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Václav Koranda the Younger: Administrator of the Utraquist Church and writer

Publication at Faculty of Arts |
2017

Abstract

Václav Koranda the Younger (c. 1425-1519) was a representative of the third generation of Czech Utraquists. He died just before the first reformist elements started to enter Bohemia from Germany.

Although contemporary Utraquism didn't bring any major innovations to the faith, Koranda was very active in establishing Utraquist positions opposing those of Catholics and radical reformers. However, this period is deeply fascinating and in many ways transformational in terms of literary culture.

Printed books started to become more common as a means of communication, which was demonstrated both in Koranda's literary work and the composition of his own personal library. His activities in several roles (as a university and church official and as an author of religious and political works) led to a rather extensive collection of his written works being preserved, constituting exceptional material for the research of social communication in Bohemia during the reigns of George of Poděbrady and the Jagiellonian kings.