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131-676: The Hortus Palatinus was commissioned by Frederick V , the ruler of the Palatinate , a leading member of the Holy Roman Empire and the head of the Protestant Union , with a martial family tradition stretching back several centuries. Frederick had spent the winter of 1612 in England, where he married Elizabeth Stuart , the daughter of King James I . Although the match had a political purpose – effectively uniting

262-423: A German princess, Margaret of Babenberg , and became duke of Austria . He thereby acquired Upper Austria , Lower Austria , and part of Styria . He conquered the rest of Styria, most of Carinthia , and parts of Carniola . He was called "the king of iron and gold" (iron because of his conquests, gold because of his wealth). He campaigned as far as Prussia , where he defeated the pagan natives and in 1256, founded

393-799: A city he named Královec in Czech, which later became Königsberg (now Kaliningrad ). In 1260, Ottokar defeated Béla IV , king of Hungary in the Battle of Kressenbrunn near the Morava river, where more than 200,000 men clashed. He ruled an area from Austria to the Adriatic Sea . From 1273, however, Habsburg king Rudolf began to reassert imperial authority, checking Ottokar's power. He also had problems with rebellious nobility in Bohemia. All of Ottokar's German possessions were lost in 1276, and in 1278 he

524-532: A conflict that would become the Thirty Years' War . Frederick was asked to assume the crown of Bohemia. He accepted the offer and was crowned on 4 November 1619, as Frederick I . The estates chose Frederick because he was the leader of the Protestant Union , a military alliance founded by his father, and hoped for the support of Frederick's father-in-law, James VI of Scotland and I of England . However, James opposed his son-in-law's takeover of Bohemia from

655-723: A courtyard garden, the Hortus Palatinus , designed by English gardener Inigo Jones and French engineer Salomon de Caus . Frederick was depicted therein as Apollo and as Hercules . Politically, Frederick positioned himself as a leader of the Protestant princes in the Holy Roman Empire, and as a defender of the liberty of the German nobles against the Catholic Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor . Since

786-587: A crushing defeat that morning in the Battle of White Mountain . Kingdom of Bohemia The Kingdom of Bohemia ( Czech : České království ), sometimes referenced in English literature as the Czech Kingdom , was a medieval and early modern monarchy in Central Europe. It was the predecessor state of the modern Czech Republic . The Kingdom of Bohemia was an Imperial State in

917-566: A few decades, especially in agriculture and crafts. In Silesia it had doubled (16% of the total area) by the beginning of the 11th century, 30% in the 16th century and the highest increase rates in the 14th century, the total area of arable land increased seven – to twentyfold in many Silesian regions during the Ostsiedlung . They settled mostly the hills and mountains and started the mine works and high qualities industry such as metal works, weapon industry and beer making. Forest glass production

1048-503: A hugely powerful ruler, mimicking the Roman emperors; the iconography stresses the role of Frederick as a powerful ruler driving the creation of the gardens, 'toppling the peaks of the mountains' and dominating nature as he restructures the world around him. Even the water in the garden, shown in the statues to be commanded by Neptune , is in turn surmounted by images of Frederick commanding Neptune himself. An alternative interpretation of

1179-566: A major role in the industrial development of the Czech Kingdom. In the late 12th and in the 13th century the Přemyslid rulers promoted the colonisation of certain areas of their lands by German settlers from the adjacent lands of Bavaria, Franconia, Upper Saxony and Austria during the Ostsiedlung migration. The new settlers not only brought their customs and language with them, but also new technical skills and equipment that were adapted within

1310-600: A marriage to Elizabeth Stuart , daughter of James VI of Scotland and I of England . James had initially considered marrying Elizabeth to Louis XIII of France , but these plans were rejected by his advisors. Frederick's advisors in the Palatinate were worried that if Elizabeth were married to a Catholic prince, this would upset the confessional balance of Europe, and they were thus resolved that she should marry Frederick V. Hans Meinhard von Schönberg , who had served as Frederick V's Hofmeister since his return to Heidelberg,

1441-461: A meeting of the Protestant Union , during which he was struck by fever and nearly died. Subsequently contemporaries described him as changed, melancholy and possibly depressed. As such, Frederick transferred much responsibility to his chancellor , Christian I, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg . Frederick undertook a large building campaign, designed to glorify his regime. In addition to the renovations to Heidelberg Castle mentioned above, he commissioned

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1572-588: A meeting of the Imperial party at Mulhouse , Frederick despatched a legal defense of his actions. He argued that he had not broken the imperial peace because Bohemia was located outside of the Holy Roman Empire and there was not, therefore, a conflict between an imperial prince and the emperor. Frederick argued that it would therefore be illegal for Ferdinand to use imperial power against him. This meeting, which included John George of Saxony and Maximilian of Bavaria, rejected Frederick's argument, finding that Bohemia

1703-515: A more radical sect, soon formed, taking their name from the town of Tábor , their stronghold in southern Bohemia. They rejected church doctrine and upheld the Bible as the sole authority in all matters of belief. Soon after Hus assumed office, German professors of theology demanded the condemnation of Wycliffe's writings. Hus protested, receiving the support of the Czech element at the university. Having only one vote in policy decisions against three for

1834-576: A new garden in the Italian Renaissance style popular in England at the time. Frederick had met the English designer Inigo Jones and the French engineer Salomon de Caus at King James' court. De Caus had been involved in constructing a Baroque garden for the Prince of Wales, Prince Henry at Richmond Palace , but this project had been halted following the prince's death in 1612. De Caus

1965-462: A non-hereditary royal title during the 11th and 12th centuries ( Vratislaus II , Vladislaus II ), the kingdom was formally established in 1198 by Přemysl Ottokar I , who had his status acknowledged by Philip of Swabia , elected King of the Romans , in return for his support against the rival Emperor Otto IV . In 1204 Ottokar's royal status was accepted by Otto IV as well as by Pope Innocent III . It

2096-399: A portion of the nobility and the clergy. Neither Frederick nor his wife spoke Czech , so court offices were staffed primarily with foreigners, while the administration of the localities was left to the local nobles. This made an alliance of the royal family with the corporate bodies of the realm difficult. Further alienation was caused by Frederick V's court preacher, Abraham Scultetus , who

