Strachkvas

Strachkvas (also: Kristián , Křišťan or Christianus , German Christian ; † 996 ) was a monk and chronicler in Bohemia in the 10th century. He was a son of the Bohemian Duke Boleslav I and was close to the Prague Bishop Adalbert . His work, the so-called Christian legend , is considered the first chronicle of Bohemia.

Life

There are three independent lines of tradition about the person of Strachkvas / Christian: The Chronica Boemorum des Cosmas of Prague from the 12th century, two legends about the second Prague bishop Adalbert from the early 11th century, and one legend about Saints Wenceslaus and Ludmilla whose author he was and which was created shortly before the turn of the millennium.

According to Cosmas, Strachkvas was the son of the Bohemian Duke Boleslav I. He is said to have been born on the day of the feast on which Boleslav murdered his brother Wenceslaus (September 28, 929 or 935). According to the chronicler, his name (derived from the Czech strašný kvas , Latin terribile convivium , German terrible festival ) should remind of the crime. As a further sign of repentance, his father intended him for the spiritual path. He came to study at the Sankt Emmeram monastery in Regensburg , where he also took his monastic vows. When Bishop Adalbert left Prague for the first time, Strachkvas was in his homeland, and Adalbert offered him the office of bishop . Strachkvas refused, referring to his vow. In addition, it was canonically impossible to fill the office again while a bishop was alive. Only after Adalbert had finally given up his diocese and went on a missionary trip, Strachkvas wanted to become bishop and was elected in 996. When he was consecrated in Mainz , however, he was " possessed by a demon " in front of the altar .

Canaparius and Bruno von Querfurt , the biographers of Adalbert , also report on a son of Boleslav I and a brother of Boleslav II who had become a monk . In 992 he had led a diplomatic mission to Rome that was supposed to move Adalbert to return to his diocese. Brun von Querfurt calls the monk and “ eloquent man” ( virum eloquentem ) Christian, he does not know the name Strachkvas.

“A monk named Christian” is the name of the author of one of the earliest legends about Saints Wenceslaus and Ludmilla, which he also dedicates to his nephew or relative ( nepos ) Adalbert.

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Christian's work Vita et passio sancti Wenceslai et sancte Ludmile ave eius , better known under the term Christian legend , was written in Prague, possibly in the Břevnov monastery . In addition to the life and death of Saints Ludmilla and Wenceslaus, the legend describes the beginnings of the Christianization of Moravia and Bohemia and the baptism of the first Christian Bohemian Duke Bořivoj I. The work has been the subject of disputes among well-known historians since the 18th century and was long considered a forgery. The authenticity of the Christian legend is now widely recognized. The writing in Latin is also considered to be the first chronicle of Bohemia.

Unanswered questions

The three traditions apparently do not know each other. The factual agreement (the monastic status, the relationship with the Přemyslids and the closeness to Bishop Adalbert) nevertheless led to the fact that Strachkvas / Christian is generally considered to be the same person in research. However, several details about his life are still in dispute.

The name Strachkvas is passed down only by Cosmas. It remains to be seen whether Boleslav's brother was actually called that and adopted the name Christian in the monastery, or whether it is just a “speaking name” that Cosmas “invented” for stylistic reasons.

The same goes for the life data. The birth in 929 or 935, which Cosmas claims, is not very credible and seems to fit all too well into the overall literary composition of the fratricide and the subsequent penance of Boleslav. According to the historian Dušan Třeštík , Christian, the son of the reigning duke, who was destined for a clerical career, was the best candidate for episcopal dignity. The fact that he took office neither in 976 when the Prague diocese was founded , nor in 988 when Adalbert first left Prague, could only be due to his youth. He was therefore most likely born after 960 as the youngest son of Bosleslav I. Also the date of death 996 is only an assumption. Even if there are no further reports about Strachkvas from later years, it is only certain that the episcopal ordination was not completed. The " obsession " could also indicate an epileptic attack, which although disqualified the candidate for the office of bishop, did not have to be fatal. As with most well-known people in Bohemian history of the 10th century, the year of birth and death of Christian are the result of research hypotheses and can in no way be considered certain.

The discussion about Christian's family ties takes up a lot of space. The fact that Christian describes his own father, the Přemyslid Boleslav I, as a fratricide in his work has long been one of the central arguments against the authenticity of the Christian legend. According to the sources, he is related to both the Přemyslids and (via Adalbert) with the Slavnikids , the two most powerful noble families of the time. The two sexes are said to have rivaled each other, and the Slavnikids were almost completely exterminated in 995. The relationship between the two families is no longer disputed today, also because of the reports of the Christian legend, but many detailed questions still remain open.

literature

• Dušan Třeštík : Přemyslovec Kristián. In: Archeologické rozhledy 51, 1999, pp. 602-613.