Abstrakt
This paper aims to explore possible questions on the narrative strategy of a well-known mediaeval chronicler. Widukind shows in numerous cases his proud Saxon identity which could have had a very direct influence on the picture of other nations and gentes in his chronicle.
The important and very frequently questioned problem is his relation towards the Slavs, living in the direct, and indirect, space of Ottonian influence. On one hand, Widukind is sometimes considered an anti-Slavic writer with a generally scornful attitude toward the Slavic elements of the Ottonian Empire and its neighborhood.
On the other hand, Widukind is reticent in mentioning only some certain aspects of the Slavic mission in his chronicle. Some of the Slavic dukes behind the imperial border tend to achieve his sympathy and praise.
His general support of his own religious institution - the Corvey monastery - could represent even a direct promotion of a Slavic mission in Prague. The church of new potential Bohemian bishopric is closely connected with the saint patron of Corvey, Vitus, and even the first bishop of Prague could be a person directly connected to Widukind's circle in the monastery.
Moreover, the entire body of information about the Bohemian situation in the chronicle could in this way present a coherent strategy of Widukind's political program concerning Vitus' role in the empire and beyond the imperial border.