Majestát z roku 1609 jako téma novodobé české historiografie

The Letter of Majesty on religious freedom from 9 July 1609 became the topic of modern historiographic research soon after 1850 as part of the concept of Czech early modern history. Three fundamental streams of interpretation emerged - the conservatively critical, the national-legitimistic and the liberally balanced concept. Each of these has re-appeared now and again, in variants of diverse strength and intensity until the present time. Whereas the interpretation of the Letter of Majesty in the inter-war period reflected democratic and anti-Hapsburg interpretation of Czech history, post-WW2 Marxist historiography overlooked the religious dimension of the Letter of Majesty and merely emphasized its social aspects. At the turn of the 20th century, the issue of the Letter of Majesty appeared in a new thematic context and became a focus for international research, which has led to a more complex view of this issue, thus preventing its over-politicization.