The Praise of Josephinism in the Czech-Language Work of Ladislaus Bartholomaeides
| Stránky | 85–93 |
|---|---|
| DOI | 10.37520/amnpsc.2026.005 |
| Klíčová slova | Ladislaus Bartholomaeides — eighteenth century — Josephinism — Czech and Slovak languages — Habsburg monarchy — intellectual loyalty |
| Typ článku | Recenzovaný článek |
| Citace | PAPP, Ingrid. The Praise of Josephinism in the Czech-Language Work of Ladislaus Bartholomaeides. Acta Musei Nationalis Pragae – Historia litterarum. Prague: National Museum, 2026, 71(1-2), 85–93. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37520/amnpsc.2026.005. ISSN 2570-6861 (Print), 2570-687X (Online). Also available from: https://publikace.nm.cz/periodicals/acta-musei-nationalis-pragae-historia-litterarum/71-1-2/the-praise-of-josephinism-in-the-czech-language-work-of-ladislaus-bartholomaeides |
Ladislaus Bartholomaeides published his Rozmlauwánj Jozefa Druhého s Matěgem Prwnjm Korwýnus řečeným [A Dialogue between Joseph II and Matthias I, Called Corvinus] in Prague in 1790, the year of the death of Emperor Joseph II. Employing the popular genre of posthumous dialogues, he drew parallels between the reigns of King Matthias I (Hunyadi) and Joseph II in Hungary, casting the latter’s controversial decrees in a more favourable light. In his work, Bartholomaeides foregrounds a sequence of rulers — Saint Stephen, Louis the Great of Anjou, Matthias, Vladislaus II and Joseph II — who, in his view, shaped intellectual discourse in both Hungary and Bohemia. According to Bartholomaeides, all of these monarchs spoke either Czech or Slovak, with the latter serving as the language of their imagined conversation. This linguistic emphasis functions as a commentary on the eighteenth-century context and the complex ethnic relations between the Kingdoms of Hungary and Bohemia, which were linked by a personal union. As a Slovak intellectual, Bartholomaeides adopted Czech as the medium through which to advocate for the domestic policies and reformist agenda of the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II, King of Hungary and Bohemia. His unwavering support for the emperor and his effort to equate Joseph’s reign with that of Matthias — one of the greatest kings of the Hungarians — reflect a broader pattern of loyalty among Slovak intellectuals to Joseph II.