Abstract
The greater part of our knowledge about the Prague Easter massacre of 1389 relies on a set of literary sources composed in Latin, Czech, German and Hebrew. These sources have been used by modern historians when they strove to reconstruct the event and illuminate its causes. Yet, the sources are highly problematic on account of their literary character and their agendas. In my article, I revisit these sources, particularly those written in Latin, in order to contrast them and point out where they disagree with and even contradict each other. Where possible, I strive to explain these contradictions and disagreements by contextualizing the documents and by highlighting the agendas under which they operate.
| Translated title of the contribution | Passio Iudeorum Pragensium: Facts and Fiction about the Pogrom of 1389 |
|---|---|
| Original language | German |
| Title of host publication | „Avigdor, Benesch, Gitl“ - Juden in Böhmen, Mähren und Schlesien im Mittelalter. Samuel Steinherz (1857 Güssing – 1942 Theresienstadt) zum Gedenken |
| Editors | Helmut Teufel, Pavel Kocman, Milan Řepa |
| Place of Publication | Essen |
| Publisher | Klartext |
| Pages | 159-186 |
| Number of pages | 28 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-80-904912-2-9, 978-80-7286-276-4, 978-3-8375-1515-2 |
| Publication status | Published - 2016 |
Keywords
- Jewish history
- Medieval history
- Medieval Bohemia
- medieval literature
- medieval Latin