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Royal funeral ceremonies in fourteenth-century Central Europe

Author(s): Dušan Zupka / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2023

Death and dying were a ubiquitous reality of the world of medieval society, with lasting effects on the living from all social groups in equal measure. However, for the rulers of the day, the process of dying and the subsequent burial was an important social, political and cultural event. Over time, special funerary ceremonial complexes developed that included a variety of rituals and symbols which indicated the status and importance of the medieval monarchs. This paper compares the funerary rituals and symbols of power on display during the processions of three Central European kings: King Charles I Robert of Hungary (1342) in Visegrád, Buda and Szkésfehérvár, Polish King Casimir III the Great (1370) in Kraków and Bohemian King and Roman Emperor Charles IV (1378) in Prague. Each of these monumental events included a number of common motifs and ritual sequences, though at the same time, local flavour or innovations always came into play. The common denominator of these three ceremonies was that in the spirit of the political theology of the time, all referenced the immortality of the sovereign power and its timeless essence, which sprung from a sacred character sanctioned by God’s grace.

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Pro salute anime. Holy Mass and salvation of the nobility in late medieval Hungary

Author(s): Tamás Fedeles / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2023

The people of the Medieval era strived to ensure salvation for themselves, their ancestors and their descendants in any way their social and financial status permitted. One possible means to this end was available through Mass-endowments. The current study is based on an analysis of 85 Mass-endowments from 34 Hungarian aristocratic families (1406 – 1531). Besides barons, family members—and particularly their widows and descendants—are covered in the scope of this research. The primary goal of endowed Masses was to provide peace to the soul of the deceased during the transition period between death and Final Judgement, which was thought to be ensured through a continuity of Masses and prayers. This was best achieved by foundations for “eternal times,” proven by the fact that the majority of Mass orders analysed here are perpetual foundations. Daily Masses were the most popular request among the founders, followed by those celebrated weekly. Though sometimes even more Masses were ordered in a week, this cannot be considered typical for the Hungarian aristocracy. The total number of annual and anniversary Masses is rather low, and some bits of information can even be found on series of Masses. Almost half of the foundations were created in monastery churches of the Order of St. Paul the First Hermit. Though the confraternity of the Franciscans proved to be very popular among the barons, the number of Mass-endowments which were established at this order was lower. Regarding the other mendicant orders, one endowment was created in a monastery owned by the Dominicans, and one more in a monastery established for the members of the Order of St. Augustine. Monastic orders came only from the Benedictines, while the communities of prebends came from the Order of Augustine as well as the Premonstratensians. Concerning Masses which were ordered by secular clericals, priests of parish-churches were favoured by the members of distinguished families, followed by cathedrals and chapels.

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Czech Intellectual Jiří Němec and Austrian-left Catholicism Thought

Author(s): Ondřej Holub / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2023

The presented study aims to define the origin and character of transnational intellectual relations between Czech Catholic philosopher and essayist Jiří Němec and the intellectual group of Austrian left Catholics in the 1960s. The article traces the impact and influence of Austrian left Catholicism on the thought and spiritual development of Jiří Němec. Additionally, the study identifies notable intellectual aspects, significance, and the history of Austrian left Catholicism in the 20th century, as well as its relation to Czech Catholicism, notably during the period of the Second Vatican Council. Austrian left Catholicism developed in response to the crisis of society, national identity, and statehood in Austria during the 20th century. Its intellectual and spiritual aspirations, however, extended beyond the Austrian horizon, with its intellectual legacy resonating throughout Central Europe. Respected figures of Austrian left Catholicism, such as August Maria Knoll, Wilfried Daim, or Friedrich Heer, were public intellectuals who addressed critical issues of the modern era, such as democracy, equality, and social revolution, envisioning the synthesis of democracy and modern Catholicism. The study aims to answer the question of how their vision corresponded with the religious and political thought of Jiří Němec, the most distinctive Czech Catholic intellectual in the second half of the 20th century.

