What's in a Prague street name

Originally published on X on 1 February 2023.

Svatoplukova was built in 1892.

From 1940 to 1945, this was Gebhardova, after Gebhart (also known as Jaromír), who was the fourth son of Břetislav I and Jitka, and was Bishop of Prague from 1067 until his death in 1090.

Svatopluk, meanwhile, was born around 840, and was reportedly the nephew of Rastislav (below), the second known leader of the Great Moravian Empire.

It was Rastislav who got Byzantine Emperor Michael III to send Cyril and Methodius over in order to educate local Moravians as priests.

Around 860, Svatopluk gained political power in the Principality of Nitra (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2023/12/23/prague-3-day-185-nitranska/).

In 870, Svatopluk decided that standing by your uncle is overrated, and announced he would obey Carloman of Bavaria in future (below, looking like an annoyed Simpson), not Rastislav.

Rastislav tried to get Svatopluk killed.

Svatopluk captured Rastislav and handed him over to Carloman.

Carloman sentenced Rastislav to death, but later decided to merely imprison him for life.

And blind him.

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Svatopluk hoped to rule the rest of Great Moravia, but Carloman was having none of it, and two Frankish lords (and brothers), Wilhelm and Engelschalk, got it instead.

Svatopluk, meanwhile, was put in prison for being ‘disloyal’.

Believing Svatopluk was dead, the Moravians elected a new leader, Slavomír.

Is this what whoever put that death hoax out last week was trying to achieve in the Czech presidentials? It was probably easier in the 870s.

Carloman then decided to release Svatopluk from prison, as long he promised to fight on his side against Slavomír.

Svatopluk then defected and launched a huge attack on the Bavarian forces, who left, leaving Svatopluk as leader of Great Moravia.

After Svatopluk repealed further Frankish attacks in 871 and 872, the conflict was ended by the Peace of Forchheim in 874.

Svatopluk was now free to expand his territory – adding, for example, Silesia (in 880) and Bohemia (in 890, after the death of Bořivoj).

During Svatopluk’s reign, the Frankish and Byzantine Christian missions in Moravia got into some pretty big arguments. I

n 880, Pope John VIII ruled in favour of the Byzantines, naming Methodius archbishop (Cyril had died in 869), and recognising the Old Slavonic liturgy.

(Painting is ‘The Introduction of the Slavonic Liturgy’ by Alfons Mucha, 1912)

Svatopluk died in 894; Great Moravia would fall apart twelve years later, after wars with Hungary and Bohemia’s decision to secede (895).

Meanwhile, soon after Svatopluk’s death, the Latin liturgy took hold, and Cyril and Methodius’ pupils were banished.