Lexi Webster
Bohemia was a kingdom in the Holy Roman Empire and later a province in the Habsburgs' Austrian Empire. It was ruled by various dynasties, including the House of Habsburg, which began its rule in 1526. In 1806, shortly before the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, Bohemia became part of the newly proclaimed Habsburg Austrian Empire. It retained its name and formal status as a separate Kingdom of Bohemia within the Austro-Hungarian Empire until 1918. After World War I and the establishment of an independent Czechoslovak state, all of Bohemia became part of Czechoslovakia, despite claims by German-speaking inhabitants that regions with a German-speaking majority should be included in the Republic of German-Austria.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year of independence | 1918 |
| Previous names | Kingdom of Bohemia, Duchy of Bohemia |
| Previous ruling houses | Přemyslid dynasty, House of Luxembourg, Jagiellonian dynasty, House of Habsburg, House of Habsburg-Lorraine |
| Area | 52,065 km2 (20,102 sq mi) |
| Population | 6.9 million |
| Part of | Czechoslovakia, Austrian Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Holy Roman Empire |
| Capital | Prague |
| Language | Czech |
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What You'll Learn
Bohemia was a kingdom in the Holy Roman Empire
Bohemia reached its peak of political power and economic prosperity under Ottokar II, who consolidated control over parts of Austria and waged wars for territory with Hungary, extending Bohemia's domain to the Adriatic Sea. Ottokar II was succeeded by his son, King Wenceslaus II, who was crowned King of Poland in 1300. The Přemyslid dynasty came to an end in 1306, and in 1310, the Luxembourg dynasty began its rule of the Kingdom of Bohemia.
In the 14th century, numerous kings of Bohemia were also elected Holy Roman Emperors, and the capital, Prague, became the imperial seat. In 1355, Charles of Luxembourg, the king of Bohemia, became Holy Roman Emperor as Charles IV. He founded the University of Prague in 1348 and made the city the capital of the empire. From this time on, Prague was a principal centre of intellectual and artistic activity in Central Europe.
In the early 15th century, Bohemia fell victim to disputes between Roman Catholics and the followers of the Bohemian religious reformer Jan Hus, who was burned as a heretic in 1415. The resulting wars between Bohemian Hussites and Roman Catholics engulfed the kingdom until compacts were negotiated in 1436, granting moderate Hussites some degree of religious freedom. In 1437, the Luxembourg dynasty ended, and the Jagiellonian dynasty ruled Bohemia from 1471 to 1526.
In 1526, the Habsburg archduke Ferdinand I of Austria laid claim to the throne, establishing Habsburg rule over Bohemia. In 1618, a Protestant revolt against the Habsburgs took place, and the emperor Ferdinand II was able to reassert Habsburg authority over Bohemia. Bohemia lost its status as a kingdom and was subjected to the absolutist rule of the Habsburgs, with Protestantism being suppressed and the population gradually converting to Roman Catholicism.
In 1806, with the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, Bohemia was incorporated into the Austrian Empire. It retained its name and formal status as a separate Kingdom of Bohemia until 1918, when it became part of the Czechoslovak Republic. Since 1993, Bohemia has formed much of the Czech Republic.
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It was ruled by the Habsburg monarchy
Bohemia, a historical country in Central Europe, was a kingdom within the Holy Roman Empire and later a province in the Habsburgs' Austrian Empire. The Kingdom of Bohemia was established by the Přemyslid dynasty in the 12th century. The 13th century was the most dynamic period of the Přemyslid reign over Bohemia, with Přemysl Ottokar II acquiring Upper Austria, Lower Austria, and part of Styria through his marriage to a German princess, Margaret of Babenberg.
In 1273, Habsburg king Rudolf I began to reassert imperial authority, checking Ottokar's power. After Ottokar's death in 1278, Bohemia was reduced in size and influence, and the Přemyslid dynasty came to an end in 1306. The Luxembourg dynasty ruled Bohemia from 1310 until 1437, after which the kingdom was ruled rather ineffectively by the Jagiellon dynasty until 1526.
