Kingdom of Bohemia

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České království (cs) Königreich Böhmen (de) Regnum Bohemiae (la) Kingdom of Bohemia State of the Holy Roman Empire, Imperial elector (1356–1806), then Kronland of Cisleithanian Austria ← 1212–1918 → Flag Coat of arms Kingdom of Bohemia, 15th century Capital Prague Religion Roman Catholic Hussite Lutheranism Government Monarchy King  - 1198–1230 Otakar I Přemysl (first)  - 1916–1918 Karel III Habsburg-Lorraine (last) History  - Vratislav II Přemysl first    titular King of Bohemia 1085  - Kingdom established 26 September 1212  - King Jan Lucemburský    (John of Luxemburg) 31 August 1310  - Karel IV Lucemburský    Holy Roman Emperor 5 April 1355  - Electorate established 25 December 1356  - King Ferdinand I    Habsburg 16 December 1526  - Dissolution of the    Austro-Hungarian Empire 31 October 1918

The Kingdom of Bohemia (Czech: České království; German: Königreich Böhmen; Latin: Regnum Bohemiae) was a country in Central Europe. It was formally established in 1212 by the Golden Bull of Sicily issued by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, by promoting the Duchy of Bohemia to the kingdom status, although some former rulers of Bohemia enjoyed a non-hereditary royal title. The Kingdom was a de-facto independent member of the Holy Roman Empire, later a part of the Austrian Empire and was dissolved in 1918 with the fall of Austria-Hungary when the last king of Bohemia, Charles III, abdicated. The national assembly then deposed the Habsburg-Lothringen dynasty and proclaimed the Czechoslovak Republic.

Bohemia (Čechy) proper was the main area of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown (země Koruny české), together with the incorporated provinces:

• The March of Moravia (Markrabství moravské) and the County of Kłodzko (Hrabství kladské), acquired by Přemyslid and Slavník Bohemian rulers after the 955 Battle of Lechfeld, lost in 999 to Kingdom of Poland and reconquered by Břetislav I in 1019/1029 (uncertain dating);
• Upper Lusatia (Horní Lužice), incorporated by Jan Lucemburský in 1319 (Bautzen) and 1329 (Görlitz) and Lower Lusatia (Dolní Lužice, former Margraviate of Lusatia), acquired by Charles IV from Otto V of Wittelsbach, Margrave of Brandenburg in 1367. Ferdinand II lost Lusatia to the Electorate of Saxony with the 1635 Peace of Prague;
• The Duchies of Silesia (Slezsko), acquired by the 1335 Treaty of Trencsén between Jan Lucemburský and King Casimir III of Poland. Maria Theresa lost Silesia in 1742 to King Frederick II of Prussia, with the exception of Austrian Silesia

and, at times:

• The Duchy of Austria in 1251, the Duchy of Styria in 1261, the Egerland in 1266, the Duchy of Carinthia with the March of Carniola and the Windic March in 1269 and the March of Friuli in 1272, all acquired by Ottokar II Přemysl and lost in the 1278 Battle on the Marchfeld;
• The northern part of the Upper Palatinate ("New Bohemia"), incorporated by Charles IV in 1355. Charles' son Václav lost the Upper Palatinate in 1400 to the Electoral Palatinate under King Rupert of Germany;
• The Brandenburg Electorate, acquired by Charles IV from Duke Otto V of Wittelsbach in 1373. Charles' son Zikmund lost Brandenburg in 1415 to Frederick of Hohenzollern.

During the reign of the last Přemyslids and the succeeding House of Luxembourg, especially after the accession of Charles IV, the issue of the Golden Bull of 1356 and the acquisition of the Brandenburg Electorate, the Bohemian Kingdom was the most powerful state of the Holy Roman Empire^{[citation needed]}. Thus the Lands of the Bohemian Crown were not part of the Imperial Circles as established by the 1500 Imperial Reform. With the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the Bohemian kingdom - consisting of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia - became part of the Austrian Empire.

The current Czech Republic still uses some symbols of the Kingdom of Bohemia: a two-tailed lion in its coat-of-arms and the royal castle as the president's office.

[edit] See also

• History of the Czech lands
• List of rulers of Bohemia

[edit] References

v • d • e Members of the Electoral College of the Holy Roman Empire following the Golden Bull of 1356     Spiritual Archbishopric of Mainz Archbishopric of Trier Archbishopric of Cologne Secular Kingdom of Bohemia Palatine / Rhine Duchy of Saxony Margraviate of Brandenburg Added in the 17th century 1623 Duchy of Bavaria 1692 Duchy of Hanover Added from 1803–06 Principality of Regensburg Electorate of Salzburg (1803–05) Grand Duchy of Würzburg (1805–06) Duchy of Württemberg Margraviate of Baden Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel