Deaths and Funerals of the Famous

Many contemporary biographies of historical figures, penned by otherwise excellent historians, seem to lack a proper conclusion – their deaths or funerals are dealt with only very briefly, almost superficially, as if they were not part of the person's life (or life in general). Indeed, the separation of death from (daily) life is typical of our time – but unique in the context of human history. As recently as the nineteenth century, every conscientious biographer would describe their protagonist's death and funeral in detail, not least to evaluate whether they had a peaceful or dramatic end and whether society paid them sufficient tribute.

We believe that the current lack of interest in these topics is leading to the graves of remarkable figures being forgotten; historic tombstones are unmaintained, cemetery administrations lack the funds or the will to preserve the memory of the deceased, important tombs are collapsing, and remains are handled without piety. It is as if those who did not achieve widespread fame and glory, yet helped build our state and loved our nation, have vanished from the face of the earth in the public consciousness…

The author has therefore set out to compensate for this deficit, at least in part, by reminding us how the lives of forty significant figures throughout Czech history ended and what dramatic fates awaited their remains. The individuals are arranged chronologically by date of death, and the criterion was that they are buried on our territory. Remarkable stories from the 'afterlife' of saints, monarchs, nobles, artists, scientists and politicians thus unfold before us. In some cases, it feels as though we can still look death in the face today (as with Franz, Baron von der Trenck), while in others, we figuratively stand over the severely damaged remains of the 'Iron and Golden King' Přemysl Otakar II, which the far-sighted Wenceslaus II himself may have had marked. Then again, we can lament the ingratitude of the Jesuits, who wanted to deprive us of the tombstone of Vilém of Rožmberk, or learn about the stir caused in Bohemia by the unusual funeral of Vojta Náprstek…

The tombstones and monuments of those who made their mark on Czech history should be a frequent destination for history enthusiasts and researchers alike, especially today. May this book be an inspiration and a lesson to them.