2227-658: A recreation of the legendary animated statue of Memnon. The result was a hugely impressive Baroque garden in the Italian Renaissance style, dubbed by contemporaries the 'Eighth Wonder of the World'. The elaborate and ornate Hortus Palatinus have been interpreted in various ways. The dominant modern interpretation of the Hortus Palatinus is that is a 'magic' or 'hermetic' garden. In this model, drawing on de Caus's alleged mystical Rosicrucian background,

2358-535: A treaty with Maximilian, Duke of Bavaria , leader of the Catholic League . This treaty provided that Maximilian would be commander of the forces against Frederick, promised that Maximilian would retain all of the occupied Bohemian lands for himself, and that he would be granted Frederick's electoral title as well. The Emperor was also able to obtain the support of Elector John George I of Saxony; John George's court preacher, Matthias Hoe von Hoenegg , encouraged

2489-644: A union of the two areas could be commercially advantageous. On 12 September 1619, the Protestant Union met at Rothenburg ob der Tauber and called on Frederick not to intervene in Bohemian affairs. Other possible allies – the Dutch Republic , Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy , and the Republic of Venice – sent letters saying they would not be able to offer Frederick assistance if he accepted

2620-418: The Ostsiedlung , often encouraged by the Přemyslid kings. The Germans populated towns and mining districts on the Bohemian periphery and in some cases formed German colonies in the interior of the Czech lands. Stříbro, Kutná Hora , Německý Brod (present-day Havlíčkův Brod ), and Jihlava were important German settlements. The Germans brought their own code of law – the ius teutonicum – which formed

2751-644: The Crown of Bohemia ( Koruna česká ), together with the incorporated provinces: at times were incorporated into the Kingdom of Bohemia these provinces: The modern Czech Republic (Czechia) is the legal successor of the Crown of Bohemia, as stated in the preamble to its Constitution. Prior to 1833, Bohemia was divided into seven to sixteen district units, known in Czech as Kraje ( sg. Kraj ) and in German as Kreise ( sg. Kreis ). These included

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2882-641: The Czechoslovak Republic . The current Czech Republic consisting of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia still uses most of the symbols of the Kingdom of Bohemia: a two-tailed lion in its coat-of-arms, red-white stripes in the state flag and the royal castle as the president's office. Bohemia was among the first countries in Europe to become industrialized. Mining of tin and silver began in Ore mountains in early 12th century. The German hospes had

3013-579: The Duchy of Bohemia , later ruled by the House of Luxembourg , the Jagiellonian dynasty , and from 1526 the House of Habsburg and its successor, the House of Habsburg-Lorraine . Numerous kings of Bohemia were also elected Holy Roman Emperors , and the capital, Prague , was the imperial seat in the late 14th century, and again at the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th centuries. Shortly before

3144-605: The Dutch Republic in 1622. An Imperial edict formally deprived him of the Palatinate in 1623. He lived the rest of his life in exile with his wife and family, mostly at The Hague , and died in Mainz in 1632. His eldest surviving son Charles Louis was restored to the electorate in 1648 under the Peace of Westphalia . Another son was Prince Rupert of the Rhine , one of the most colourful figures of his time. His daughter Princess Sophia

3275-591: The Habsburgs and Frederick's allies in the Protestant Union failed to support him militarily by signing the Treaty of Ulm . His brief reign as king of Bohemia ended with his defeat at the Battle of White Mountain on 8 November 1620 – a year and four days after his coronation. After the battle, the Imperial forces invaded Frederick's Palatine lands, forcing him to flee to his uncle Prince Maurice , Stadtholder of

3406-516: The Holy Roman Empire . The Bohemian king was a prince-elector of the empire. The kings of Bohemia, besides the region of Bohemia itself, also ruled other lands belonging to the Bohemian Crown , which at various times included Moravia , Silesia , Lusatia , and parts of Saxony , Brandenburg , and Bavaria . The kingdom was established by the Přemyslid dynasty in the 12th century by

3537-590: The Long War against the Ottoman Empire from 1593 to 1606. Dissatisfied with the outcome, Rudolf sought to launch a new war against the Ottomans. To gain Bohemian support, Rudolf agreed to guarantee Bohemia's religious liberty , issuing his so-called Letter of Majesty in 1609. Still, the Bohemian nobles remained suspicious of Rudolf and in contact with the Protestant Union . The Bohemian Estates elected

3668-637: The Peace of Augsburg , the Empire had been delicately balanced between Catholic, Lutheran , and Calvinist principalities (although Calvinism was not recognised in the Peace of Augsburg). The conflicts between princes of these three faiths developed into a deep struggle over the Empire's constitution. Furthermore, the Twelve Years' Truce , a hiatus in the Eighty Years' War , was set to expire in 1621, and

3799-534: The Protestant lines of England, the Palatinate, the Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Denmark – the two were genuinely in love, and remained a romantic couple throughout the course of their marriage. Frederick returned to Heidelberg , his capital, ahead of his bride and set about transforming his castle , creating an 'English wing' for her, a monkey -house, a menagerie – and the beginnings of

3930-704: The Protestant Union signed the Treaty of Ulm (1620), thereby withdrawing their support for Frederick and declaring neutrality in the conflict between Frederick and the Catholic League. With the signing of the Treaty of Ulm Ambrogio Spinola, 1st Marquis of the Balbases , began raising Imperial troops in the Spanish Netherlands and in the Alsace region. In early August 1620, 25,000 troops, under

4061-574: The Přemyslid reign over Bohemia . German Emperor Frederick II 's preoccupation with Mediterranean affairs and the dynastic struggles known as the Great Interregnum (1254–73) weakened imperial authority in Central Europe, thus providing opportunities for Přemyslid assertiveness. At the same time, the Mongol invasions (1220–42) absorbed the attention of Bohemia's eastern neighbors, Hungary and Poland . Přemysl Ottokar II (1253–78) married

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4192-538: The Siege of Pilsen , which saw Pilsen fall to rebel forces on 21 November 1618, leaving the entire kingdom in Protestant hands. Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor died on 20 March 1619. Although his successor, the future Emperor Ferdinand II , had previously been crowned King of Bohemia, the Estates of Bohemia now refused to recognise him as their king. Fearing an invasion by Imperial forces, the Estates sought an alliance with

4323-521: The Turks . States would have one vote each, with a leading role for France. George did not see a specific role for Papal authority. Czech Catholic nobles joined in the League of Zelená Hora in 1465, challenging the authority of George of Poděbrady; the next year, Pope Paul II excommunicated George. The Bohemian War (1468-1478) pitted Bohemia against Matthias Corvinus and Frederick III of Habsburg , and

