The main topic of the thesis is the monitoring and analysis of narrative structures of historical works based on the basic assumption that a historical text is in some respect a prosaic work. It means that formal structure of historical text can be seen as poetic and, therefore, at least in part, subject to laws creating fictional literature. The main theoretical framework of this thesis is narrativistic work of H. White, which provides tools to analyze the poetic structure of historical text. In addition to the narrative structures of historical text, thesis consider role of the author (historian) of literary work - more precisely, its stylization and functions of the resulting stylization. Primary sources of thesis are Czech historical works dealing with the Baroque, re-catholicisation process and the Reformation in the Czech lands.

There are only a few works available dealing with the Czech Early New Times and not mentioning the name of Pavel Michna z Vacínova. The man who succeeded in overcoming barriers of his middle class origin and making himself an indispensable advisor to top representatives of the Czech Kingdom and even Emperor Ferdinand II and to manage elevation to Imperial Earldom towards the end of his life. Michna, a butcher's son from Budyně nad Ohří, became thanks to patronage of the High Chancellor of the Czech Kingdom Zdeněk Vojtěch Popel z Lobkowicz in the early part of the 17th century the Czech Kingdom Court Office Secretary and reinforced a group of catholic militants who gradually started to exploit the Czech Kingdom Court Office for the benefit of their own influence at the expense of Protestant majority. Even though Michna had signed the Imperial Charter of Rudolf II that guaranteed all subjects in the Kingdom freedom of worship, he alone prosecuted Protestants during his office period in the Czech Kingdom Court Office and was aiming to restrict their rights. The hate of Protestants against Michna culminated on May 23, 1618, when he should have been one of the victims of the Defenestration of Prague. He had learned of plans of the plotters on time and rescued himself fleeing to Vienna to the Imperial...

The major purpose of this study is to analyze principles of the multiconfessional society in the early modern Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. I focus mainly on conflicts between elites of the different religion which I analyze through the concept of collective identities. The main target group of the analysis is the highest political elite of the Commonwealth. Through examples of the leading magnates from Lithuania and Ukraine I show the relation between different collective identities, loyalties and political pragmatism in the time of political crisis after the year 1648. My question is, how far different religion influenced formation of the political camps and behaviour of magnates in this age. I conclude that religion was an important factor in forming of the opposition groups and conflicts but one can not see the magnate society strictly devided between confessional groups. The different religion played an important role if it merged with other collective identities such as class, regional or national identity. This was the case of the conflict in Ukraine.

This thesis engages in the Marian cult in Bohemia in the second half of the 17th century. The first, general part is the characteristic of the Marian devotion with the secondary literature, followed by a chapter on Czech prints with the Marian theme (1650-1750). The base of the thesis is the analysis of the work of J. I. Dlouhoveský (1638-1701). The analysis focuses on some forms of the Marian cult: pilgrimage, cult of saints (especially of Bohemian patrons), Marian devotion in the Habsburg dynasty and a folk piety. The last chapter deals with the literary self-presentation of Dlouhoveský (example of the Marian devotee). The appendix consists of the inventory of all works of Dlouhoveský, and of the graphs that summarize information about the Marian prints (1650-1750).

of the doctoral thesis Title: Recatholisation Practice in Local Perspective Subtitle: The Relationship of Re-Catholisation and Restoration of Ecclesiastical Administration in the Mladá Boleslav District and in the Northern part of the Hradec Králové District (selected questions). Keyword: recatholisation, ecclesiastical administration, baroque devoutness, District of Mladá Boleslav, District of Hradec Králové, 17th century, 18th century In this doctoral thesis I examine the relationship between lower ecclesiastic administration, re-Catholisation practices and advancing penetration of Baroque religiousness into the lives of inhabitants of the Mladá Boleslav district and of the Northern part of the Hradec Králové District in the 17th and 18th century. The activity ratio of mentioned agents is being observed on the basis of several selected questions. First, I define and explain key terms such as Catholic confessionalisation, recatholisation, Counter-Reformation, Catholic reformation and Baroque religiousness. Then I follow the proceeding of re-Catholisation of the Czech lands in the Central European context. The following chapter deals with the re-Catholisation legislation. Next part of my thesis describes gradual improvement in the operation of parish administration from the perspective of...

Between Defence and Resistance: Destinies of Eighteenth-Century Protestant Communities in Eastern Bohemia and Haut-Languedoc Abstract Based on archive research and literature the thesis compares the religious life of illegal Protestant communities in the 18th century Eastern Bohemia and Haut-Languedoc. From macroanalytical perspective it assesses the strategies of protestant minorities used to resist the disciplining efforts of the absolutist state. The confessional homogeneity, economic background and social stratification of Protestants in Eastern Bohemia and Haut-Languedoc differed. Yet, the contrasting comparison opens up the way to analyse the divergent resistance strategies. Further, the thesis examines the existence and nature of attempts to simplify the religious doctrine and to modify the liturgy undertaken by the lay and ordained priests and the worshippers. The structure combines the thematic and chronological approach, while keeping a broad perspective that encompasses also the economic and cultural context. First tree chapters outline and conceptualize the problem of prohibited Protestantism in both regions during the 17th and most of the 18th centuries. While in Languedoc the Presbyterian-synodic structure was revived (albeit illegally), in Eastern Bohemia and in whole Bohemia and Moravia...