Indigenous or Foreign? The Role of Origin in the Debate about the Suitable Candidate in Electing Bohemian Kings in the Fifteenth Century

Abstract

In fifteenth-century Bohemia, the natural continuity of succeeding kings was interrupted, and the political situation resulted in searching for a new king and organizing the election. This procedure provoked comments on candidates from supporters and opponents. One of the criteria discussed was the candidate’s origins. His labelling as a foreigner, or emphasis on alien origin and mother tongue was very often part of the strategy to defame the potential king. The article analyses how this specific criterion was integrated into other requirements to challenge the candidate’s idoneity, introducing the various uses of this argument in contemporary sources.