4454-591: The Upper Palatinate centred on Amberg . The Lower Palatinate's economy was dominated by agriculture, while the Upper Palatinate was a mining region with one of the most successful economies in Europe. The Kingdom of Bohemia was an elective monarchy , and despite being a kingdom, was a part of the Holy Roman Empire. Since 1526, the kings of Bohemia had all been members of the House of Habsburg ; since 1555, these kings had also been emperors. In

4585-580: The Utraquist administrator of the diocese, Jiřík Dicastus, and a Protestant elder, Jan Cyril Špalek z Třebíče. The liturgy was modelled on that used at the coronation of Charles IV , with only a few parts altered. The litany was sung – per the Catholic tradition – rather than spoken as was normally done by the Calvinists. Frederick was anointed with little objection. At the end of the coronation,

4716-468: The Virgin Mary was destroyed. There was even a rumour that the grave of St. Wenceslaus was to be desecrated. Scultetus' iconoclasm was deeply unpopular, and Frederick attempted to distance himself from it, claiming that his orders were not being carried out by his followers. The nickname "The Winter King" appeared shortly after the beginning of Frederick's reign and our first printed reference using

4847-667: The Winter King , and the Thirty Years' War . Their defeat at the Battle of White Mountain in 1620 put an end to the Bohemian autonomy movement. In 1740 the Prussian Army conquered Bohemian Silesia in the Silesian Wars and forced Maria Theresa in 1742 to cede the majority of Silesia, except the southernmost area with the duchies of Cieszyn, Krnov and Opava, to Prussia . In 1756 Prussian King Frederick II faced an enemy coalition led by Austria, when Maria Theresa

4978-524: The court of his uncle Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, Duke of Bouillon . During his time at Sedan, Frederick was a frequent visitor to the court of Henry IV of France . His tutor was Calvinist theologian Daniel Tilenus , a professor of theology at the Academy of Sedan . During the Eighty Years' War and the French Wars of Religion , Tilenus called for the unity of Protestant princes, and taught that it

5109-444: The dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the Bohemian kingdom was incorporated into the now two years old Austrian Empire and the royal title retained alongside the title of Austrian Emperor . In the course of the 1867 Austro-Hungarian Compromise the provinces of Bohemia, Moravia and Austrian Silesia became k. k. crown lands of Cisleithania . The Bohemian Kingdom officially ceased to exist in 1918 by transformation into

5240-415: The 1617 vote of the Estates of Bohemia, making Ferdinand King of Bohemia, was binding. Frederick's decision to accept the Bohemian crown has been the subject of much historical speculation. Later Catholic propaganda, in a view accepted by Friedrich Schiller , portrayed the decision as based mainly on Elizabeth Stuart's desire to be a queen. More recently, historians have concluded that Frederick's decision

5371-577: The Bohemian Crown ) was frequently subjected to raids by the Ottoman Empire and its vassals (especially the Tatars and Transylvania ). Overall, hundreds of thousands were enslaved whilst tens of thousands were killed. The incorporation of Bohemia into the Habsburg monarchy against the resistance of the local Protestant nobility sparked the 1618 Defenestration of Prague , the brief reign of

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5502-688: The Bohemian and the Hungarian kingdom were held in personal union . Not considered an Imperial State , the Lands of the Bohemian Crown were not part of the Imperial Circles established by the 1500 Imperial Reform . In 1526 Vladislav's son, King Louis , was decisively defeated by the Ottoman Turks at the Battle of Mohács and subsequently died. As a result, the Turks conquered part of

5633-549: The Bohemian crown went to his son, Wenceslas IV . He had also been elected King of the Romans in 1376, in the first election since his father's Golden Bull. He was deposed from the Imperial throne in 1400, however, having never been crowned Emperor. His half-brother, Sigismund , was eventually crowned Emperor in Rome in 1433, ruling until 1437, and he was the last male member of the House of Luxemburg. The Hussite movement (1402–85)

5764-524: The Bohemian estates elected Albert of Austria as his successor. Albert died and his son, Ladislaus the Posthumous – so called because he was born after his father's death – was acknowledged as king. During Ladislaus' minority, Bohemia was ruled by a regency composed of moderate reform nobles who were Utraquists. Internal dissension among the Czechs provided the primary challenge to the regency. A part of

5895-503: The Bohemian forces, Frederick used his private funds, pawned his jewels and, in May 1620, drove the Palatinate into insolvency when he decided to move two tons of gold to Bohemia. Bad news continued to arrive for Frederick. James VI of Scotland and I of England refused to support his son-in-law militarily. The Netherlands sent only a small force and promised only 50,000 florins a month for Frederick. Worst of all for Frederick, on 3 July 1620,

6026-650: The Bohemian language in English usage until the 19th century) was the main language of the Diet and the nobility until 1627 (after the Bohemian Revolt was suppressed). German was then formally made equal with Czech and eventually prevailed as the language of the Diet until the Czech National Revival in the 19th century. German was also widely used as the language of administration in many towns after

6157-474: The Bohemian offer. Only Gabriel Bethlen offered words of encouragement. Between 24 September and 28, Frederick reached his decision "not to resist the will of the Almighty" and thus decided to accept the Bohemian crown. The Dutch Republic, the Republic of Venice, Denmark , and Sweden recognised Frederick as King of Bohemia. On 29 September 1619, Frederick left Heidelberg for Prague. He travelled through Ansbach , Amberg, Neumarkt, and Waldsassen , where he

6288-460: The Bohemian throne. This formally severed all ties between Bohemia and the Habsburgs and made war inevitable. Ferdinand of Bavaria , Archbishop of Cologne predicted this decision would lead to twenty, forty, or sixty years of war. The preferred candidate of Bohemians as their new king was the Elector of Saxony, but he let it be known he would not accept the throne. This left Frederick as the most senior Protestant prince available, since no one else

6419-402: The Catholic Church. He advocated the Wycliffe doctrine of clerical purity and poverty, and insisted on the laity receiving communion under both kinds, bread and wine. (The Catholic Church in practice reserved the cup, or wine, for the clergy.) The more moderate followers of Hus, the Utraquists , took their name from the Latin sub utraque specie , meaning "under each kind". The Taborites ,

