Methodius, date back to the ninth century, when the Czechs and Moravians accepted Christianity.
The Chronicles of Kristian telling of the martyrdom of Saint Ludmila and Václav belong to the tenth century, the historical writings of Kosmas, dean of the Prague chapter (1045–1125) following soon after as did also “The Chronicles of Dalimil.”
The authenticity of the beautiful poems composing the famous Kralodvorský Rukopis (Queen’s Court Manuscript) has been questioned by the Czechs themselves and cannot, therefore, be included in a list on which no doubts can be cast.
The oldest authentic single piece of literature is the stately church song “Hospodine Pomiluj ny” (Lord, Have Mercy) belonging to the eleventh century. Some years later came the epic “Alexandrine” telling of the Macedonian hero and a whole series of the legends of the saints. Magister Záviš, composed many liturgies as well as worldly poems. He was later in life a professor in the University of Prague which was established in 1348, being the first institution of higher education in Central Europe, antedating the first German university by half a century. The Czech language for the purposes of literature developed several centuries in advance of German which did not become a fixed literary language until the sixteenth century when Luther completed his translation of the Bible.
Smil Flaška, a nephew of Archbishop Arnošt of Pardubice, composed in 1394–5 poetry both didactic