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From “Positive Deviants” to Post-dissident Liberals: A Study of the Transformation of the Concept of “Islands of Positive Deviation”

Author(s): Jonáš Jánsky / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2023

This article attempts to trace the transformation of the formerly sociological concept of “islands of positive deviation” into a component of liberal political language from early 1989 to the early 1990s. During this period, the concept evolved from expert discourse critiquing late socialist society, based on both reformist socialist and anti-modernist arguments, into one of the main concepts in the political language of Slovak post-dissident liberals. This transformation occurred through the redefinition of “islands” from bearers of positive moral characteristics and engines of societal change into more explicitly political challengers to the late communistregime and later to supporters of liberal policies. After identifying themselves as part of one of these islands of positive deviation, future Slovak liberals were able to articulate the language of post-dissidence despite lacking an explicitly dissident past. As argued, this shift is caused by the concept’s authors repositioning from critical sociologists into leaders of the Slovak democratic movement of 1989, and subsequently, founders of Slovak liberal politics in the post-1989 period. Apart from illustrating one aspect of the evolution of modern Slovak political thinking, this case provides a compelling example of the complicated interplay among local,regional, and global contexts in which post-revolutionary politics and their languages constituted themselves.

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Neoliberal Takeover? How the Social History of Economic Ideas Contributes to Historicising Post-socialist Transformations

Author(s): Florian Peters / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2023

Current historiography on the post-socialist transformation of East Central Europe is broadly dominated by antagonistic master narratives such as “return to Europe” or “neoliberal takeover.” In order to overcome these well-entrenched interpretations stemming from intellectual or political history, this contribution proposes another approach to historicising post-socialist transformations: a social history of economic ideas. Focussing on Poland, it makes the case for investigating the interplay between market-oriented ideas adopted by economists and intellectuals on the one hand, and the mundane practical experiences of markets and private economy that spurred their broader social acceptance on the other hand. This perspective helps to understand how neoliberal ideas have been recast and incorporated into the seemingly adverse legacy of the Solidarność movement during the late 1980s. Bringing together both intellectual and social drivers of change, this approach offers insights capable of revising narrowly intellectual or political interpretations of the sweeping transformation taking place before and after 1989.

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Verfahren der Adaptation deutscher Vorlagen im Notiz- und Exzerptbuch von Samuel Ferjenčík

Author(s): Anita Braxatorisová,Martin Braxatoris / Language(s): German Issue: 4/2024

The paper looks into the German-language manuscript notebook and excerpt book of Samuel Ferjenčík (1793 – 1855) from the 1840s. The authors comprehensively reconstructed the sources of notes and excerpts, although the manuscript, with only a few exceptions, contained no references. The German-language originals and their adaptations in Ferjenčík’s manuscript were analysed, especially substitutions, contextual transpositions, insertions, etc. The paper used the concepts of intertextuality, hypertextuality, transformation, and imitation to interpret the text. Research results provide an insight into the Ferjenčík’s thoughts during the preparation and organization of the political text Slovenský prestolný prosbopis [Slovak petition to the throne] from 1842, written not long before the revolutionary events of 1848 – 1849. It also examines the reading of this Slovak intellectual of his time, the German-language sources he used and the problems he tried to grasp through parallels and analogies.

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Slowakische Identität bei Samuel Ferjenčík im Spiegel seiner Aufzeichnungen

Author(s): László V. Szabó / Language(s): German Issue: 4/2024

The article addresses the issue of national identity from the perspective of the Slovak theologian and writer Samuel Ferjenčík (1793 – 1855) primarily on the basis of his recently discovered manuscript notes. Although these notes resemble a mixture of newspaper clippings, quotations, snippets of thoughts, aphorisms, subjective remarks, and other similar material, they are nevertheless evidence of the period (1840 – 1842) during which the question of national identity was experiencing an extraordinary upsurge among the peoples of the region (Central Europe, more precisely the territory of the Habsburg monarchy before the revolutions of 1948). In the introduction, the article emphasises the role of German-language texts from the multi-ethnic cultural space of Central Europe (also) for German studies abroad. Subsequently, the essay examines Ferjenčík’s career from his studies in Jena, Germany, to his political involvement in the preservation of Slovak identity in the context of forced Magyarization in the first half of the nineteenth century.

