Historica Olomucensia

Written in the middle of the twelfth century, the Annals of Hradisko and Opatovice show an extensive use of Bohemian and Moravian sources, but also of foreign works. The main foreign source which the annalist had at disposal was a 'universal chronicle' which he used to relate information concerning general history until the end of the tenth century, but two entries of the Annals of Hradisko and Opatovice also show influence of Regino of Prüm's Chronicle and its continuation. The analysis of the use of the Chronicon Universale as well as of Regino of Prüm's Chronicle and its continuation in the Annals of Hradisko and Opatovice shows that these sources have a different function. The extensive use of the Chronicon Universale in the first part of the annals aims indeed to put the events concerning Bohemia and Moravia in a broader perspective whereas the entries of Regino of Prüm's Chronicle and its continuation, which the author borrowed from a Bohemian annalistic work, owe their integration to the national historiography to their contribution to the narrative of Bohemia's past. The coexistence of those two uses, which can be respectively described as "metanational/universal" and "national" is however not specific to these annals, since it can also be spotted in other twelfth century Bohe­mian historiographical writings.

Keywords: Middle Ages; Bohemian lands; Historiography; Annals; Chronicles