6550-404: The Cross with the Red Star in 1233, the first military order in the Kingdom of Bohemia. Four other military orders were present in Bohemia: the Order of St. John of Jerusalem from c.  1160 ; the Order of Saint Lazarus from the late 12th century; the Teutonic Order from c. 1200–1421; and the Knights Templar from 1232 to 1312. The 13th century was the most dynamic period of

6681-451: The Czech nobility remained Catholic and loyal to the pope. A Utraquist delegation to the Council of Basel in 1433 had negotiated a seeming reconciliation with the Catholic Church. The Compacts of Basel accepted the basic tenets of Hussitism expressed in the Four Articles of Prague: communion under both kinds; free preaching of the Gospels; expropriation of church land; and exposure and punishment of public sinners. The pope, however, rejected

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6812-426: The Czechs would have three votes; the others, a single vote. In consequence, German faculty and students left Charles University en masse in the thousands, and many ended up founding the University of Leipzig . Hus' victory was short-lived. He preached against the sale of indulgences , which lost him the support of the king, who had received a percentage of such sales. In 1412 Hus and his followers were suspended from

6943-476: The Emperor to smash Frederick and the Bohemians. Frederick's chancellor, Christian of Anhalt, urged Frederick to call a meeting of Protestant princes at Nuremberg in December 1619. This conference was a fiasco, as few princes bothered to send representatives. John George of Saxony declined to send a representative. Those who did attend half-heartedly promised to secure Frederick's Rhineland territories during Frederick's absence in Bohemia. In March 1620, during

7074-440: The Estates paid homage to Frederick. Although a large part of the country was already devastated by war, and many refugees were encamped in the town, the coronation was celebrated with lavish parties. Frederick assumed a weak crown and a state torn with internal divisions. The state's finances had been disrupted for years, and, at any rate, Bohemian kings had only very limited ability to raise funds, being primarily dependent on

7205-419: The Germans immigrated and populated some areas of the country in the 13th century. The royal court used the Czech, Latin, and German languages, depending on the ruler and period. Following the defeat of the Central Powers in World War I , both the Kingdom and Empire were dissolved. Bohemia became the core part of the newly formed Czechoslovak Republic . Although some former rulers of Bohemia had enjoyed

7336-431: The Germans, the Czechs were outvoted, and the orthodox position was maintained. In subsequent years, the Czechs demanded a revision of the university charter, granting more adequate representation to the native Czech faculty. The university controversy was intensified by the vacillating position of the Bohemian king Wenceslas. His favoring of Germans in appointments to councillor and other administrative positions had aroused

7467-457: The Habsburg Matthias as Rudolf's heir, and Matthias became king of Bohemia in 1611 and emperor in 1612. Yet in the latter year there was discussion within the Protestant Union about fielding a Protestant candidate to supplant Matthias as king of Bohemia, and Frederick's name was discussed in this regard. Strategists in the Palatinate believed that if Frederick became king, this would lead John George I, Elector of Saxony , to break his alliance with

7598-400: The Habsburgs and come fully to the Protestant cause. This assumption proved unfounded. Meanwhile, the sectarian conflicts in Bohemia continued. In 1617, Matthias prevailed on the Bohemian Estates to elect the Habsburg Ferdinand, Duke of Styria , as heir to the throne of Bohemia. Ferdinand was an intensely loyal Catholic, and many Protestant noblemen believed that Ferdinand intended to withdraw

7729-440: The Holy Roman Empire. It was precipitated by a controversy at Charles University in Prague . In 1403 Jan Hus became rector of the university. A reformist preacher, Hus espoused the anti-papal and anti-hierarchical teachings of John Wycliffe of England, often referred to as the "Morning Star of the Reformation". Hus' teaching was distinguished by its rejection of what he saw as the wealth, corruption, and hierarchical tendencies of

7860-452: The Hungarian forces occupied most of Moravia. George of Poděbrady died in 1471. Upon the death of the Hussite king, the Bohemian estates elected the Polish prince Ladislaus Jagiellon as king, who negotiated the Peace of Olomouc in 1479. In 1490, after the death of Matthias Corvinus, he was also elected by the strongest Hungarian baron league as king of Hungary, and the Polish Jagellonian line ruled both Bohemia and Hungary [but separate line

7991-483: The Hussites as religious fanatics; they fought in part for a nationalist purpose: to protect their land from a King and a Pope who did not recognize the right of the Hussites to exist. Žižka led armies to storm castles, monasteries, churches, and villages, expelling the Catholic clergy, expropriating ecclesiastical lands, or accepting conversions. During the struggle against Sigismund, Taborite armies penetrated into areas of modern-day Slovakia as well. Czech refugees from

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8122-423: The Kingdom of Hungary, and the rest (mainly present-day Slovakia territory) came under Habsburg rule under the terms of King Louis' marriage contract. The Bohemian estates in 1526 elected Austrian Archduke Ferdinand , younger brother of Emperor Charles V , to succeed Louis as king of Bohemia. Thus began almost four centuries of Habsburg rule for both Bohemia and Hungary . From 1599 to 1711, Moravia (a Land of

8253-449: The Letter of Majesty – a very disputed legal interpretation which the Habsburg government rejected. On 23 May 1618, an assembly of Protestant noblemen, led by Count Jindřich Matyáš Thurn , stormed Prague Castle , and seized two Imperial governors, Vilem Slavata of Chlum and Jaroslav Borzita of Martinice . The rebels charged them with violating the Letter of Majesty, found them guilty, and threw them and their scribe Philip Fabricius out of

8384-416: The Palatinate until Frederick reached the age of majority. However, his nearest male relative, Wolfgang William, Count Palatine of Neuburg , was a Catholic, so, shortly before his death, Frederick IV had named another Wittelsbach, John II, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken , as his son's guardian. Frederick V welcomed John to Heidelberg, whereas Wolfgang William was denied entry. This led to a heated dispute among

8515-505: The Palatinate's position within the Reformed camp in Europe. Two of Frederick V's sisters were married to leading Protestant princes: his sister Luise Juliane to his one-time guardian John II, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken , and his sister Elizabeth Charlotte to George William, Elector of Brandenburg . Frederick IV had hoped that his daughter Katharina would marry the future Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden , although this never came to pass. In keeping with his father's policy, Frederick V sought

8646-403: The Spanish party at the Habsburg court. This was a questionable evasion of the role played by Frederick's own agents. The first mention in Prague of Frederick's name as a possible candidate as king of Bohemia came in November 1618. It is not known if Frederick's agents played a role in talking up his possible candidacy. Palatine diplomat Christoph von Dohna approached James I of England with

