The article aims to shed light – through an analysis of the travel diary of Count Franz Joseph of Zierotin to Frankfurt am Main in 1790, whose main purpose was to participate in the coronation of Leopold II as Holy Roman Emperor – on the issue of travel by the nobility during this period and the impact of this mobility on their lives. After a brief outline of this nobleman’s profile and a characterization of his travel diary in terms of its cognitive value, the main focus is placed on educational strategies and ways of gaining life experience by young members of the nobility through traveling. As the research conducted demonstrates, the journey undertaken by Franz Joseph of Zierotin in 1790 was an important element of his educational process. It not only enabled him to acquire new knowledge and practical life experience but also served to develop his aesthetic and social sensitivity and build a network of social contacts. Addressing this topic thus allows, on the one hand, a reconstruction of this nobleman’s interests and way of perceiving reality, serving as a micro-probe into the mentality of people of that time, and, on the other hand, to show the impact of traveling on his education and life experience.

The first part of the discussion focuses on the emergence and development of press legislation in the Habsburg Monarchy from 1862 – when, with the beginning of the constitutional era and the adoption of the Press Act, the principle of press freedom within the limits of the law was proclaimed – until 1914, when censorship was reintroduced with the outbreak of the First World War. It reveals that ‘objective trial’ replaced censorship as a tool with which it was possible to suppress critical journals. The ‘objective trial’ was aimed against the text of the article and not against a person, so there no way to defend oneself, since there was no defendant. The second part presents how the authorities weaponised press legislation, together with the Penal Code, as a means of suppressing press freedom in the Land of Carniola. It shows that the liberal era (1867–1879) was actually very repressive against Slovene journals, whereas liberal German-language newspapers in Austria were not disturbed. In the conservative era of Taafee’s government (1879–1893) Slovenes were hoping to reap some benefits from their support for the government, but the oppression of media continued. However, Slovene journalists found means to smuggle their newspapers to the public, even if they were confiscated within the frameworks of the ‘objective trials’. In the last years before World War One, the nationalistic tensions triggered increase in trials that were based on sections prohibiting incitement of nationalist hate. The idea of ‘Yugoslavism’ was quite popular among Slovene journalists of the time. The tension reached its peak during anti-German protests in 1908 and during the conflict over the ‘national stamp’ memorizing this event. So the observation made by the British authors of the 1898 survey of international press legislation was quite correct: “The press in Austria is completely at the mercy of the government of the day.” The article sheds light on the broader relationship between the judiciary and the political establishment, revealing how legal repression was strategically employed to limit press autonomy and curb Slovene national aspirations.

This paper analyses the construction of a European image of the Japanese during the second half of the sixteenth century, examining accounts by the Jesuits Francis Xavier, Lus Fris, and Alessandro Valignano as well as their contemporary reception. The missionaries produced their ethnographic knowledge in Japan against the backdrop of Jesuit Catholic convictions, order-specific ambitions, and mission-political strategies. Through repeated confirmation and gradual development, the missionaries conceptualised an image of the Japanese to whom pagan, heretical, and post-Tridentine Jesuit characteristics were simultaneously attributed, ultimately resulting in the Japanese being stereotyped as ‘civilised’ constitutive Others. This stereotypical image of the Japanese was subsequently disseminated within the European Republic of Letters via the order’s extensive and efficient information network. It was precisely the stereotypicality of this Jesuit image of the Japanese that enabled a non-denominational reception as well as a canonisation which would endure for over a hundred years.

One of the most significant political and social occasions in Baroque Moravia was the ceremonial installation of the newly-appointed Moravian provincial governor. In 1719 Franz Josef von Wallenstein, who otherwise resided mainly in Bohemia and who was connected to the Moravian milieu thanks to his possession of the Třebíč estate, became the new provincial governor for a short time. In view of the fact that Charles VI had chosen him as his representative in Moravia, he enjoyed extraordinary influence and position in the provincial community thanks to his function as governor. For this reason, the royal capital Brno – the seat of the tribunal – was also preparing to celebrate him as a distinguished personage, as was the tradition, by organising a festive fireworks display. However, in the end this was not realised, as Franz Josef von Wallenstein resigned from his position that same year. On the occasion of the celebrations for the new governor, a play, at least, was performed by students from the Brno Jesuit grammar school, entitled Moraviae Aquila. This production, employing numerous heraldic references and allusions to the merits of the Wallenstein family, was subsequently published in the form of a theatrical synopsis. It also included a list of the student actors, among whom we can find famous noble names, as well as descendants of tribunal officials and the city patriciate in general. The aforementioned nobles appeared in the production in appropriate roles corresponding to their class origins, in order to demonstrate the position of their own families and at the same time address the new Moravian provincial governor who was present in person, and who could subsequently become an important advocate or arbiter in the career of a certain nobleman or citizen with heraldic rights.

