Chronicles General

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Since ancient times, educated members of the court or clergy dedicated themselves to writing chronicles, i.e. literary works describing contemporary events, the lives of rulers, great battles, and sometimes everyday life..
These records were kept chronologically and, beyond the mere dates, they provide a rich source of period information. Chronicles are one of the best sources for studying and reconstructing the history of a country, notable figures, places, buildings, and general realities of the time.
There are different types of chronicles: world, national, episcopal, monastic, royal, dynastic, provincial (tracking genealogy), urban, biographical or autobiographical, travel journals and more.
Among the most significant Czech chronicles are those of Cosmas and Dalimil, the Canon of Vyšehrad, the writings of the Sasau Monk and the Zbraslav Chronicle. The chroniclers generally enjoyed the most favourable conditions – most lived at courts, had free access to older written records and court life, and ample time devoted solely to writing.
Although chronicles are the most valuable historic sources, it is important to consider their historical ideological subtext when reading and reconstructing them: for example, Cosmas wrote his chronicle with unabashed sympathy for the Přemyslid dynasty, while Dalimil showed great antipathy against the Germans. Both occasionally mixed facts with myths and legends (e.g. the beginning of Czech history with the building of the Tower of Babel).
Some of the books to be found in the game are a transliterations of chapters from Cosmas or Dalimil - e.g. the account of forefather Čech, the Maidens’ War and others.

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