8777-399: The archbishop was given the right to crown Bohemian kings. Charles curbed the Bohemian, Moravian, and Silesian nobility, and rationalized the provincial administration of Bohemia and Moravia. He created the Crown of Bohemia , incorporating Moravia, Silesia and Lusatia . In 1355 Charles was crowned Holy Roman Emperor. The next year he issued the Golden Bull of 1356 , defining and codifying

8908-405: The basis of the later commercial law of Bohemia and Moravia . Marriages between Czech nobles and Germans soon became commonplace. The 14th century – particularly the reign of Charles IV (1342–78) – is considered the Golden Age of Czech history. In 1306, the Přemyslid line died out and, after a series of dynastic wars, John, Count of Luxembourg , was elected Bohemian king. He married Elisabeth ,

9039-422: The capital city of Prague); these acted merely as administrative units of the Kraje / Kreise rather than taking on powers of their own. Prague remained a statutory city, as well acting as the administrative centre of the Prager Kreis / Pražský kraj . The city of Reichenberg was a Stadtbezirk (city district) subordinate to the Bunzlauer Kreis , as well as the seat of Landbezirk Reichenberg ;

9170-453: The castle had to be flattened and levelled up into a huge multi-leveled terrace . The result – a large 'L' shape around the castle – was then furnished between 1614 and 1619 with statues, grottos , plants, flowers and tall trees, surrounded in turn by the Heidelberg forest. The lay-out of the various exotic plants, many from the then recently discovered tropics , reflects their geographical origins and religious connotations. De Caus

9301-470: The ceremony; these included a performance of The Masque of the Inner Temple and Gray's Inn by Francis Beaumont and The Memorable Masque of the Middle Temple and Lincoln's Inn by George Chapman . On their return trip to Heidelberg, Frederick and Elizabeth travelled to The Hague to visit Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange before leaving for Germany on 5 May 1613. The couple entered Heidelberg on 12 June 1613, amidst widespread celebration. Elizabeth

9432-614: The command of Spinola, marched into Bohemia. In the third week of August, they shifted their focus and marched into the nearly unarmed Electoral Palatinate, occupying Mainz . The Electoral Palatinate was defended by only 2,000 English volunteers and the country was easily taken. Imperial troops set up camp in Frankenthal and Mannheim . Spinola crossed the Rhine on 5 September 1620 and proceeded to capture Bad Kreuznach on 10 September and Oppenheim on 14 September. From Bohemia, Frederick

9563-646: The compact, thus preventing the reconciliation of Czech Catholics with the Utraquists. George of Poděbrady , later to become the "national" king of Bohemia, emerged as leader of the Utraquist regency. George installed another Utraquist, John of Rokycany , as archbishop of Prague and succeeded in uniting the more radical Taborites with the Czech Reformed Church. The Catholic party was driven out of Prague. After Ladislaus died of leukemia in 1457,

9694-403: The complex gardens become an allegory of Rosicrucian thought, a 'botanical cosmos ', containing a coded secret deep in their design. In this interpretation, the gardens are intended to capture 'a universal vision, based on a union of the arts, science and religion', combined with 'an ancient tradition of secret wisdom handed down over the ages'. Another popular modern interpretation believes that

9825-404: The conduct of the war to his generals. Frederick focused his attention on organizing supplies and preparing fortifications. After a series of skirmishes, on 5 November 1620, Frederick drew his forces back towards Prague and Imperial troops followed them. On 7 November, Bohemian forces determined to make a stand at White Mountain , just outside Prague. The day before, King Frederick had ridden down

9956-489: The crusades were Germans, although many were also Hungarians and Catholic Czechs, the Hussite movement is seen as a Czech national movement. In modern times it acquired anti-imperial and anti-German associations and has sometimes been identified as a manifestation of a long-term ethnic Czech–German conflict. Hussitism began during the long reign of Wenceslaus IV (1378–1419), a period of papal schism and concomitant anarchy in

10087-407: The daughter of William I of Orange and Charlotte de Bourbon-Monpensier . Frederick was related to almost all of the ruling families of the Holy Roman Empire and a number of diplomats and dignitaries attended his baptism at Amberg on 6 October 1596. The Palatine Simmerns , the elder branch of the House of Wittelsbach , were noted for their attachment to Calvinism ; this was in marked contrast to

10218-409: The daughter of Wenceslaus II. He was succeeded as king in 1346 by his son, Charles IV, the second king from the House of Luxembourg . Charles was raised at the French court and was cosmopolitan in attitude. Charles IV strengthened the power and prestige of the Bohemian kingdom. In 1344 he elevated the bishopric of Prague , making it an archbishopric and freeing it from the jurisdiction of Mainz , and

10349-571: The dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the kingdom became part of the newly proclaimed Habsburg Austrian Empire , and subsequently the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1867. Bohemia retained its name and formal status as a separate Kingdom of Bohemia until 1918, known as a crown land within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and its capital Prague was one of the empire's leading cities. The Czech language (called

10480-502: The early seventeenth century, however, Bohemia faced a political crisis. The Estates of the realm of Bohemia became worried that the Habsburgs were planning to transform Bohemia into an absolute monarchy . A large number of Bohemian nobles were Protestant and feared that a Catholic emperor would attempt to impose Catholicism on Bohemia. Thus, a substantial opposition movement developed to the rule of Emperor Rudolf II . Rudolf had waged

10611-459: The empire for a life in exile in the Hague . The Hortus Palatinate project was halted indefinitely, with de Caus leaving for Paris . Heidelberg and the gardens suffered badly during the ensuing Thirty Years War ; the ornate gardens were used as an artillery base for attacking the city. By the time that Frederick's son Charles Louis was returned to the lower Palatinate in 1648, the principality

10742-459: The following in different time periods: According to Johann Gottfried Sommer Bohemia was divided into 16 district units between 1833 and 1849: In 1849 the number of Kreise / Kraje was reduced to seven. They were then subdivided into political districts (German: politischer Bezirk or Bezirkshauptmannschaft ('district captaincy '), pl. politische Bezirke/Bezirkshauptmannschaften ; Czech: Okres ), which took over most of

