The events that transpired in the Czech lands after Samo’s death and the subsequent collapse of his empire are unknown. The Avars who had once been beaten back returned to reclaim their lost territories. However, this was not necessarily the end for the Czechs and Moravians. In the Frankish Kingdom to the west, a man named Charlemagne rose to power and forged his mighty Carolingian Empire. This Empire of the Franks pushed eastward, conquering the Saxons and Bavarians. Shortly, they came upon the Czechs and after a long series of battles, the Czechs finally submitted and, before long, the Moravians as well.
Between the years 791-805, Charlemagne waged war against the Avars, finally putting an end to the Avar Khaganate and hastening its inevitable collapse. Though, it was not the Franks who would benefit from this action, but the Moravians. Invading along with the Frankish armies, the Moravians acquired wealth and resources that allowed them to bolster their tribal standings. The princes consolidated their power and, taking Charlemagne’s empire as an example, established their own states and converted to Christianity.
Amongst these princes was a man named Mojmir I (830-846) and by his power they were able to break free of their tribal institutions and establish the state of Great Moravia. Taking advantage of the defeated Avars, Mojmir I expanded Great Moravia into south-west Slovakia and Nitra, aiming to break away from Frankish control as the empire devolved into internal disputes after Charlemagne’s successor died.
Unfortunately for him, the Treaty of Verdun in 843 would end the Frankish Empire’s internal struggles and Louis the German, the new ruler of East Francia, attacked Moravia in order to depose Mojmir I. Since Mojmir I had no heir, Louis planned to place Mojmir’s nephew, Rostislav, on the throne as his loyal vassal. However, Louis would later be mistaken in his choice.
Mojmir I on a banknote of the Slovak state (1944).
Rostislav on a modern icon as an Orthodox saint.
Rostislav (846-869) initially used his good relations as Louis the German’s vassal to consolidate his power in Moravia and expand its territory further. By 855, Rostislav possessed the power to break free of East Francia and defend his lands from the Frankish. Realizing the importance of solidifying and unifying ecclesiastical instruction and the practice of Christianity in his realm, he looked to the Pope for help in this matter.
Rotislav received no response from the Pope in Rome, so he instead sought aid from the Byzantines and their Patriarch, who sent the brothers Cyril and Methodius to Moravia in 863. During their time in Great Moravia, Cyril and Methodius created the Glagolitic alphabet in order to translate important Christian liturgy into Slavonic texts.
By 864, the conflict between Rostislav and Louis the German reached its peak, as the Frankish king besieged him in Devin. Refusing to give in, Rostislav and his Bohemians and Serb allies successfully stood against the Franks. However, Great Moravia had been weakened by the ordeal and soon Louis returned in 869. The Bohemians and Svatopluk, Rostislav’s nephew who had been administering his own land in Great Moravia, brokered a separate peace with the Franks. Angered by this, Rostislav attempted to have him killed, but ended up being seized by Svatopluk himself and turned over to the Franks.
Svatopluk would not immediately succeed Rostislav as ruler of Great Moravia, as Louis’s son Carloman took Moravia for himself and imprisoned Svatopluk in 870 under the accusation of treason. Thus, it seemed as though Great Moravia had come to an end. However, the Moravians had not yet given up. There was still hope for Great Moravia and the Moymirid dynasty.
Written by James Travis
Citations:
Panek, Jaroslave and Oldrich Tuma. 2020. A History of the Czech Lands. 2nd ed. Prague: Charles University Karolinum Press.
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Moravia." Encyclopedia Britannica, June 25, 2015. https://www.britannica.com/place/Moravia.
Abernethy, Susan. “Great Moravia: The Forgotten Kingdom – A Guest Post by Carolyn Emerick.” Freelance History Writer, May 16, 2014. https://thefreelancehistorywriter.com/2014/05/16/great-moravia-the-forgotten-kingdom-a-guest-post-by-carolyn-emerick/