A Brief History of the Czech Republic

The history of the Czech Republic is more than a dozen centuries old. The lands of this state, located in the central part of the European continent, always fulfilled an important task.

The history of the land begins, on which the Czech Republic is located, with mention of the most ancient population - the Celts. They inhabited the land from the 4th century. From the 6th century on the territory settled Slavic tribes, who created the principality of Samo in the 7th century.

Since 820 the territory of the present Czech Republic has been occupied by the Great Moravian state. With its population is associated the spread of Christianity in this territory. In Great Moravia lived the ancestors of the present Slovaks and Czechs.

Hungarian raids on the Great Moravian state led to the fall of the state. It happened in the beginning of the 10th century.

After the fall of Great Moravia, power passes into the hands of the Przemysl family, which retains it until 1306 (more than 400 years). During this period, the history of the Czech Republic is developing in the mainstream, involving the formation of a state formation. The unification of the Czech state is achieved by 995 by the prince's dynasty of the Přemyslivites.

Emperor Frederick 2 (ruler of the Holy Roman Empire) in 1212 signed a decree "Sicilian bull". In it, as a kingdom, the Czech Republic was recognized.

The history of the state from the middle of the 12th century was marked by the beginning of cultural and economic development, which was actively supported by the German colonists.

In the period from the 13th to the 14th century , the kingdom was significantly strengthened. The history of the Czech Republic in this era testifies to the economic power and significant expansion of the state territory.

In the 14th century, the dynasty of Luxembourg adopted the Czech crown. The first representative on the throne is John of Luxembourg, who entered the throne in 1310. However, the new king did not pay much attention to the development of the state. His first son Vaclav (future Emperor Charles 4) was brought up at the French royal court. In 1346 in the battle of Crecy, John was killed. After the death of his father, Charles ascended to the throne.

The history of the Czech Republic under the new ruler is characterized as a period of extraordinary growth. The main goal pursued by the new ruler was to strengthen the strength and strength of the kingdom. During the reign of Charles 4, the history of Prague began. The ruler erected the New Town of Prague, built the famous Charles Bridge. In addition, Charles 4 was founded archbishopric and first university in the empire. In Prague, the ruler attracted a huge number of artisans and artists, began to rebuild the Cathedral of St. Vitus.

After Charles 4, his son, Václav, joined the throne. During the reign of the new king, the Czech lands experienced economic depression.

In the Middle Ages, the territorial boundaries of the state remained practically unchanged. In the country, other lands entered temporarily.

In the first half of the 16th century, against the backdrop of Europe's opposition to the pressure of Turkey, the Czechs' estates were engaged in choosing a new ruler. As a result, the choice fell on Ferdinand 1 of the Habsburg, who was a member of a very powerful clan.

In addition to the 12th century (the period of independence of the Czech Republic), the country was under Austrian rule. The royal court was moved from Prague to Vienna.

The devastation of the Czech Republic came as a result of a thirty-year war provoked by the confrontation between Czech Catholics and Protestants. As a result, by the year 1650, about 700 thousand people remained in the country (out of 2.5 million in 1618), thousands of settlements were destroyed, which no longer recovered.

During the reign of Emperor Rudolf 2, the royal court was again moved to Prague. Thus, the city again received the status of the capital.

The era of enlightenment in the Czech Republic began during the reign of Maria Theresa and her son Josef 2. Thanks to the latter in 1781, the country carried out several reforms to ease the situation of the population in the villages.

On the hereditary rights in 1804 by Franz 2 the Austrian empire was proclaimed. In 1848, after the suppression of the revolution, an absolute monarchy was established in the empire. However, some time later, in 1867, an agreement was signed between the Austrian Empire and Hungary. According to him, Austria-Hungary was formed. The Czech Republic did not receive autonomy at the same time.

The independent Czech Republic was founded in 1993, on 1 January.