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Briefe an eine Dame oder Karl Weiß-Schrattenthal in der Preßburger Zeitung

Author(s): Ivana Zolcerová / Language(s): German Issue: 4/2024

The article focuses on the publishing activity of Karl Weiß-Schrattenthal (1846 – 1938) and the perception of his personality in the Bratislava German newspaper Preßburger Zeitung. He spent more than half of his life in Pressburg, later Bratislava (1886 – 1938), where he worked as a teacher at a higher real school. German-language literature of his times was his profession and hobby, he wrote poems, novellas, and short stories. He also devoted himself to literary criticism and especially to literature written by women. He regarded criticism as a tool of possible improvement for the author. Apart from reviews, he promoted authors in articles in the press and also by publishing collections of their poems. The paper takes a closer look at two series of feuilletons published under similar titles before and after the First World War (Literárne listy pre jednu prešporskú dámu [Literary Letters to a Lady of Pressburg], 1886, Listy pre tunajšiu dámu [Letters to a Local Lady], 1919 – 1924). On the basis of these, the author examines what content K. Weiß-Schrattenthal addressed to his fellow citizens, as well as how his texts changed after the establishment of the 1st Czechoslovak Republic. The paper also analyses the articles in the Preßburger Zeitung which concerned his personality and shaped the image of him.

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Perspektívy, limity a výzvy socialistického myslenia v epoche antropocénu

Author(s): Peter Daubner / Language(s): Slovak Issue: 2/2023

The article explores the perspectives, limits, and challenges of socialist thinking in the Anthropocene epoch. It reviews M. Hauser's book, "Manifest socialistického hnutia," which addresses the goals and strategies of socialists in the 21st century. The discussion highlights the transformation of socialist movements, the flexibility of capitalism, and the relevance of Marxist theory today. It critiques the current global capitalist system, emphasizing its environmental and social impacts. The article also examines the relationship between socialism and feminism, the historical context of colonialism, and the roles of China and Russia in the modern world. Daubner argues for the need to create theoretical and cultural conditions for a new socialist politics in Central Europe, addressing contemporary political, economic, cultural, and ecological issues.

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The image of Persian women in Lomnitsky’s travelogue Persia and Persians

Author(s): Elaheh Karimi Riabi / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2024

The article analyzes the portrayal of Persian women in the 19th-century literary travelogues using an imagological approach. The study aims to critically examine the colonial discourse employed by Stanislav Yulyevic Lomnitsky (1854–1916) in his 1901 travelogue, Persia and Persians, which establishes Persia and the Persians as the “other” in contrast to the Russian “self ”. Moreover, it delves into how Lomnitsky’s work frames the East from the perspective of the West. By shedding light on these perspectives, the research provides a critical examination of Lomnitsky’ s colonial discourse within the context of Persia, offering insights into the interplay between cultures.

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Образът на Русия/Съветския съюз в Източна Европа през ХХ век

Author(s): Iskra Baeva / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2025

The article tries to trace the change in the image of the big eastern neighbor (Russia/Soviet Union) in the countries of Eastern Europe in the twentieth century. This image differs in the two sub-regions – the Balkans and Central Europe, because their historical tradition in relation to Russia is very different. In the Balkans, Russia is associated with the struggle against Ottoman rule, while in Central Europe it is a conquering power. Differences in attitude towards Russia/Soviet Union persisted throughout the 20th century, despite the fact that the Russian Empire was replaced by the communist Soviet Union. In particular, the complex political relations between the Czechoslovak and Polish elites with the Soviet Union in the interwar period and in the years of the Second World War are traced. These relations played the greatest role in shaping the image of the Soviet Union among their peoples.

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BETWEEN AUTONOMY AND INTEGRATION: TRANSYLVANIAN ELITES IN THE INTERWAR PERIOD

Author(s): Cornel Sigmirean / Language(s): English Issue: 27/2024

This study examines the integration of Transylvania into Romania following the Union of 1918. It analyses the complex relationship between Transylvanian elites and those of the Old Kingdom and explores the emergence of regionalist tendencies and aspirations for autonomy. Despite these tensions, this paper argues that the integration process was swift and successful. Through the quantitative analysis of political elites, this study demonstrates the significant representation of Transylvanian intelligentsia into Romanian central politics during the interwar period. This paper highlights the unique trajectory of Romanian nation-building and the effective incorporation of Transylvania into the Romanian state.

