The so-called “Prague Document” is not actually a document. It is a description of an alleged document supposedly issued in 1086 by Emperor Henry IV confirming the boundaries of the Bishopric of Prague. The confirmation, however, refers to the state of things as of the year 973. Whether such an original document existed and whether Henry IV “reconfirmed” it, we do not know. It is possible that Cosmas, a Czech patriot, made the story up. On the assumption that he did not, however, and that such a document actually did exist or that, at least, Cosmas’ Chronicle is correct in the general description of the boundaries of the Prague Bishopric, we have a situation whereby Cracow is part of the Prague Bishopric – at least as of 973. If this is true, it is also possible that Cracow was not conquered by Mieszko I or Boleslaw Chrobry until later (of course, it is also possible that the bishopric boundaries did not match the political boundaries). The document also lists various tribes (including Croats) that, allegedly, lived in the area of Bohemia and, apparently, southern Poland at the end of the 10th century.
In any event here it is. This version is from the Lisa Wolverton translation (pictures are from the Budišínský rukopis (Budisin/Bautzen manuscript) of the Cosmas Czech Chronicle, from the manuscriptorium). We have circled the actual “document” in red and the text of the same is also in red. The boundaries’ description of the bishopric of Prague are in bold red. We also include the Latin version of the description.
“With the august Emperor Henry III ordering it and carrying it out, a great synod was celebrated in the burg of Mainz. With four archbishops and twelve bishops (whose names we will tell later) in residence there, together with abbots of monasteries and the rest of the faithful, they confirmed in writing many decrees concerning the status of the holy church. At this assembly, with all the leading men of the empire – dukes, margraves, satraps, and bishops – agreeing and praising it, the caesar set Vratislav, duke of the Czechs, over both Bohemia and Poland. Placing the royal crown on his head with his own hand, Henry ordered the archbishop of Trier, named Egilbert, to anoint him king in his seat, the metropolis of Prague, and place the diadem on his head.
At this same council, Bishop Gebhard of Prague produced written documents of his ancient complaint concerning the aforesaid Moravian bishop, John. Although John had already departed this world that same year, taking care nevertheless for the future, the aforesaid Bishop Gebhard, acting through friends, beat on the emperor’s ear so that another bishop might not find himself in the same position. He unrolled before everyone the privilege from Bishop Adalbert, his predecessor, confirmed by both Pope Benedict and Emperor Otto I. Moved by the entreaties of Duke Vratislav, the brother of Bishop Gebhard, and on the advice of Archbishop Wezilo of Mainz and other good men, the emperor, who supported justice, added a new privilege of almost the same tenor as the old one. He confirmed it with his imperial sign, as will be shown in the following. We do not consider it superfluous if we insert the form of this privilege here in our work. It contained this text or something like it:
‘In the name of the holy and indivisible Trinity. Henry III [really IV], with divine mercy supporting him, august emperor of the Romans. We know it to befit the royal title and imperial dignity for us, helping to benefit of God’s churches everywhere, to ward off their damage and injury wherever necessary. Therefore, we wish it to be known to all those faithful to God and our realm, both resent and future, how our faithful Bishop Gebhard of Prague has often to his confreres and fellow bishops as well as the rest of our princes, and most recently to us complained that the bishopric of Prague, which was established from the beginning singular and whole throughout the duchy of Bohemia and Moravia, having been confirmed as such by both Pope Benedict and Emperor Otto I, was later with the consent of his predecessors and by the poet of tyranny alone divided and diminished by the enthronement of a new bishop within his boundaries. At Mainz, before legates of the apostolic see, and with us and many of the leading men of our realm present, he raised the same complaint. By Archbishops Wezilo of Mainz, Sigewin of Cologne, Egilbert of Trier, and Liemar of Bremen, Bishop Dietrich of Verdun, Conrad of Utrecht, Ulrich of Eichstatt, Otto of Regensburg, and with the assent of the laymen Duke Vratislav of the Czechs and his brother Conrad, Duke Frederick, Duke Lutold, Count Palatine Rapoto, and all those gathered there, it was judged that the original diocese within the full extent of its borders pertains to the see of Prague.
