2120: Legacy of Duke Vratislav I of Bohemia Oct 4, 2020

There are a number of cities in Eastern Europe that all share a common basic name, including Bratislava, Slovakia, Bratslav, Ukraine (giving rise to the Breslov Chasidic dynasty), Braslaw, Belarus, and Wrocław, Poland, known in German as ‘Breslau’. These are only a sample of the names, but they are generally associated with the Duke Vratislav I of Bohemia who ruled in the 10th century. The name for the Slovakian capital only came about in the 20th century and indeed with Bratislava there is some confusion in older documents, caused by the Latin 'Wratislavia' which refers to Wrocław, Poland, and not Bratislava. There will be more on this tomorrow.