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Czech structuralism at the end of the 1950s: an ideological struggle over the legacy of the Prague School

Author(s): Marie Havránková,Vladimír Petkevič / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2025

The article explores the history of linguistic structuralism in Czechoslovakia in 1957–1959 during a political thaw following Stalinist repression. Initially rejected in favour of dogmatic “theories” like Marrism and Stalin’s ideas on language, structuralism gained acceptance after its discussion in the Soviet journal ʻVoprosy iazykoznaniia’ in 1956. The first part analyses how structuralism, once ideologically dismissed, was reintroduced as a valuable methodology within official Marxist science. This was notably demonstrated at the 1958 4th International Congress of Slavists in Moscow, where the Prague Linguistic Circle’s “new theses” were presented, reflecting on its past development. The second part examines a 1959 polemic between two prominent linguists: František Trávníček, a member of the National Assembly of the Czechoslovak Republic, and Bohuslav Havránek, head of the Czech Language Institute of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences. Trávníček criticized the work of the Academy in a series of texts, while Havránek responded by refuting the criticism and defending structuralism. The polemic revealed Trávníček’s reliance on politicized clichés, whereas Havránek upheld structuralist theory as a rigorous scientific approach. This stance was further affirmed at the 1962 Liblice conference, where Havránek openly defended the principles of structural linguistics.

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A critical examination of the notion of norm in literary structuralism and film historiography

Author(s): Radomir D. Kokeš / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2025

The article critically examines the notion of (aesthetic) norm as developed by Jan Mukařovský and its later applications in David Bordwell’s poetics of cinema. It distinguishes between two approaches to the concept of norm in Mukařovský’s work – the systemic and the explanatory – and traces how each influenced different research programs: Czech literary structuralism and American neoformalist poetics of cinema. It then explores how Bordwell operationalized the notion of norm as a methodological tool, demonstrating its shifting analytical role across his works. It also situates this discussion within a transdisciplinary framework, highlighting how literary scholars can engage with the empirical potential of the notion of norm, while film scholars can benefit from a deeper understanding of its theoretical foundations. The conclusion proposes a reconsideration of norms as a tool for studying artistic creativity, linking them to debates on conventions and historiography.

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„Kvietí sě zjevilo na našie zemi.“ Geneze dorotejského diskursu a tři staročeská kázání ke svaté Dorotě

Author(s): Vendula Rejzlová / Language(s): Czech Issue: 2/2025

Three Old Czech sermon collections – Passionál (Passional; autograph, c. 1357), Kázání dzikovská na okruh de sanctis (Dzikov sermons on the de Sanctis Cycle; sole surviving manuscript from the 1420s), and Sbírka kázaní založených na legendách (A collection of sermons based on legends; sole surviving manuscript, likely completed in 1453) – were produced over a span of a century, drawing from original Latin sources of Dominican origin: Legenda aurea (c. 1267) by Jacobus de Voragine and Sermones de Sanctis (c. 1295 – 1304) by Peregrinus of Opole. All three Old Czech collections include sermons on Dorothea of Caesarea, a virgin and martyr whose cult became popular in Central Europe from the 13th century and saw significant expansion in the 14th century. However, neither Jacobus’s nor Peregrinus’s original collections contained a section on Saint Dorothy, meaning that the anonymous preachers had to rely on other sources. This study first traces the development of Saint Dorothy’s hagiography and then explores its dissemination in the Czech lands from the mid-14th century onward. A comparative analysis reveals that each of the three Old Czech texts underwent a distinct evolution and represents a different sermon type: two distinct passiones serving as exempla and a classical thematic sermon.

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Když se Pán Bůh v hněvu svém rozpálí. Česká kázání o katastrofách z období pozdního humanismu a Malé doby ledové

Author(s): Marie Hanzelková / Language(s): Czech Issue: 2/2025

Between 1550 and 1620, nearly twenty sermons and treatises on natural disasters were published, mostly in Prague. Their authors, Utraquist priests, responded to contemporary catastrophic events – plague epidemics, earthquakes, storms, floods, fires, famine, war, and locust infestations – as well as celestial phenomena and monstrous births. Reflecting the intellectual landscape of the time, these sermons also incorporated scientific findings, micro-stories, and songs or prayers. All sermons interpreted catastrophes as divine messages: expressions of God’s wrath, signs of the approaching Judgment Day, but also manifestations of God’s fatherly care and love. This paper explores the representation of catastrophes and the oscillation of preachers between established literary topoi and individual authorial experience. Additionally, I examine the role of climatic stress and the broader social crisis of the period in as reflected in what is known as Wunderzeichen literature and consider how the society responded to these challenges.

