Prague Czech Republic (Czechia) History on location 4000BC-2019AD

The Vlatava Valley has been inhabited many 100s thousand years ago. 4000BC-500BC permanent communities sprang of various Celt and Germanic tribes. The name Bohemia came from the Boii tribe named the area & river around 500BC. 0-500 Eastern Slav tribes moved into area. Byzantines describe regions Slavs 512AD. A Princess of a Czech tribe married a humble farmer and started the first dynasty around 500AD. 2 Slav tribes settled opposite sides of the river. Avars (Caucasus peoples) invaded and ruled area briefly until a French trader united the Slav tribes to kick Avars out around 600AD. 800s greater Bohemia became Greater Moravia. 870 Prague castle was built. 927-29 Catholic state was set up by guy who eventually Christianize all Hungarians, Polish, and Czech. 800-1000, Prague was important trading hub with many ethnicities, an Arab trader wrote of it in 900s

950 Saxon (German) Empire took over Bohemia. 973 official Catholic. Bohemia became a part of the loose organization of kingdoms, dukes, and city states in the Holy Roman Empire. 1000s first crusades to make everybody Catholic occurred, persecuting Jews especially.Czech Bohemian princes ruled on Germans behalf up to 1212 then brief freedom.Old town built up 1230 (where I am in first part) New Town Prague 1257(lesser quarter where I am in others) Era of Bohemian rule stretched from Silesia down to Mediterranean until 1278 defeat by Austrians.

1306-1400s Austrian Hapsburg & German Luxembourg families had times ruling city & Bohemia. 1300s was flourishing time of the city with a lot of construction of many now famous neighborhoods. The Holy Roman Emperor made city his home (defacto Capital) & city grew to great importance. Early 1400s, church problems stoked by people called Hussites (Bohemian Protestants). Hussite leader was burned at the stake in Germany going for peace talks. Lead to war. Hussites eventually took over the city. Again Holy Roman Crusades to force Catholicism on the city. Hussites lost city. Protestants and Catholics co-existed briefly then in 1430s the pope ordered another crusade on city to dispose of all heretics. A Royal alliance of Bohemia and Poland was made. 1526 Austrian Hapsburgs again ruled Bohemia. Beautiful renaissance architecture and works were made during this time. One king during 1500s went crazy in Prague castle with exhibitions of magicians, astrologers, and strange performances.

1618 30 years war was started in Prague when Hapsburgs advisers were thrown from Pague castle window to their deaths (I made a mistake in video at wrong church). Protestants were elected to be rulers. This sparked a Europe wide alliance religious war. 1621 Protestant revolt in city was taken down leading to 27 nobles being executed with sword stab in stomach in town square to die slowly. 300 years of loss of Czech control of city & Bohemia. Germans (Saxons) occupied Prague in 1630s, Swedes in 1648. During 1630s-48 heavy constant bombardment of city & population severally declined. The Austrians after the war moved the capital of Holy Roman Empire to Vienna and city lost its importance.

1680-1800 city rebounded as Czech nationalist movements.Czech were always the majority with German/Jewish (mostly Anasazi) minorities. Napoleonic Wars ended Holy Roman Empire into just Austria- Hungary, Bohemia a part of. 1848 Prague joined in on revolutions across Europe it was crushed. By 1860s Czech's were winning elections and gained majority of power over the shrinking German minorities.

The Austrian-Hungary leader was trying to establish alliance to create Austrian-Hungary-Czech state but he and his wife we assassinated in Serbia starting WW1. Czechs and Slovaks wanted more independence during it, in the ending days of WW1 Czechoslovakia nation was born. 1939 Nazis occupied Czechoslovakia. After an SS leader's assassination in Prague, many Czech villagers were massacred across country. Most of cities Jews were sent to concentration camps 90% died. 1945 Czech citizens began revolting when Soviets were gaining steam in East. Patton and Americans reached Pilzen nearby also. There was some allied bombing but very little. The Czech people liberated the city on their own expelling all Germans. Soviets came in & fighting eventually ceased. City now had none of its German ( thousands died during marches) or Jewish populations (over 100,000 killed).

Communist party won elections. Some uprisings occurred, many people were imprisoned, sent to labor camps, and killed during 50s and 60s. 1967-68 intellectuals wanted to spring from communism. But Soviets and all other Warsaw pact nations invaded with tanks, occupying city. Another in 1977 repressed.1989 with fall of Berlin Wall, movements and violent protest in streets. Led to 1990 free elections.1992-93 country split to Slovakia and Czech Republics which it is to this day. Prague is now one of the most visited cities in the world and Americans second favorite European destination after Paris. PRAHA!