The breeding of bees in cavities in trees, (known as brt), has been accurately documented in the Central European area since the 10th century by the finding of brt in Poland. Mentions of brtnictvĂ­, i.e. the keeping of bees in the hollow trunks of trees, mostly hollowed out by human agency, are scattered throughout a number of specialist titles dedicated to medieval and early modern agriculture, or directly to beekeeping. These authors’ works are largely based on surviving laws relating to beekeeping /brtnictvĂ­ from Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic, but in these cases they represent legal sources rather than zootechnical ones. For this reason, Wald Bienenzucht (1774) by Adam Gottlob Schirach (1724-1773) occupies an exceptional position. The Lusatian-Sorbian pastor, writer and beekeeper described it on the basis of field surveys and study of the literature of this period in its final phase. The present study analyses the book Wald Bienenzucht. It is also devoted to the use of Schirach’s information in the encyclopedia known in short as Johann Georg KrĂźnitz Ökonomisch-Technologischen Encyclopädie, which since the end of the 18th century had become, thanks (among other things) to its documentation with copperplates, a frequently cited source of knowledge about brtnictvĂ­ on a global scale. The study draws attention to the pitfalls associated with the mechanical adoption of specifically these copper engravings with motifs from brtnictvĂ­ and bee pests into the literature on the development of beekeeping in Central Europe.

The aim of these considerations is to compare the Zebrzydowski Rokosz and the Confederatio Bohemica. The comparative method used was to show the essence of these institutions more fully by demonstrating their differences and similarities, and also to show the specific quality of the struggle of estates against rulers in this part of Europe. This consisted in the fact that both in the Czech Lands and in the Commonwealth the estates held a relatively high position, based on rights and freedoms (including religious freedoms), in the system of power. Being convinced that the rulers wanted to deprive the estates of their political significance and introduce an absolutist system, they decided to defend themselves, even by taking up arms. The tactics of the nobility in both countries were basically similar and consisted of convincing the rest of society, as well as their neighbours (in the case of the Czech Lands), that their actions were not directed against the rulers but served to defend rights and freedoms. In total, the Czechs managed to consolidate the estates around themselves in the lands of the entire Czech Crown, as was also the case in Austria and Hungary. In Poland, the rebels failed to convince the majority of the nobility, who remained loyal to Sigismund III or remained neutral in the conflict, to join their actions. In Bohemia, the Confederatio Bohemica became, on the one hand, a tool for the consolidation of the estates, and on the other hand, an interesting constitutional proposal. In Poland, on the other hand, the rebels intended the Rokosz to be an extraordinary constitutional institution enabling actions against the king. However, the constitutional proposals of the Rokosz were of a more cosmetic nature. Both of the estates’ undertakings ended in military defeat in armed confrontation with the rulers (the White Mountain and GuzĂłw).

This paper presents issues concerning the illness and death of King Stephen BĂĄthory. The monarch’s demise caused a sharp dispute among the royal physicians and became the subject of many comments and hypotheses posited over the centuries by historians and medical practitioners. On the basis of available written sources we know that BĂĄthory’s life was one of a very physically active man.Deterioration of his general state, failure of several systems, must have then appeared later in his life. This correlates with the possible gradual loss of renal functions (in general) in the course of PKD. First, there was initially asymptomatic hypertension, leading to progressive circulatory failure (cardiac and possible atherosclerosis of the arteries), then renal and cardiopulmonary failure, complicated by infection within already weakened man. It all could have led to fatal multi-organ failure. Due to the lack of proper post-mortem examination of the head, the occurrence of an episode of intracranial bleeding can be neither confirmed nor excluded; statistics and neurological symptoms compell us to rule out that option with certainty. In addition, the mere fact of suffering a fall at night on December 7 could additionally contribute to raised intracranial pressure syndrome resulting from the formation of a cerebral hematoma. The lucid interval (immediate loss of consciousness, regaining it, and then losing it again) would suggest a subdural rather than epidural haematoma. Problems with walking, seizures, and impaired speech and/or consciousness may suggest a general problem, though previously noted neurological problems may indicate much longer history of pathology within CNS (central nervous system). Taking all the data into account, ADPKD as the primary disease would fully explain the subsequent stages, i.e. progressive renal failure, nephrogenic hypertension, increased risk of atherosclerosis (caused by hypertension) leading to coronary artery disease, cerebral atherosclerosis and transient ischemic attacks (TIA) (the symptoms reported include transient episodes of expressive aphasia, as the king understood what was said to him, but he could not answer coherently, of which he was fully aware). PKD is also associated with an increased risk of cerebral aneurysms and more frequent urinary tract infections. Such an infection, combined with the general deterioration of the king’s condition, could have easily turned into sepsis, perhaps the second independent cause of death (concurentio causae mortis). In conclusion ADPKD may be the explanation of the fatal course of King’s disease, and even if one could exclude one of the elements, it still remains the most plausible cause subsequent issues.

