Charles particularly encouraged the study of history, not only by the patronage which he granted to historians. Of the historians of the time Beneš of Weitmil, of whom I have already spoken, was most in touch with the king, but we find that he afforded his protection also to many of the writers known as the continuators of Cosmas. Thus we are told that Charles in 1333 visited, on his return from Italy, abbot Peter of Zittau, perhaps the best of the continuators of Cosmas; and that Francis of Prague, a younger contemporary of Peter, endeavoured to ingratiate himself with the king by dedicating to him a new version of his chronicle. Charles, very much to his credit, declined these overtures, for Francis had in his chronicle written very severely of John the father of King Charles. The financial difficulties of King John had induced him to levy large contributions from the churches and monasteries of Bohemia. Such high-handed proceedings were naturally distasteful to a dignitary of the Church such as was Francis.
Other historians with whom Charles was in communication were Neplach, abbot of Opatovic, who accompanied the sovereign on some of his travels, and Přibik of Radenin, commonly known as Pulkava. The last-named deserves a short mention. His personality was long in dispute, and it was even suggested that the chronicle that goes by his name was written by King Charles, and that Pulkava merely translated it into Bohemian from the original Latin.
The careful researches of Palacký, and more recently of Dr. Tomek, have proved that the writer of the chronicle was Přibik Pulkava, originally a layman and rector of the collegiate school of St. Giles at Prague,
