Dark: A Brief History

The post-Hungarian period - the decline or the flowering of society?

The Battle of White Mountain is a symbol of the ignominious defeat, which was followed by the violent recatholization, the consolidation of the Habsburgs' power in the Czech lands and the emigration of the elites. The historian Ivana Čornejová offers a concise, dense and readable overview of the most important things that happened between 1618 and 1743 (including the rampage of the Thirty Years' War) and asks whether this era was really just a time of social decline or whether it brought something positive to the Czech lands. After all, this is also a time of magnificent baroque culture and education, a time when the Czech lands were opening up to the world. The Jesuits not only spread education here, but their missions were often accompanied by fervent patriotism, as can be seen in the work of Bohuslav Balbín. The historian has created a clear and balanced view of this contradictory time.