Manuscripts of Dvur Králové and of Zelená Hora
Encyclopedia
The Manuscript of Dvůr Králové (Czech
: Rukopis královédvorský, RK, German
: Königinhofer Handschrift) and the Manuscript of Zelená Hora (Czech: Rukopis zelenohorský, RZ, German: Grünberger Handschrift, also called The Judgement of Lubussa, LS, Czech: Libušin soud), collectively abbreviated as RKZ, are epic Slavic manuscripts, claimed to have been discovered in Bohemia
in 1817, by Václav Hanka
in Dvůr Králové nad Labem
and by Josef Kovář in Grünberg Castle or Chateau Zelená Hora (Green Mountain) respectively.
There was an ongoing struggle, because too many insisted that these are genuine, while they were later determined to be forgeries. The debate over the authenticity of these manuscripts has occupied Czech politics for more than a century, with Tomáš Masaryk
taking an early position against the authenticity of the papers. Pan-Slavic nationalists
on the other hand, saw in the manuscripts a symbol of national conscience and historians such as František Palacký
based historical accounts of Bohemia
and the Czechs exclusive claims on Bohemia on these proven forged Czech
accounts.
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
: Rukopis královédvorský, RK, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: Königinhofer Handschrift) and the Manuscript of Zelená Hora (Czech: Rukopis zelenohorský, RZ, German: Grünberger Handschrift, also called The Judgement of Lubussa, LS, Czech: Libušin soud), collectively abbreviated as RKZ, are epic Slavic manuscripts, claimed to have been discovered in Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
in 1817, by Václav Hanka
Václav Hanka
Wenceslaus Hanka Czech: Václav Hanka was a Czech philologist.-Biography:He was born at Hořiněves near Hradec Králové . He was sent in 1807 to school at Hradec Králové, to escape the conscription, then to the University of Prague, where he founded a society for the cultivation of the Czech language...
in Dvůr Králové nad Labem
Dvur Králové nad Labem
Dvůr Králové nad Labem river valley.Dvůr Králové was first mentioned in 1270. It was a dowry town, owned by the King's wife and responsible for her expenses when her husband died. Today, it is a center of the textile and machinery industries....
and by Josef Kovář in Grünberg Castle or Chateau Zelená Hora (Green Mountain) respectively.
There was an ongoing struggle, because too many insisted that these are genuine, while they were later determined to be forgeries. The debate over the authenticity of these manuscripts has occupied Czech politics for more than a century, with Tomáš Masaryk
Tomáš Masaryk
Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk , sometimes called Thomas Masaryk in English, was an Austro-Hungarian and Czechoslovak politician, sociologist and philosopher, who as an eager advocate of Czechoslovak independence during World War I became the founder and first President of Czechoslovakia, also was...
taking an early position against the authenticity of the papers. Pan-Slavic nationalists
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
on the other hand, saw in the manuscripts a symbol of national conscience and historians such as František Palacký
František Palacký
František Palacký was a Czech historian and politician.-Biography:...
based historical accounts of Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
and the Czechs exclusive claims on Bohemia on these proven forged Czech
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
accounts.
Further reading
- Die ältesten Denkmäler der böhmischen Sprache, Prag 1840, http://books.google.com/books?id=kK8DAAAAYAAJ&printsec=titlepage&dq=author:%22V%C3%A1clav+Hanka%22+manuscript&lr=&source=gbs_summary_r#PPA5,M1
- Václav HankaVáclav HankaWenceslaus Hanka Czech: Václav Hanka was a Czech philologist.-Biography:He was born at Hořiněves near Hradec Králové . He was sent in 1807 to school at Hradec Králové, to escape the conscription, then to the University of Prague, where he founded a society for the cultivation of the Czech language...
, Josef Linda: Manuscript of the Queen's Court: A Collection of Old Bohemian Lyrico-epic ..., 1852 http://books.google.com/books?id=GOwEHAAACAAJ&dq=author:%22V%C3%A1clav+Hanka%22+manuscript&lr= - Albert Henry WratislawAlbert Henry WratislawAlbert Henry Wratislaw was an English Slavonic scholar, of Czech descent.The grandson of an émigré of 1790, and son of William Ferdinand, 'Count' Wratislaw von Mitro-vitz , a solicitor of Rugby, by his wife, Charlotte Anne , was born at Rugby on 5 Nov. 1822. He entered Rugby School, aged seven, on...
: The Queen's Court Manuscript, with Other Ancient Bohemian Poems., 1852, http://books.google.com/books?id=V0pyIAAACAAJ&dq=Manuscript+of+Queen%27s+Court