Zbraslav Chronicle

He witnessed many of the events he later described, such as the crowning of young Wenceslaus II in 1297, his burial in 1305, and perhaps most importantly the negotiations between the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VII and the current abbot of Zbraslav monastery Conrad, which resulted in the replacement of King Henry of Bohemia with young John from the House of Luxembourg, which ruled the kingdom for the century to come.

He frequently aided the future queen of Přemyslid blood, Elizabeth, and he was involved in the negotiating of her betrothal to John of Bohemia Later, he was present at their wedding in Speyer, which is colourfully depicted in the chronicle itself.

Many chapters reflect his personal and often emotional involvement in the described matter (be it the glorification of Queen Elizabeth, despite her lackluster claim to the Bohemian throne, or demonification of King Henry of Bohemia, whose rule was disadvantageous to the clergy),[3] and events he likely deemed important are accompanied by moralising or emotionally touching poetry from Peters own pen.

[4] Therefore, it lacks the annalic character of the second and third books,[2] and focuses mainly on the creation of a legend, surrounding the founder of the monastery, Wenceslaus II.

Following the murder of Wenceslaus III in 1306, we are acquainted with the turbulent era of dynastic interregnum, when the kingdom is ruled by Wenceslaus's appointed steward, now ruling king, Henry of Bohemia, and his wife, Anne, elder daughter of King Wenceslas II.

While the second book appears less structured (adhering to the chronological flow of events rather than presenting thematically aligned chapters) it adopts a broader, more worldly perspective.

This shift is evident as we follow the escapades of King John, predominantly outside Bohemia, and gain insight into the ongoing struggle for the imperial throne between Frederick the Fair of Austria and Louis of Bavaria, of papal intervention in the clash, of the papal schism and of the foreign policy of King John.

The book ends with a final expression of dissatisfaction of Peter Zittauer with the high taxes King John imposed upon the clergy and cities.

[2] Since then, Zbraslav Chronicle has been translated and published several times, mostly in the Czech language, as in 1902 by J. V. Novák or in 1952 by Zdeněk Fiala.