Dalimil Chronicle

The oldest preserved Czech chronicle in verse and prose translation

Dalimil' s Chronicle from the early 14th century responds to a period of turbulent political changes in the Kingdom of Bohemia, when the Přemyslid dynasty was replaced on the throne by the Luxembourg dynasty. It follows the program of the Chronicle of Cosmas, because like it, it begins with the flood and the Babylonian confusion of languages, explains the origin of our nation, and progresses chronologically from myths and legends through the Christianization of Bohemia to historically documented monarchs and up to the chronicler' s present day. From the surviving versions of this oldest Czech rhymed chronicle, the so-called The Vienna manuscript, the wording probably closest to the author' s original intention — to tell a story. The Old Czech text is also supplemented by a new prose translation by Eva Pasáčková and Martina Spéváčková, so the reader can choose whether to read the chronicle in Old or Modern Czech, or switch between the two forms on the open double-page spread of the book. A deeper understanding of the work will also be aided by historical commentaries and literary analysis by medievalists Martin Nodl and Matouš Jaluška, as well as the attached differential glossary and detailed explanations of historical realities and textual sources.