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About the lecture
The Apocalypse, or Revelation of St John, is the final book of the biblical New Testament. John expressed his prophecy through a complex sequence of dreamlike visions, filled with fantastical, multilayered symbols of light, colours, sounds, numbers and extraordinary beings. Throughout history, readers have reinterpreted the text, finding its events and figures in the past and present. In the Middle Ages, most people believed history was approaching its end. Many expected John's prophecy to be fulfilled soon and viewed their own times through this lens. During the major crises of the late medieval period, they sought parallels between Revelation and current events. This helped them face the danger, uncertainty and devastation of plague and warfare. Although the Apocalypse describes terrifying disasters and enormous loss of life, it culminates in a powerful message of hope. Emperor Charles IV deliberately prepared his country for apocalyptic times and Christianity's transition into a new era. The Apocalypse cycle at Karlštejn Castle is among Europe's largest murals of its kind, and he commissioned the huge Last Judgement mosaic on the Golden Gate of the new St Vitus Cathedral. Czech Hussites even believed they had already entered the apocalyptic age and that war was a test of those faithful to Christ.
Doc. PhDr. Martin Šandera, PhD. (born 1973), works at the Institute of History, Faculty of Arts, University of Hradec Králové, where he teaches medieval and early modern history and oversees the Presentation of Historical and Cultural Heritage programme. His research and publications focus on the high and late medieval nobility, secular and religious elites during the Hussite Revolution, and leading figures and administrative-political structures of the Poděbrady and Jagiellonian periods. His monographs include Zikmundovi věrní na českém severovýchodě (2005); Páni z Dobrušky a z Opočna. Kolonizátoři, dvořané, válečníci (2007); Hynce Ptáček z Pirkštejna. Opomíjený vítěz husitské revoluce (2011); and Jindřich starší z Minsterberka. Syn husitského krále. Velký hráč s nízkými kartami (2016). He has also co-authored numerous collective works.
The lecture will be streamed online; watch it HERE
Lecture date and time: 22. 5. 2024 at 17:30 – 19:00
The lecture series was supported using public funds by the Slovak Arts Council.