10873-617: The following year the Bohemian estates elected George of Poděbrady as king. Although George was noble-born, he was not a successor of royal dynasty; his election to the monarchy was not recognised by the Pope, or any other European monarchs. George sought to establish a "Charter of a Universal Peace Union ." He believed that all monarchs should work for a sustainable peace on the principle of national sovereignty of states, principles of non-interference, and solving problems and disputes before an International Tribunal. Also, Europe should unite to fight

11004-432: The gardens argues that – although made in the English style – de Caus designed them with the broad European late Renaissance style firmly in mind, drawing on his experiences of north Italian, and particularly Tuscan gardens. In this minority interpretation, the political symbols and metaphors of the garden are of less importance than the underlying topoi of similar looking gardens across Europe – de Caus

11135-419: The gardens were designed consciously to communicate a powerful, symbolic political message. Frederick V had political ambitions beyond the Palatinate; as the head of the Protestant Union and the senior elector within the Holy Roman Empire he had hopes for wider hegemony across Germany. In 1619 Frederick would challenge Emperor Ferdinand II for control of Bohemia . Frederick's gardens accordingly symbolised

11266-534: The goodwill of the nobility and the tax allocations of the diets . The Protestant nobles felt that higher taxes were necessary to pay for war against the German Catholic League , but the country already felt overburdened in the wake of the Long War . Further limiting Frederick's ability to manoeuvre was the need to distribute royal bounty to supporters in order to ensure their loyalty to his regime. In Prague, Frederick soon came to be alienated from

11397-526: The imperial councils. The imperial prerogative to ratify each Bohemian ruler and to appoint the bishop of Prague was revoked. The king's successor was his son Wenceslaus I , from his second marriage. Wenceslaus I's sister Agnes , later canonized, refused to marry the Holy Roman Emperor and instead devoted her life to spiritual works. Corresponding with the Pope, she established the Knights of

11528-493: The lines and exhorted the soldiers. He then rushed to Prague to implore the Bohemian Estates to raise money for his troops and to receive the envoys of the English king. However, it was too late. When, on 8 November 1620, Frederick wanted to ride back to the troops, he was met at the gates of Prague by fleeing soldiers of his army and his chancellor, Anhalt, who informed him of the disaster: the Bohemian army had received

11659-575: The nationalist sentiments of the Czech nobility and rallied them to Hus' defense. The German faculties had the support of Zbyněk Zajíc , Archbishop of Prague , and the German clergy. For political reasons, Wenceslas switched his support from the Germans to Hus and allied with the reformers. On 18 January 1409, Wenceslas issued the Decree of Kutná Hora : (as was the case at other major universities in Europe)

11790-498: The old city. The royal castle, Hradčany , was rebuilt. Of particular significance was the founding of Charles University in Prague in 1348. Charles intended to make Prague into an international center of learning, and the university was divided into Czech, Polish, Saxon, and Bavarian "nations", each with one controlling vote. Charles University, however, would become the nucleus of intense Czech particularism. Charles died in 1378, and

11921-497: The other cadet branch of Wittelsbachs, headed by Duke Maximilian of Bavaria, which was deeply devoted to the Roman Catholic Church. The capital of the Palatinate, Heidelberg , was suffering from an outbreak of bubonic plague at this time, so Frederick spent his first two years in the Upper Palatinate before being brought to Heidelberg in 1598. In 1604, at his mother's urging, he was sent to Sedan to live in

12052-536: The other members of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown ( Silesia , Lusatia , Moravia ) and on 31 July 1619 at Prague, these states formed the Bohemian Confederacy, dedicated to opposing the Habsburgs; under the terms of this agreement, Protestantism became virtually the state religion of the Bohemian lands. In August 1619, the general parliament of all the Bohemian lands declared that Ferdinand had forfeited

12183-540: The political functions of the Kreise / Kraje . Prague became a statutory city, administered directly by the kingdom. A total of 79 districts existed during this period. In 1854 the political districts were abolished and the previous more centralised administrative structure largely restored. However, 13 new Kraje / Kreise were established in place of the old ones. These Kraje / Kreise were subdivided into between twelve and 20 Bezirke (207 in total, plus

12314-481: The possibility of Frederick becoming king, but James reacted negatively to this idea. The princes of the Protestant Union similarly rejected the idea, fearing it might lead to religious war and the Elector of Saxony was staunchly opposed. Behind the scenes, Frederick authorised sending a force under Count Ernst von Mansfeld to support the Bohemian rebels. In August 1618, forces under Mansfeld entered Bohemia and led

12445-556: The practice of Lutheranism in Bohemia and recognized the secular areas in the Netherlands. Ferdinand also agreed to give John George Lusatia , thus cementing John George's dominance of the Upper Saxon Circle . This was the context when the parliament of the Bohemian Confederacy met on 25 March 1620. Frederick called for massive tax increases and conscription to fight the impending Imperial threat. To raise money for

12576-443: The princes of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1613, Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor intervened in the dispute, with the result being that Frederick V was able to begin his personal rule in the Palatinate even though he was still underage. The dispute ended in 1614, when Frederick attained his eighteenth birthday. However, much bad blood among the houses was caused by this dispute. Frederick IV's marriage policy had been designed to solidify

12707-662: The pro-papal king of Hungary and successor to the Bohemian throne after the death of Wenceslas in 1419, failed repeatedly to gain control of the kingdom despite aid by Hungarian and German armies. Riots broke out in Prague. Led by a Czech yeoman, Jan Žižka , the Taborites streamed into the capital. Religious strife pervaded the entire kingdom and was particularly intense in the German-dominated towns. Hussite Czechs and Catholic Germans turned on each other; many were massacred, and many German survivors fled or were exiled to

12838-659: The process of election to the Imperial throne , with the Bohemian king among the seven electors. Issuance of the Golden Bull together with the ensuing acquisition of the Brandenburg Electorate gave the Luxemburgs two votes in the electoral college . Charles also made Prague into an Imperial capital. Extensive building projects undertaken by the king included the founding of the New Town southeast of

12969-402: The protections of Rudolf II's Letter of Majesty. These suspicions were further aroused when Imperial officials ordered Protestants to stop erecting Protestant churches on the " Stifts ", lands held by ecclesiastical lords who were not subject to the Bohemian Estates. The Protestants claimed the status of these lands fell under the term "royal land", and thus were subject to Bohemia's authority by

