Černí baroni[1] (Black barons) is a satirical novel written by Miloslav Švandrlík[2] during the period of the Prague Spring and published in 1969.

The first part of the book was published in 1969 by Vysočina (Havlíčkův Brod) and consists of seventeen chapters, ending with one of the main characters, Kefalín, desperate to extend his service for another year, getting drunk on cider.

The novel presents a satirical depiction of the Czechoslovak People's Army not long after the end of World War II.

The author focuses on the day-to-day joys and sorrows of soldiers in a technical auxiliary battalion, a forced labour military camp for the internment and re-education of persons considered disloyal to the Communist regime.

[7] After the Velvet Revolution of 1989, Švandrlík wrote a number of sequels and spin-off novels to Černí baroni: