Since earliest times, it was the task of the educated members of the Court or spiritual leaders to take on the writing of chronicles, i.e. literary works describing contemporary events, the lives of their rulers, great battles and sometimes even everyday life. Records were kept in chronological order, and as well as giving the dates, they provide a wealth of historical information. They are among the best sources for investigating and revisiting the history of the country, famous people, places, buildings and day-to-day affairs.
There are different types of chronicles: world, national, episcopal, monastic, royal, dynastic, provincial (tracking genealogy), urban, biographical or autobiographical, travel journals and more.
The most important Czech chronicles include those of Kosmas and Dalimil, the Canon of Vyšehrad, the writings of the Sasau Monk and the Zbraslav Chronicle. The chroniclers generally enjoyed the most favourable conditions – most lived at the courts, had free access to older written records and courtly life and plenty of time to devote to writing. Although chronicles are the most valuable historic source, when reading them and extrapolating, their historical ideological subtext has to be borne in mind: for example, Kosmas wrote his chronicle with unabashed sympathy for the Přemyslids, while Dalimil showed great antipathy against the Germans. Both occasionally mix up facts with myths and legends (e.g. beginning Czech history with the building of the Tower of Babel).
Some of the books to be found in the game are a transliteration of chapters from Kosmas or Dalimil — e.g. the account of Forefather Čech, the Maidens’ War etc.
Since earliest times, it was the task of the educated members of the Court or spiritual leaders to take on the writing of chronicles, i.e. literary works describing contemporary events, the lives of their rulers, great battles and sometimes even everyday life. Records were kept in chronological order, and as well as giving the dates, they provide a wealth of historical information. They are among the best sources for investigating and revisiting the history of the country, famous people, places, buildings and day-to-day affairs.
There are different types of chronicles: world, national, episcopal, monastic, royal, dynastic, provincial (tracking genealogy), urban, biographical or autobiographical, travel journals and more.
The most important Czech chronicles include those of Kosmas and Dalimil, the Canon of Vyšehrad, the writings of the Sasau Monk and the Zbraslav Chronicle. The chroniclers generally enjoyed the most favourable conditions – most lived at the courts, had free access to older written records and courtly life and plenty of time to devote to writing. Although chronicles are the most valuable historic source, when reading them and extrapolating, their historical ideological subtext has to be borne in mind: for example, Kosmas wrote his chronicle with unabashed sympathy for the Přemyslids, while Dalimil showed great antipathy against the Germans. Both occasionally mix up facts with myths and legends (e.g. beginning Czech history with the building of the Tower of Babel).
Some of the books to be found in the game are a transliteration of chapters from Kosmas or Dalimil — e.g. the account of Forefather Čech, the Maidens’ War etc.