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Gestika v raně novověkém herectví (a kazatelství?)

Author(s): Magdaléna Jacková / Language(s): Czech Issue: 2/2025

The performative aspect – delivery – was considered a crucial, if not the most important, component of rhetoric already in antiquity. This was undoubtedly also true for early modern homiletics. However, this aspect of sermons remains virtually unknown today, primarily because it could not be recorded in its time. Apart from visual representation, we must therefore rely on theoretical works whose authors, at least to some extent, addressed the performative form of preaching. These include both classical works, which served as the primary sources of inspiration in the early modern period, and contemporary studies. This paper aims to provide an overview, based on selected works, of the types of gestures preachers may have used during this period and the principles and rules that guided them. The starting point is Institutio oratoria by Marcus Fabius Quintilian, who, alongside Cicero, is regarded as the foremost authority in rhetoric, as well as two works by Jesuit authors: Joseph de Jouvancy’s De ratione discendi et docendi and Franz Lang’s poetics Dissertatio de actione scenica.

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Zu Editionen der deutsch geschriebenen Handschriften aus Böhmen, am Beispiel der Memoiren von Heinrich Hieserle von Chodau (mit einigen sprachhistorischen Bemerkungen zur deutschen Originalfassung)

Author(s): Lenka Vodrážková / Language(s): German Issue: 2/2024

This article deals with the German written memories of Heinrich Hieserle von Chodau, which are deposited in the National Museum in Prague, based on the editions from 1979 and 2021. While the first edition of the memories contains a Czech version, partly translated from of the Early New High German original, and a commentary, the two‑volume edition from 2021 includes the reproductions of the German written original, its transliteration and its translation into Czech. The Czech translation is based on the 1979 version, which has been corrected for the purposes of the new edition and supplemented with originally omitted and shortened text passages. The edition also includes studies of the historical background, of the author and of the manuscript. The editions not only contribute to the German language in the Czech lands, but also point to the interdisciplinary co‑operation between historians and Germanists, who together bring one of the German written manuscripts of the Early Modern Period from Bohemia to the attention of the wider Czech and German reading circles. Since none of the editions discussed contains a linguistic‑historical commentary on the German of the manuscript, this article includes some linguistic‑historical remarks on regional aspects of the author’s German language.

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Marný boj o zachování Agrární strany. Působení Ladislava Feierabenda v zahraničním odboji (1940–1945)

Author(s): Petr Anev / Language(s): Czech Issue: 04/2024

Ladislav Feierabend, a prominent Czech politician and economist, played a significant role in both domestic and foreign resistance against the Nazis during World War II. After escaping from the Protectorate, he joined the Czechoslovak government-in-exile in London, where he became a key figure. Despite his contributions, Feierabend faced challenges upon returning to the liberated republic in 1945, as the agrarian party he represented was not reinstated. His extensive memoirs provide a detailed account of his activities and the political dynamics of the time. Feierabend's efforts in exile, including his involvement in the Czechoslovak National Committee and his diplomatic missions, highlight his dedication to the cause. His legacy is marked by his unwavering commitment to democratic values and his significant impact on Czechoslovak political history.

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Popravený odbojář Petr Křivka získal zpátky svou hodnost

Author(s): Luděk Navara / Language(s): Czech Issue: 04/2024

Petr Křivka, a courageous soldier and resistance fighter, was posthumously reinstated to his original rank of infantry sergeant by the Czech Ministry of Defense in 2024, correcting a historical injustice. Křivka, who served in the Czechoslovak foreign army in France and Great Britain, was executed in 1951 after being stripped of his rank due to political persecution. His daring escape from Gestapo captivity in 1940 and subsequent journey through Europe to join the Czechoslovak army in Britain exemplify his bravery. Despite his family's suffering under Nazi and later communist regimes, Křivka continued to fight for his country's freedom. His rehabilitation began in 1990, culminating in the restoration of his military rank and the reinstallation of his grave marker in 2025. This act of recognition honors his legacy and the sacrifices he made for his nation.

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