The Knights of St John came to Prague in 1169, when King Vladislaus II gave them the church of St Mary at the castle end of the stone Judith Bridge, where they built a fortified house (later called St Mary below the Chain).
The same years brought them land in Kladsko, where the churches of St Mary (1183) and St Wenceslas (1184) were confirmed to them. On 23 April 1186 Duke Frederick gave them the trading settlement of Kadaň on the Ohře, which they hold in 1200 (it becomes a royal town some decades later). Manětín in the west is traditionally one of their earliest estates.
In Moravia the Bavor family gave them Ivanovice in 1183 (mor's area). They are the only military order with houses in Bohemia in 1200; the Templars and the Teutonic Order come later.
Who he is
- Name
- Not pinned for 1200
- Title
- Commander (preceptor) of the Hospitallers at Prague
- Since
- The house was founded in 1169
- Confidence
- low
The Prague foundation of 1169 under Vladislaus II, the Kladsko gifts (land 1169, churches 1183 and 1184) are from de.wikipedia (Grafschaft Glatz); Duke Frederick's gift of the market settlement of Kadaň on 23 April 1186 from de.wikipedia (Kadaň). Manětín is traditionally counted among the gifts of 1169 (not checked here).
Overlord
The order's master and its prior; protected by the king of Bohemia
What it holds
- The commandery of St Mary at the Prague end of the Judith Bridge, with its rents in the castle suburb
- The market settlement of Kadaň (gift of 23 April 1186)
- Land and the churches of St Mary and St Wenceslas at Kladsko
- Manětín (traditional gift of 1169: not checked)
How it was acquired
Gifts of Vladislaus II (1169) and Duke Frederick (1183-1186).
Allies and rivals
Protected by the Přemyslids; a Church body under the pope.
How things stand that morning
Held by the order.
Wealth
Rents and tolls of Kadaň's market, the Prague house's rents, gifts for the Holy Land.
Military
The fortified house at the Prague bridgehead; brethren few. No numbers.
Places of note
- St Mary below the Chain: Hospitaller commandery at the Judith Bridge
- Kadaň: Hospitaller market settlement since 1186
- Kladsko: Hospitaller churches (1183, 1184)
- Manětín: Traditional Hospitaller estate (not checked)
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The foundations are dated; the commanders and the full list of estates in 1200 are not.
On the map: Circles stand for estates whose bounds are not known.
Primary sources for Kingdom of Bohemia (Ottokar I)
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Annals of Jarloch (Gerlach), abbot of Milevsko, Jarloch of Milevsko (about 1200 to 1220). The last Bohemian narrative before 1200, continuing Vincentius of Prague. Read online
- The Austrian and Salzburg annals (kept in the 12th and 13th centuries, with continuations to the late 13th century). A family of monastic annals from Austria, Styria and Salzburg, printed together. Read online
- Regesta Imperii V: calendar of the acts of Philip, Otto IV and Frederick II, 1198 to 1272 (calendar of documents of 1198 to 1272, published 1881 to 1901). A dated calendar of every known act of King Philip and King Otto IV, with the acts of popes and princes that bear on the Empire. Read online
- The Registers of Pope Innocent III for 1199 to 1201, Innocent III and the papal chancery (22 February 1199 to 21 February 1201). The pope's outgoing letters for the year, in his chancery's own copy, touching nearly every realm in the atlas. Read online
- Charters and letters of the kingdom of Bohemia, volume 2, 1198 to 1230 (documents of 1198 to 1230, edited 1912). The critical edition of every Bohemian and Moravian charter and letter from Ottokar I's accession to 1230.
- Constitutions and public acts of the emperors and kings, volume 2, 1198 to 1272 (documents of 1198 to 1272, edited 1896). The public documents of the throne war in full text: the election notices of 1198, the princes' declaration of Speyer of 28 May 1199 to Innocent III, the pope's replies, Philip's and Otto's letters and promises, and the imperial acts of 1200 and 1201 including Otto's promises at Neuss in June 1201. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.