In 1526, the Habsburg archduke Ferdinand I of Austria laid claim to the Bohemian throne, thereby establishing Habsburg rule over Bohemia. The Lands of the Bohemian Crown were included in the "original" Habsburg territories, principally the Archduchy of Austria, the Duchy of Styria, the Duchy of Carinthia, the Duchy of Carniola, the County of Tyrol, and Vorarlberg. The Bohemian Diet elected Ferdinand, later Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I, as king in 1526.
From 1599 to 1711, Moravia, a Land of the Bohemian Crown, was frequently subjected to raids by the Ottoman Empire and its vassals. The incorporation of Bohemia into the Habsburg monarchy against the resistance of the local Protestant nobility sparked the 1618 Defenestration of Prague, the brief reign of the Winter King, and the Thirty Years' War. The defeat of the Bohemian forces at the Battle of White Mountain in 1620 put an end to the Bohemian autonomy movement, and the country lost its status as a kingdom. Bohemia was henceforth subjected to the absolutist rule of the Habsburgs, with Protestantism suppressed and the population gradually converting to Roman Catholicism.
In 1740, the Prussian Army conquered Bohemian Silesia in the Silesian Wars, and in 1742, Maria Theresa was forced to cede the majority of Silesia to Prussia. Shortly before the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, Bohemia became part of the newly proclaimed Habsburg Austrian Empire, and subsequently the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1867. Bohemia retained its name and formal status as a separate Kingdom of Bohemia until 1918, known as a crown land within the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
After World War I, Bohemia became part of Czechoslovakia, despite demands from German Bohemians that regions with a German-speaking majority be included in a German state. All of Bohemia became a core part of the newly formed Czechoslovakia, which combined Bohemia, Moravia, Czech Silesia, Upper Hungary (present-day Slovakia), and Carpathian Ruthenia into one state.
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Bohemia was part of the Austrian Empire
Bohemia was a historical country in Central Europe, which was once a kingdom in the Holy Roman Empire and later a province in the Austrian Empire. It was bordered by Upper and Lower Austria to the south, Bavaria to the west, Saxony and Lusatia to the north, Silesia to the northeast, and Moravia to the east.
The Kingdom of Bohemia was established by the Přemyslid dynasty in the 12th century, with the Duchy of Bohemia being elevated to kingdom status in 1198 by Přemysl Ottokar I. In 1204, Ottokar's royal status was recognised by Otto IV and Pope Innocent III. This was further bolstered in 1356 by the future king of Bohemia and emperor, Charles IV, with his golden bull. The 13th century was the most dynamic period of the Přemyslid reign over Bohemia, with German Emperor Frederick II's preoccupation with Mediterranean affairs and the dynastic struggles of the Great Interregnum (1254-73) weakening imperial authority in Central Europe and providing opportunities for Přemyslid assertiveness.
Bohemia reached a new peak of political power and economic prosperity under Otakar II, who consolidated control over parts of Austria and waged wars for territory with Hungary, extending Bohemia's domain to the Adriatic Sea. However, after Otakar was killed in an invasion of Austria in 1278, Bohemia's size and influence diminished, and the Přemyslid dynasty came to an end in 1306. The Luxembourg dynasty began its rule of the kingdom of Bohemia in 1310, and by the end of the 14th century, it included Moravia, Silesia, and Upper and Lower Lusatia, in addition to the province of Bohemia.
In 1526, the Habsburg archduke Ferdinand I of Austria laid claim to the throne, establishing Habsburg rule over Bohemia. Bohemia was then subjected to the absolutist rule of the Habsburgs, with Czech nationalism and Protestantism being suppressed, and German becoming the language of instruction in schools and universities. During the Revolution of 1848, Czech nationalists revolted against Habsburg rule, but they were defeated. In 1861, a new elected Bohemian Diet was established, and after Austria's defeat in the Austro-Prussian War in 1866, Hungarian politicians achieved the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, creating equality between the empire's Austrian and Hungarian halves.
Bohemia retained its name and formal status as a separate Kingdom of Bohemia within the Austro-Hungarian Empire until 1918, when it became part of the newly formed Czechoslovak Republic following World War I.
