IMAGE AND INTERPRETATION OF SVATOPLUK IN THE EYES OF SLOVAK HISTORIANS OVER THE LAST HUNDRED YEARS AND ONE SHORT REMARK AT THE END

• Authors: Homza Martin
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

This brief overview clearly shows that the image and position of Svatopluk in Slovak historiography is not at all ordinary or one-dimensional. Therefore, there is no point in trying to simplify and reduce it to the mere “ľudácky” or “nationalistic” concept from WWII Slovakia, or to one equestrian statue at Bratislava castle. This article aims to outline the rather obvious direct proportion between the national-emancipatory and state ambitions of Slovaks and the number of historical re-examinations and updates of Svatopluk’s interpretation. But more than that, it aims to highlight the universalistic character of Svatopluk. It definitely does not intend to question the internal coherence of the tradition of Slovaks as “the people of Svatopluk” Cosma of Prague writes metaphorically about in the first part of The Nitra Legend of Svatopluk known as Sicut vulgo dicitur, i.e. “As it is commonly said” at the beginning of the 12th century. After all, this legend clearly has Svatopluk not dying, but “disappearing amid his [Nitrian] folk.”

Keywords

EN

SVATOPLUK; SLOVAK TRADITION; SLOVAK HISTORY

• Publisher: Univerzita Konštantína Filozofa v Nitre
• Journal: Konštantínove listy
• Year: 2022
• Volume: 15
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 16 - 34

Contributors

author

Homza Martin

• Comenius University Bratislava, Faculty of Arts, Gondova 2, 811 02 Bratislava, Slovak Republic

• https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9557-0908

Identifiers

DOI

10.17846/CL.2022.15.2.16-34