13100-527: The religious wars in Bohemia settled there, and from 1438 to 1453 a Czech noble, John Jiskra of Brandýs , controlled most of southern Slovakia from the centers of Zólyom (today Zvolen ) and Kassa (today Košice ). Thus Hussite doctrines and the Czech Bible were disseminated among the Slovaks, providing the basis for a future link between the Czechs and their Slovak neighbors. When Sigismund died in 1437,

13231-432: The rest of the Holy Roman Empire. Emperor Sigismund led or instigated various crusades against Bohemia with the support of Hungarians and Bohemian Catholics. The Hussite Wars followed a pattern. When a crusade was launched against Bohemia, moderate and radical Hussites would unite and defeat it. Once the threat was over, the Hussite armies would focus on raiding the land of Catholic sympathizers. Many historians have painted

13362-754: The royal chapel at the Palace of Whitehall . The event was celebrated in John Donne's poetic masterpiece Epithalamion, or Mariage Song on the Lady Elizabeth, and Count Palatine being married on St. Valentines Day . Shortly before the ceremony, Frederick was inducted into the Order of the Garter and he wore the Order's chain during the wedding ceremony. Elaborate celebrations, organised by Francis Bacon , followed

13493-427: The term came in a 1619 Imperial pamphlet that presented the phrase in the context of a royal chronogram . Frederick's propagandists attempted to respond to the phrase by arguing that Frederick was in fact a "Winter Lion" who defended the crown of Bohemia against troublemakers and liars, and that he would also be a "Summer Lion." Meanwhile, Ferdinand II rallied his forces against Frederick. On 21 October 1619, he signed

13624-587: The two were counted together as a single Bezirk . 11 of the Kraje / Kreise had a single district court ( Kreisgericht ). These were located in the administrative centre of the Kraj / Kreis , except for the Čáslavský kraj / Časlauer Kreis , whose district court was located at Kutná Hora /Kuttenberg. The Bunzlauer and Leitmeritzer Kreise ( Boleslavský and Litoměřický kraje ) each had two district courts: Jung-Bunzlau and Reichenberg for

13755-550: The university and expelled from Prague. For two years the reformers served as itinerant preachers throughout Bohemia. In 1414 Hus was summoned to the Council of Constance to defend his views. Imprisoned when he arrived, he was never given a chance to defend his ideas. The council condemned him as a heretic and burned him at the stake in 1415. Hus's death sparked the Hussite Wars , decades of religious warfare. Sigismund ,

13886-560: The windows of the Bohemian Chancellery. This event – known as the Second Defenestration of Prague – marked the beginning of the Bohemian Revolt , and with it, the beginning of the Thirty Years' War . In these circumstances Christian I, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg , Frederick V's governor of the Upper Palatinate, moved to intervene in Bohemia. He did not initially propose nominating Frederick as king because

14017-524: The young elector was still seen as politically inexperienced, and was a Calvinist, while there were virtually no Calvinists in Bohemia. At any rate, Frederick was not initially eager to defy the Emperor, who had praised Frederick's loyalty. Frederick did not publicly break with the Emperor, but in a letter to his father-in-law, James I of England , he placed the blame for the Bohemian vote on the Jesuits and

14148-484: Was a common industry for German Bohemians. Bohemia proper ( Čechy ) with the County of Kladsko ( Hrabství kladské ) was the main area of the Kingdom of Bohemia. The Egerland ( Chebsko ) was ultimately obtained by King Wenceslaus II between 1291 and 1305; given in pawn to Bohemia by King Louis IV of Germany in 1322 and subsequently joined in personal union with Bohemia proper. In 1348 Charles IV created

14279-600: Was abandoned by part of the Czech nobility and died in the Battle on the Marchfeld against Rudolf. Ottokar was succeeded by his son King Wenceslaus II , who was crowned King of Poland in 1300. Wenceslaus II's son Wenceslaus III was crowned King of Hungary a year later. At this time, the Kings of Bohemia ruled from Hungary to the Baltic Sea . The 13th century was also a period of large-scale German immigration, during

14410-545: Was also a favourite of Elizabeth Stuart's, having been her tutor before her marriage. From July 1614 onwards de Caus began work in Heidelberg on a new set of gardens. Some writers suspect that de Caus transferred many of his potential ideas from the Richmond project to Heidelberg, applying them on a larger scale. One major challenge that the engineers faced was the uneven ground – the steep, mountainous terrain around

14541-418: Was also particularly proud of the orange tree grove he created, populated with thirty sixty-year-old orange trees specially transferred using his own methods, a significant horticultural accomplishment during the period. Other dramatic features included a water organ in imitation of the Roman writer Vitruvius ' design, clockwork -driven musical automata birds who sang as nightingales and cuckoos, mazes and

14672-409: Was an indivisible part of the Empire. On 1 April 1620, the Imperial party issued an ultimatum calling on Frederick to leave Bohemia by 1 June. If Frederick did not comply by this date, Ferdinand threatened to enforce his right as Holy Roman Emperor and rightful King of Bohemia to overthrow the usurper . A little later, John George of Saxony signed a treaty with Ferdinand in which Ferdinand guaranteed

14803-430: Was based primarily on a sense of duty to his fellow Protestants, although Frederick wavered between his obligations to the emperor and his commitment to his religious brethren. There also seems to have been economic considerations; the Upper Palatinate was at that time Europe's center for iron production, while Bohemia was a focal point for the tin and glass trade. Christian I, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg , told Frederick that

14934-563: Was building a garden emulating – and trying to exceed in size and scope – other popular gardens of the day. By 1619, the Hortus Palatinate had become 'Germany's greatest Renaissance garden', although it was still not fully completed. 1619, however, saw Frederick V's war with Emperor Ferdinand II over the Kingdom of Bohemia ; soundly defeated at the Battle of White Mountain , Frederick and Elizabeth were forced to flee

15065-453: Was determined to use his new post to advance the cause of Calvinism in Bohemia. The Utraquist churches had retained the use of relics and images in church, but Scultetus now launched an iconoclastic crusade against images: beginning on 21 December 1619, images were removed from St. Vitus Cathedral , and on 27–28 December, the famous Prague Altarpiece of Lucas Cranach the Elder depicting

15196-544: Was elected Holy Roman Emperor. Frederick was the only elector who voted against Ferdinand; even the Protestant prince-electors John George I of Saxony and John Sigismund of Brandenburg adhered to the tradition of supporting the Habsburg Imperial candidate. The electoral college also condemned the Bohemian Confederation's attempt to remove Ferdinand from the throne of Bohemia and declared that

