Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
communist rule. As we go to press, that symbolic position had yet to be filled and
may not be for years to come.
TIMELINE
500 BC- AD 400
Celtic tribes thrive in the territory of the modern-day Czech Republic, building settlements whose
remains will later be discovered in and around Prague.
AD 500
Slavic tribes enter Central Europe during the Great Migration, forming settlements along the Vltava
River. Excavations indicate the largest may have been near Roztoky, northwest of Prague.
Early 600s
Princess Libuše, the fabled founder of the Přemysl dynasty, looks out over the Vltava valley and pre-
dicts that a great city will emerge there someday.
870s
Prince Bořivoj begins construction of Prague Castle in Hradčany to serve as the seat of his Přemysl
dynasty - as it will for kings, emperors and presidents for centuries to come.
26 August 1278
King Otakar II is thrashed by the Habsburgs at the Battle of Marchfeld ( Moravské Polein Czech) at
the height of the Přemysl dynasty's influence.
4 August 1306
The last Přemysl king, Wenceslas III, is murdered, leaving no male heir. The dynasty passes to John
of Luxembourg, who will give Bohemia its greatest ruler, his son Charles IV.
26 August 1346
John of Luxembourg dies and Charles IV becomes Bohemian king. Later, he adds 'HolyRoman Em-
peror' to his list of titles. Prague booms as the seat of the empire.
6 July 1415
Religious reformer Jan Hus is burned at the stake at Konstanz, Germany, for refusing to recant his
criticisms of the Catholic Church. His death enflames decades of religious strife.
