Irish Franciscans in Prague 1629-1786

Parez Jan, Kucharova Hedvika

Not for sale in the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic!

At the end of the sixteenth century, Queen Elizabeth I forced the Irish Franciscans into exile. Of the four continental provinces to which the Irish Franciscans fled, the Prague Franciscan College of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary was the largest in its time. This monograph documents this intense point of contact between two small European lands, Ireland and Bohemia. The Irish exiles changed the course of Bohemian history in significant ways, both positive – the Irish students and teachers of medicine who contributed to Bohemia's culture and sciences – and negative – the Irish officers who participated in the murder of Albrecht of Valdstejn and their successors who served in the Imperial forces.

Dealing with a hitherto largely neglected theme, Parez and Kucharova attempt to place the Franciscan College within Bohemian history and to document the activities of its members. This wealth of historical material from the Czech archives, presented in English for the first time, will be of great aid for international researchers, particularly those interested in Bohemia or the Irish diaspora.

About the Author

Jan Parez is a curator of the manuscript collection of the Strahov Library at the Royal Canonry of Premonstratensians, Prague. He specializes in diplomatics, monasteriology, genealogy, and the intellectual history of the sixteenth century.

Hedvika Kucharova is a librarian in the Strahov Library at the Royal Canonry of Premonstratensians, Prague. She concentrates on history of religious orders in Early Modern History and Premonstratensians.

Reviews

"An important contribution to a fuller understanding of the Irish Franciscans during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Prague has been the major piece that has been missing" – Joseph McMahon, Franciscan Friary, Dublin

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