posthumous II), were held in high regard by other chroniclers, too. The subsequent kings, Maciej Korwin and Vladislaus II Jagiellon (of Hungary), were mentioned in passing with some ambiguity and their origin was recalled. The chroniclers’ opinions on the Bohemian kings attached considerable weight to the military campaigns in Silesia and battles fought in the district of Kłodzko and they perceived them as being devastating. The chroniclers evidently saw the Bohemian kings against the background of what had happened in Silesia to their home monasteries.