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It became a core of Czechoslovakia after World War I
Bohemia, a historical country in Central Europe, was a kingdom within the Holy Roman Empire and later a province of the Austrian Empire. It was bordered by Upper and Lower Austria to the south, Bavaria to the west, Saxony and Lusatia to the north, Silesia to the northeast, and Moravia to the east.
After World War I, Bohemia became a part of Czechoslovakia, which was established as an independent state. This was despite the demands of German Bohemians, who wanted regions with a German-speaking majority to be included in a German state. Czech political leaders, however, claimed all of Bohemia, including majority German-speaking areas, for Czechoslovakia. As a result, Czech forces occupied bilingual towns and then purely German-speaking towns. German and Austrian troops, bound by the ceasefire agreement, could not intervene, while the Czechoslovak army was free to operate. Thus, the absorption of German-speaking areas into Czechoslovakia was ensured, and all of Bohemia became the core of the newly formed Czechoslovakia. This new state combined Bohemia, Moravia, Czech Silesia, Upper Hungary (present-day Slovakia), and Carpathian Ruthenia.
The establishment of Czechoslovakia after World War I represented a significant shift in Bohemia's political status and its relationship with neighbouring regions. It had a complex history of rule by various dynasties, including the Přemyslid dynasty, the House of Luxembourg, the Jagiellonian dynasty, and the Habsburgs. The region had also experienced religious struggles between Roman Catholics and Protestants, with the Battle of the White Mountain in 1620 marking a turning point in Habsburg authority over Bohemia.
The formation of Czechoslovakia after World War I represented a significant shift in Bohemia's political status and its relationship with neighbouring regions. It became a core component of a unified state, influencing the dynamics of the region and shaping the future of its people.
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Bohemia was annexed to Nazi Germany between 1938 and 1945
Bohemia was a duchy of Great Moravia, later an independent principality, and a kingdom in the Holy Roman Empire. Subsequently, it became a part of the Habsburg monarchy and the Austrian Empire. After World War I, an independent Czechoslovak state was established, and the whole of Bohemia became a part of Czechoslovakia.
However, between 1938 and 1945, Bohemia was annexed to Nazi Germany. This event occurred in two stages. Firstly, in 1938, the border regions of Bohemia, predominantly inhabited by ethnic Germans, were annexed to Nazi Germany as the Sudetenland. The Sudetenland was the most pro-Nazi region in Nazi Germany, with 97.32% of the adult population voting for the National Socialist Party. The incorporation of the Sudetenland into Germany left the rest of Czechoslovakia with a vulnerable northwestern border.
The second stage of Bohemia's annexation to Nazi Germany occurred in 1939. In March 1939, the Slovak State declared independence, and the German occupation of the Czech rump state took place the following day. The remainder of Bohemia and Moravia were annexed by Germany, forming the German Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. The population of the Protectorate was mostly ethnic Czech. The establishment of the Protectorate violated the Munich Agreement, which had occurred in September 1938.
During the period of German rule, from 1939 to 1945, the Czechoslovak resistance remained active. In 1942, they assassinated Reinhard Heydrich, the Reich Protector. In retaliation, German forces murdered the population of Lidice, a Czech village. By the end of the occupation, about 40% of all Czech teachers had been fired, with this figure reaching 60% in Prague.
In May 1945, Allied American, Polish, Czechoslovak, Soviet, and Romanian troops captured the region, and Bohemia was restored to Czechoslovakia. After the war, the vast majority of the Bohemian Germans were expelled by order of the reestablished Czechoslovak central government.
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Frequently asked questions
Bohemia was a part of the Austrian Empire until the end of World War I when it became part of Czechoslovakia.
Bohemia was a duchy of Great Moravia, then an independent principality, a kingdom in the Holy Roman Empire, and subsequently a part of the Habsburg monarchy.
After gaining independence from Austria, Bohemia became a part of Czechoslovakia, along with Moravia, Czech Silesia, Upper Hungary (present-day Slovakia), and Carpathian Ruthenia.
