Bohemia
2 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Bohemia. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a former Kingdom of Europe, and, until 1918 a crownland and titular kingdom of Austria; now a part of the republic of Czecho-Slovakia. It is bounded by Bavaria, Saxony, the Prussian province of Silesia, Moravia, and the Archduchy of Austria; area 20,223 square miles; pop. about 7,000,000. The prevailing religion is the Roman Catholic, ic, the country being an archbishopric with three bishoprics. The language of the country is the Czech dialect of the Slavonic in some districts, and in most of the cities German is spoken. Bohemia is surrounded on all sides by mountains, and has many large forests. Its plains are remarkably fertile. The chief rivers are the Elbe and its tributary the Moldau, which is even larger. Productions. All sorts of grain are produced in abundance, as also large quantities of potatoes, pulse, sugar beet, flax, hops (the best in Europe), and fruits. Wine is not abundant. The raising of sheep, horses, swine and poultry is carried on to a considerable extent. The mines yield silver, copper, lead, tin, zinc, iron, cobalt, arsenic, uranium, antimony, alum, sulphur, plumbago and coal. There are numerous mineral springs, but little salt. Spinning and weaving of linen, cotton and woolen goods are extensively carried on; manufactures of lace, metal and wood work, machinery, chemical products, beet root sugar, potdeveloped. Large quantities of beer (Pilsener) are exported. Prior to the World War the glassware of Bohemia, which is known all over Europe, employed over 50,000 workers. The trade, partly transit, was extensive, Prague, the capital, being the center of it. The largest towns are Prague, Pilsen, Reichenberg, Budweis, Teplitz, Aussig and Eger. The educational establishments include the Prague University and upward of 5,000 ordinary schools. Literature. Bohemia possesses a literature of considerable bulk, including in it also works written in Czech by Moravian and Hungarian writers. The earliest fragment is doubtfully referred to the 10th century, and it was not till after the 13th century that it attained to any development. The most flourishing period of the older literature falls within 1409-1620, John Huss (1369-1415) having initiated a new era, which, however, is more fertile in prose works than' in poetry. The following period, up to the beginning of the 19th century, was one of decline, but in recent times there has been a great revival, and in almost all departments Bohemian writers have produced works of merit. History. Bohemia was named after a tribe of Gallic origin, the Boii, who were expelled from this region by the Marcomans at the commencement of the Christian era. The latter were in turn obliged to give place to the Germans, and these to the Czechs, a Slavic race, who had established themselves in Bohemia by the middle of the 5th century, and still form the bulk of the population. The country was at first divided into numerous principalities. Christianity was introduced about 900. In 1092 Bohemia was finally recognized as a kingdom under Wratislas II. In 1230 the monarchy, The monarchs received investiture from the German Emperor, held one of the great offices in the imperial court, and were recognized as among the seven Electors of the Empire. Frequently at strife with its neighbors, Bohemia successively united and disunited with Hungary, Silesia, Moravia, etc., according to the course of wars and alliances. Ottokar II. (1253-1278) had extended his conquests almost from the Adriatic to the Baltic, when he lost them and his life in contest with Rudolph, the founder of the house of Hapsburg. After the close of the Przemysl dynasty (which had held sway for about six centuries) by the assassination of Ottokar's grandson, Wenceslas III., the house of Luxemburg tery, porcelain, etc., are also largely succeeded in 1310, and governed Bohemia till 1437, the reign of Charles II. (1346- 1378) being especially prosperous. Toward the close of this second dynasty civil wars were excited by the spread of the Hussite movement, the central figure of the struggle being John Ziska, the leader of the Taborites. A temporary union between the moderate Hussites and the Catholics having proved a failure, the Reformed Party elected as king, in 1433, the Protestant noble, George Podibrad. On his death, in 1471, they chose Wladislas, son of Casimir, King of Poland, who also obtained the crown of Hungary. His son Louis lost both crowns with his life in the battle of Mohacz against the Turks, and Ferdinand of Austria became, in 1527, sovereign of both kingdoms. Bohemia then los lost its separate existence, being declared a hereditary possession of the house of Austria; and its subsequent history pertains to that of the Austrian Empire. In 1848 an attempt was made to assert its ancient independence against the Austrian dominion; a conflict took place, Prague was bombarded, and the insurrection suppressed. For the later history of Bohemia see CZECHO-SLOVAKIA; AUSTRIA, and WORLD WAR.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