15327-575: Was eventually named heiress presumptive to the British throne , and is the founder of the Hanoverian line of kings. Frederick was born on 26 August 1596 was born at the hunting lodge ( German : Jagdschloss ) in Deinschwang, Palatinate (present-day Lauterhofen , Germany ). His father, Frederick IV , was the ruler of Electoral Palatinate ; his mother was Louise Juliana of Nassau ,

15458-666: Was in Poland after Casimir]. The Jagellonians governed Bohemia as absentee monarchs because the Hungarian nobility insisted on them putting their capital into Hungary; their influence in the kingdom was minimal, and effective government fell to the regional nobility. Czech Catholics accepted the Compact of Basel in 1485 and were reconciled with the Utraquists. The Bohemian estrangement from the Empire continued after Vladislav [as II] had succeeded Matthias Corvinus of Hungary in 1490 and both

15589-647: Was in dire economic straits – pleasure gardens were a low priority for the new ruler. The Hortus Palatinate became ruins and today these are considered a popular, romantic tourist attraction. The gardens, as represented in de Caus' original designs, were recreated digitally at the European Media Laboratory in Heidelberg in 2003. 49°24′40″N 8°43′03″E  /  49.4111°N 8.7175°E  / 49.4111; 8.7175 Frederick V, Elector Palatine Frederick V ( German : Friedrich V. ; 26 August 1596 – 29 November 1632)

15720-662: Was likely to lead to renewed fighting between the Dutch Republic and the Spanish Empire . With its central location in Germany, the Palatinate was vulnerable to incursions of imperial troops from the Habsburg hereditary lands . Unlike many principalities of the Holy Roman Empire, the Electoral Palatinate was not a solid dominion, but instead consisted of two unconnected provinces surrounded by foreign lands. The Lower Palatinate centred on Heidelberg , while

15851-537: Was met by representatives from the Bohemian Estates. Together, they then travelled through Cheb , Sokolov , Žatec , Louny , and Slaný . Finally on 31 October 1619, Frederick entered Prague, along with 568 people and 100 cars, and was greeted enthusiastically. Frederick donned the Crown of Saint Wenceslas in St. Vitus Cathedral on 4 November 1619. The coronation was conducted not by the Archbishop of Prague but by

15982-488: Was officially recognized in 1212 by the Golden Bull of Sicily issued by Emperor Frederick II , elevating the Duchy of Bohemia to Kingdom status and proclaiming its independence which was also later bolstered by future king of Bohemia and emperor Charles IV, with his golden bull in 1356. Under these terms, the Czech king was to be exempt from all future obligations to the Holy Roman Empire except for participation in

16113-416: Was popular with Frederick's subjects, and this popularity grew when, on 1 January 1614, she gave birth to a son, Frederick Henry . As part of the marriage negotiations, Frederick had agreed to expand Heidelberg Castle . These renovations were completed in 1615 and the "Elizabeth Entrance" to Heidelberg Castle was dedicated. One of Frederick's first acts upon taking the reins of government was attendance at

16244-421: Was powerless to stop the occupation of his ancestral homeland. After capturing Linz , Upper Austria , Maximilian, Duke of Bavaria crossed the Bohemian border on 26 September 1620. At Rokycany , Maximilian's forces first met with the 15,000 ragtag, poorly paid and poorly equipped troops that Frederick had managed to raise. Frederick visited his army on 28 September 1620, but, lacking a military background, left

16375-423: Was preparing for war with Prussia to reclaim Silesia. The Prussian army conquered Saxony and in 1757 invaded Bohemia. In the Battle of Prague (1757) they defeated the Habsburgs and subsequently occupied Prague. More than one quarter of Prague was destroyed and the St. Vitus Cathedral suffered heavy damage. In the Battle of Kolín , however, Frederick lost and had to vacate Prague and retreat from Bohemia. With

16506-426: Was primarily a religious, as well as national, manifestation. As a religious reform movement (the so-called Bohemian Reformation ), it represented a challenge to papal authority and an assertion of national autonomy in ecclesiastical affairs. The Hussites defeated four crusades from the Holy Roman Empire, and the movement is viewed by many as a part of the (worldwide) Protestant Reformation . Because many of warriors of

16637-544: Was sent to London to court the princess in spring 1612. After intense negotiations, a marriage contract was signed on 26 May 1612, over the objection of her mother, Queen Anne . Frederick travelled to London to collect his bride, landing on English soil on 16 October 1612. Frederick and Elizabeth, who had previously corresponded in French, now met each other for the first time, and got on well together. They were formally engaged in January 1613 and married on 14 February 1613 at

16768-587: Was the Elector Palatine of the Rhine in the Holy Roman Empire from 1610 to 1623, and reigned as King of Bohemia from 1619 to 1620. He was forced to abdicate both roles, and the brevity of his reign in Bohemia earned him the derisive sobriquet " the Winter King " ( Czech : Zimní král ; German: Winterkönig ). Frederick was born at the hunting lodge ( German : Jagdschloss ) in Deinschwang, Palatinate (present-day Lauterhofen , Germany ). He

16899-605: Was the son of Frederick IV and of Louise Juliana of Orange-Nassau , the daughter of William the Silent and Charlotte de Bourbon-Montpensier . An intellectual, a mystic , and a Calvinist , he succeeded his father as Prince-Elector of the Rhenish Palatinate in 1610, and at the age of 17 was married to the Protestant princess Elizabeth Stuart . In 1618 the largely Protestant Czech nobility of Bohemia rebelled against their Catholic king, Ferdinand II , beginning

17030-402: Was their Christian duty to intervene if their brethren were being harassed. These views are likely to have shaped Frederick's future policies. On 19 September 1610, Frederick's father, Frederick IV, died from "extravagant living"; his son being 14 years old at the time. Under the terms of the Golden Bull of 1356 , Frederick's closest male relative would serve as his guardian and as regent of

17161-621: Was willing to risk conflict with the emperor. In August 1619, the chances of Frederick becoming King of Bohemia became greater when Gabriel Bethlen launched an anti-Habsburg revolt in Royal Hungary . This was also precisely the period when Ferdinand was travelling to Frankfurt for his coronation. On 26 August 1619, the states of the Bohemian Confederacy elected Frederick as the new King of Bohemia, Frederick receiving news of his election on 29 August in Amberg. Two days later, Ferdinand II

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