In the everyday life of an early modern nobleman, contacts were a defining factor in his social status. Relationship networks were primarily formed through informal communication, during which various interest groups emerged, connected by certain common features. After the defeat of the Bohemian Revolt, many foreign military officers moved into the territory of Bohemia, seeing the defeated land as a suitable opportunity for their social advancement. This contribution focuses on reconstructing the relationship network of one such officer, namely the Spanish colonel Guillermo Verdugo, and attempts to provide an overview of his most important contacts during his process of settling in the Kingdom of Bohemia. Verdugo’s initial position required the establishment of functional social ties and contacts. Using Wolfgang Reinhard’s model, individual relationships can be categorized to better understand the motivations for their formation and functioning. Did Verdugo manage to gain useful contacts in Bohemia and integrate himself into the local nobility, or did he mainly rely on his companions from the imperial army? What was the functionality of these ties, and how could the connections between nobles in the new land be mutually beneficial? The analysis of the relationship network reveals which nobles he actively collaborated with, provides insights into their thinking, and demonstrates how crucial proper contacts were for the future of nobles in the post-White Mountain period.

The second marriage of Eva ZrinskĂĄ of RoĹžmberk to Paolo Ippoliti di Gazoldo was the result of political communications operating on the axis between Innsbruck, Florence, Mantua, Sprinzenstein and ČeskĂ˝ Krumlov. Although the primary initiatives to conclude this transnational marriage alliance may have come from Ferdinand of Tyrol, his younger sister Archduchess Eleonora, who was married to the Duke of Mantua, Guglielmo Gonzaga, played a decisive part in brokering the match. At her court Paolo Ippoliti di Gazoldo held the position of Oberhofmeister. On the one hand he was notable for his Catholic piety, which he displayed outwardly through his interest in relics, and on the other for his fondness for contemporary fashion, accessories and Renaissance luxury. The Upper Austrian nobleman Johann Albrecht von Sprinzenstein established personal contacts with the Duchess of Mantua through Ferdinand of Tyrol, whose estates of Sprinzenstein and Neuhaus an der Donau in the MĂźhlviertel were adjacent to villages belonging to Haslach which were owned by Eva’s older brother VilĂŠm of RoĹžmberk. Lukretia, the sister of the Freiherr von Sprinzenstein, was lady-in-waiting to Eleonora, Duchess of Mantua, and the first wife of Paolo Ippoliti di Gazoldo. He, as one of six brothers together with other close relatives, administered the county of Gazoldo, which was an imperial fief. The first marriage of Paolo Ippoliti di Gazoldo to Lukretia von Sprinzenstein was mediated by Eleonora, Duchess of Mantua, who was also involved in the preparations for his second marriage to Eva ZrinskĂĄ of RoĹžmberk, the widow of MikulĂĄĹĄ ZrinskĂ˝ of Seryn who had fallen at the siege of SzigetvĂĄr in 1566. Although she wrote letters of intercession to her brothers in which she extolled the origin, social status and wealth of the widowed Italian count, Johann Albrecht von Sprinzenstein headed the actual marriage negotiations. Extensive diplomatic preparations culminated in mid-September 1578 in the conclusion of the transnational marriage alliance between the widowed Bohemian noblewoman and the widowed Italian count at the ČeskĂ˝ Krumlov residence of VilĂŠm of RoĹžmberk. Its creation constituted a deliberate introduction of the son and daughter of Ferdinand I into the matrimonial equilibrium of the Central European nobility, which pursued at least two of the Habsburgs’ long-standing goals. After the conclusion of the negotiations of the Council of Trent, representatives of the Habsburg dynasty strove to strengthen the Roman Catholic Church’s power significantly in the lands under their rule. Although the youngest sister of the last lords of RoĹžmberk was brought up in a Catholic environment, after her first marriage to MikulĂĄĹĄ ZrinskĂ˝ of Seryn she converted to Protestantism. From her marriage to the Catholic-minded Paolo Ippoliti di Gazoldo, it was possible to expect her return to the Roman faith. At the same time, behind the efforts of Duchess Eleonora of Mantua to conclude the marriage of Eva ZrinskĂĄ of RoĹžmberk and Paolo Ippoliti di Gazoldo, her efforts to build her own circle of German-speaking nobles from the lands of Bohemia and Austria at the Mantuan court were evident, helping her to overcome her homesickness and language difficulties.

The history of dying, death and subsequent burial rites has been an integral part of historical research since the 19 th century� This statement also applies to members of the Austrian branch of the Habsburgs at the beginning of the modern era� It is no coincidence that since the 1970s there have been synthesising works attempting to describe the mourning rituals at the Viennese court in the Baroque period, and art-historical texts have been written on the symbolic significance of the ephemeral architecture associated with mourning ceremonies� 1 The beginning of the third millennium also saw several methodologically innovative contributions inspired by approaches from historical anthropology and concepts of symbolic communi-cation� These analysed the health, dying, death and funerals of Habsburg emperors in the 16 th to 18 th centuries in terms of their representation and dynastic memory� 2 1