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Emperor Charles IV

Posted: 21 Nov 2014, 00:47
by Huck
I got a book about Charles IV and his time. A lot of stuff with detailed themes, but I didn't meet playing cards, which are mentioned in this context by the researcher Hübsch.

A Czech 19th century author with some local fame wrote a theater play:

Jaroslaw Vrchlický (other name: Emil Frida): "Charles IV's last meeting with Petrarca"
Vrchlický, Jaroslav
(pseudonym of Emil Frida). Born Feb. 17, 1853, in Louny; died Sept. 9, 1912, in Domazlice. Czech poet, playwright, and translator. Born into a merchant’s family.

Vrchlický graduated from the University of Prague and became a professor of literature there in 1893. Vrchlický began publishing his work in the early 1870’s. His poetry, linked to the traditions of the romantics, is also characterized by realistic traits. In his large cycle of poetic collections entitled The Epic of Mankind—Ancient Legends (1883), Fragments of an Epic (1886), New Fragments of an Epic (1894), Gods and Men (1899), and others—Vrchlicky encompassed the historical development of mankind. He wrote in praise of Spartacus; he also wrote about the Great French Revolution, the heroic past of the Czech people, and the characters of J. Hus, J. žiſka, and others. Vrchlický’s best work, the collection Rural Ballads (1885), is devoted to the liberation struggle of the Czech peasants during the 17th and 18th centuries. In his collections of lyric poems he sings of life, nature, and love. Vrchlicky’s translations into Czech include works by Dante, T. Tasso, L. Ariosto, G. Byron, F. Schiller, J. W. Goethe, A. Mickiewicz, and S. Petofi. His popular comedy A Night on Karlstejn (1885) deals with a subject from Czech history. Vrchlický enriched Czech poetry with new artistic forms and verse dimensions.

http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary. ... c+Jaroslav

The mentioned "A night on Karlstein (comedy)" is a second theater play with the figure of Charles IV. It seems to have been more popular.

Well, not the comedy, but Petrarca belongs to our specific interests. In the play Karl (Charles IV) and Petrarca meet in after-life. In triumph Charles IV claims to have kissed Laura publicly (Petrarca's female idol). Petrarca asks: "Do you think, that you've committed a sin with it? " (pointing with this to Charles IV's strong engagement in religious matters).

Charles says: "Once you promised, that you would dedicate your work to me, but you didn't keep your word." Petrarca said, that he wanted to dedicate his work to him, if he would have fulfilled his - Petrarca's - dreams. "Did you fulfill them? Ask yourself!"
After this they depart.

This is from the short description in the book, I don'tr fid better material.

What inspiration caused Petrarca to spend so much work on the Trionfi poem, which he never finished? Caused his close personal acquaintance with Charles the production, at least in the beginning? And was it never finished, cause Petrarca waited for the golden moment, which never realized?

Somehow it's a strange occurrence, that Charles - according Hübsch - was (perhaps) the first great well-known person, which connected to the new media playing cards and that just Petrarca's Trionfi poem became a crucial element in the development of the Trionfi cards. Or - it's (perhaps) not strange accident, but logical, that the development of playing cards mirrored the strongest factors of this time.