a province of the Austrian Empire. It lies between Bavaria and Saxony. It takes its name from the Boii, a German tribe known in the time of Caesar, and heim the German word for home; but the Bohemians are a Slavonic people who crowded in later. They are related to the Moravians, the Poles, and the Hungarians. They have a language no German can understand, and a literature no German can read: In 1348 they founded the University of Prague. Huss and Jerome, the great heretics and reformers, labored for the Bohemians in their own language, as Luther did in German and Wyclif in English. The native language of Comenius was Bohemian. In 1620 there were eighteen printing presses in Prague alone. Although the boundaries of Bohemia are marked by mountain ranges of greater or less height the country has always been subject to invasion. Independence was never maintained continuously. The House of Austria, in particular, claimed a sort of overlordship. Ferdinand I acquired a legal right to the Bohemian crown by marriage with Anne of Bohemia. In 1627 Ferdinand II declared Bohemia a purely catholic and hereditary kingdom of the empire. Bohemia suffered terribly during the Thirty Years' War. By political and religious persecution, 30,000 families were driven away. Some authorities claim that as high as 70,000 men, including the Hussite clergy and the nobility of Bohemia, were driven westward to Amsterdam and other cities, much as the Huguenots were expelled from France. Although the people became essentially Catholic, the Bohemians have always been restless under Austrian domination. In 1848, the year of revolutions, the Bohemians rose, but did not succeed at this time in accomplishing much. Bohemian discontent manifested itself again in 1859, following on the expulsion of Austria from Lombardy. In the reorganization that followed the close of the Six Weeks' War, by which Austria was driven out of the German Confederation, the present arrangement was perfected. Bohemia is now a province of the Austrian Empire. The Bohemians elect 130 members of the Austrian lower house. The management of local affairs is intrusted to a local or provincial diet of 242 members. The members are elected for six years. The election is far from democratic. The clergy, the universities, the great land owners, and the cities are given representation. The diet regulates local taxes, agriculture, education, church, and charitable institutions, and public works. The Bohemians are far from satisfied. The present contention is that Bohemia, like Hungary, shall be recognized as an independent kingdom of Austria-Hungary. Geographically, Bohemia belongs with Saxony to the north. Its waters flow chiefly to the Baltic. It has about 20,051 square miles of territory, equivalent to that of New Hampshire and Vermont. The population in 1900 was 6,318,697, of whom 2,000,000 were Germans, 90,000 Jews, and the rest Bohemians. It is one of the most fertile regions in Europe. The plains produce the usual small grains, flax, hops, fruits, and vegetables in abundance. The mountains yield graphite, coal, copper, lead, tin, zinc, iron, silver, and building stone. Bohemian lace and ribbons are celebrated. During the winter, when there is no field work, the peasant women earn eighteen or twenty cents a day making lace. There are pottery and porcelain works. Bohemian cut glass is the finest in the world. The best test tubes, graduates, and other laboratory glassware are obtained from Bohemia. It rivals Bavaria in the production of beer. See Prague ; Austria ; Huss 2026 Editor's Note: Bohemia is now the western heart of the Czech Republic, and the entry's Slavonic people with the impenetrable language have their own state at last. The name traveled oddly into English: because the French wrongly believed the Roma came from Bohemia, " bohemian " came to describe the unconventional artistic life of Paris garrets, a meaning with no connection to the place whatever. (Ed: BR 2026-07-18)