Open Access

Miroslav Urbanec

• The Přemyslid King Otakar II is one of the most prominent figures in Czech (and Central European) history. However, he is also a highly controversial figure, primarily due to his unflagging support for the German-speaking communities on his territory, which figures such as František Palacký considered to be excessive. The theme of German medieval colonization and Czech/German coexistence naturally appears in literary works dealing with Otakar's life. The Austrian dramatist Franz Grillparzer's play "König Ottokars Glück und Ende" is no exception. The topic of German colonization is relatively peripheral within the work, however the brief scene featuring the King and the burghers of Prague (who protest at Prague Castle against the expulsion of the Czechs and the settlement of Germans in their place) so incensed the Czech literary scene that the work has still not yet been translated into Czech. This article aims to analyze the scene in question, comparing Grillparzer's drama with the novel "Královský úděl" by the Czech author Nina Bonhardová.