Its boundaries to the west are these: Tuhost, which extends to the middle of the River Chub, Sedlec and Lucane and Decane, Litomerice, and Lemuzi to the middle of the forest which delimits Bohemia. From there to the north, these are the boundaries: Psovane, Charvati and the other Charvati, Slezane, Trebovane, Bobrane, and Dedosane to the middle of the forest where the boundaries meet the Milcane. To the east, it has three rivers as boundaries: namely the Bug and the Styr with the burg of Cracow and the province whose name is Wag with all the regions pertaining to the aforesaid burg, i.e., Cracow. Expanded, it proceeds to the boundaries of the Hungarians, up to the mountains whose name is Tatra. Then, in that area that looks to the south, having added the region of Moravia up to the River Wag and to the middle of the forest whose name is More, that same diocese extends to the mountains of Bavaria is bounded.
(Termini autem eius occidentem versus hii sunt: Tugast, qui tendit ad medium fluminis Chub, Zelza, Zedlica, Liusena, Dasena, Liutomerici, Lemuzi vsque ad mediam sylvam, qua Bohemia limitatur. Deinde ad aquilonalem hii sunt termini: Psouane, Chrouati et altera Chrouati, Zlasane, Trebouane, Boborane, Dedosese usque ad mediam sylvam, qua Milcianorum occurrunt termini. Inde ad orientem hos fluvios habet terminos: Bug scilicet et Ztir cum Krakouia civitate, provinciaque, cui Wag nomen est, cum omnibus regionibus ad praedictam urbem pertinentibus, que Krakou est. Inde Ungarorum limitibus additis, usque ad montes, quibus nomen est Tritri, dilatata procedit. Deinde in ea parte, quae Meridiem respicit, addita regione Moravia usque ad fluvium, cui nomen est Wag, et ad mediam sylvam, cui nomen est Mudre, et eiusdem montis, eadem Parochia tendit qua Bavaria limitatur.)
And so, with us mediating and he common vote of the princes favoring it, it was ordered that Duke Vratislav of Bohemia and his brother, Conrad, should return to the aforesaid bishop of Prague, their brother, the diocese requested in its entirety and reendow it by judicial order. Accordingly, rationally persuaded by the request of the same bishop, we confirm for him and his successors the reintegration of the diocese of Prague by proclamation of our imperial authority and fix it inviolably, decreeing that no person of any condition and no society of men should later presume to alienate from the church of Prague any rights within the aforesaid boundaries. In order that the authority of this reintegration and confirmation remain firm and unchanged for all time, we ordered this charter drawn up and sealed with the impression of our seal, confirming it by our own hand, as it appears below. Given on 29 April 1086, in the eighth indiction, in the twenty-second year of Lord Hnery’s reign as king, and his third as emperor.‘
I saw the caesar write this sign himself with his own hands on the privilege of the Prague episcopate.
Likewise in the same year, with Emperor Henry mandating it and Archbishop Wezilo of Mainz intervening through the papal legates who were present at the same council, Lord Pope Clement corroborated by his privilege the bishopric of Prague with the aforesaid boundaries. (Bishop Gebhard was also urgently asking and suggesting it htroygh his chaplain named Albinus, whom he had sent with the papal legates from Mainz to Rome on this same matter.)In the same yea, on 9 June, Duke Otto of Moravia, the brother of Duke Vratislav of Bohemia, died.
Meanwhile, Archbishop Egilbert of Trier, obeying the emperor’s orders, came to the metropolis of Prague on 15 June. Among the holy solemnities of the Mass, he anointed Vratislav, dressed in royal bands, as king and placed a diadem on both his head and that of his wife Svatava, wrapped in a royal robe – with the clergy and all the satraps crying out three times: ‘Life, health, and victory to Vratislav, Czech king as well as Polish king, great and peaceable, crowned by God. On the third day after this, enriched with an immense weight of gold and silver and endowed with other gifts and presents (in accordance with royal grandeur), the archbishop went home happy and with great honor.”
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