The chief place of Moravia: a princely castle on the hill above the Morava with the cathedral of St Wenceslas (founded before 1107; the see moved there from St Peter's by 1131-1141) and the bishop's Romanesque palace inside it, the seat of the Olomouc appanage and of the only Moravian bishopric (founded 1063).
Below the castle lies a market settlement of merchants and craftsmen. It is not yet a chartered town: Olomouc is founded as a town only in the mid-thirteenth century.
Who holds it
- Name
- The prince of Olomouc or the king's castellan (not pinned); the bishop in the cathedral precinct (see vacant)
- Title
- Lord of the castle
- Since
- not pinned
- Confidence
- low
English Wikipedia (Olomouc); Czech Wikipedia (Vladislav Jindřich) for the lordship.
Lord in 1200
The castle and market belong to the lord of the Olomouc land (a last prince of the Olomouc line or Ottokar I's castellan, not pinned); the bishop holds his cathedral, palace and their people within the castle. The see has been vacant since 18 December 1199.
How things stand that morning
A castle, cathedral and market settlement, not a town. Its lord that morning is not pinned; its see is vacant.
Charter
None in 1200. Town founded in the mid-thirteenth century.
Council
None: the place is governed by the prince's or the bishop's officers.
Militia
None of its own; the men of the castle district serve under the castellan.
Walls and castle
The castle with the cathedral; the settlement below is not walled as a town.
Trade and crafts
Market below the castle; the road through the Moravian Gate to Silesia and Kraków; the Haná grain lands.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Cathedral, see and later town foundation from English Wikipedia; the holder of the castle in 1200 is not pinned.
Primary sources for Moravia
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
- 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.
Sources and studies
- Olomouc (English Wikipedia)
- Vladislav Jindřich (Czech Wikipedia)
- Engelbert von Brabant (German Wikipedia)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.