11. - 12. století
Cosmas
The first Bohemian Chronicler
Significant photo
Info text
He was the first known Bohemian chronicler, author of the Chronicle of Bohemia at the turn of the 11th century.
It is assumed that he was a priest who came from a rather well-off family, which enabled him to study at the excellent European school in Liege. He returned to Bohemia in the 1090’s and immediately became a member of the Chapter of Prague. He belonged to the society of the peculiar clerical intellectuals. In 1099 he was ordained in Eszertegom and in 1120 he was most certainly the dean of the Chapter of Prague.
His
life work, The Chronicle of Bohemian, is written in Latin and is divided into three parts. The first is dedicated to the history of the Czech lands from their mythical beginning with princess Libuse to the ascent on the throne of Bretislas II, also known as the “Czech Achilles”. The second part ends with the death of the first King of Bohemia Vratislas. And the third part is a chronicle of the instability and the chaos that arose after the death of the king and ends with the death of Cosmas himself in 1125.
