Autobiography of Emperor Charles IV: And His Legend of St. Wencesias (Central European Medieval Texts) [Hardcover]

Balazs Nagy (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2001 | ISBN-10: 9639116327 | ISBN-13: 978-9639116320

One of the few autobiographies to have survived from the Middle Ages, this life histroy of one of the most influential rulers of the fourteenth century, Charles IV of Bohemia, covers his life from birth until his election as King of Germany in 1346. Charles describes his childhood, spent mainly in the court of French kings, his juvenile years, his marriage and his first steps into the international political scene during the early part of the fourteenth century. This volume also includes the first ever English translation of the "Legend of Saint Wenceslas", written by Charles IV of Luxemburg. It contains both the Latin narrative sources and a complete English language translation.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Latin (translation)
Original Language: Latin

Product Details

• Hardcover: 332 pages
• Publisher: Central European Univ Pr (June 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9639116327
• ISBN-13: 978-9639116320
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,967,097 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something for the scholar and layman, March 23, 2007

By 

Roman Lupinek "The Bohemian" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Autobiography of Emperor Charles IV: And His Legend of St. Wencesias (Central European Medieval Texts) (Hardcover)

Anyone interested in the history of Bohemia and Charles IV will find this first English translation a worthwhile read. The scholar will find an accompanying original Latin version of his biography, an analysis of the work as well as a collection of source materials, while the history enthusiast will get a rare glimpse into a primary source and into the mind of a most interesting monarch. A good part of the book finds Charles preaching advice to future rulers, but in other parts of the book we find him telling us what he was thinking and doing at specific points in his life. Whether it is tactics on the ground or creating the base for his rise to power, Charles' own words speak to us directly unfiltered by the opinions of other historians. This alone makes it worth the price of admission to English readers.