Knights of Malta in the Czech Lands Milan Buben, České velkopřevorství řádu maltézských rytířů v dějinách [Grand Priory of Bohemia of the Order of the Knights of Malta in History], Prague: Libri, 2018. 182 p.

Knigh s o Mal a in he Czech Lands Milan Buben, České elkopře o s í řádu mal ézských y ířů dějinách [ he G and P i- o y o bohemia o he O de o Mal a in His o y], P ague: Lib i, 2018. 182 p. The O de o Mal a (also known as he O de o S .John o Je usalem, Johanni es) anks among he mos ema kable ins i u ions e e o med wi hin he Ca holic Chu ch, and he beginnings o i s ac i i ies in he e i o y o he Czech Lands da e back o he 12 h cen u y. Despi e his, su p isingly li le space is de o ed o i s his o y in he Czech academic milieu. An excep ion is made by he esea ch and li e a y ac- i i ies o he his o ian, he aldis and lec u e a he Cha les Uni e si y— Knigh o Magis al G ace o he O de o Mal a— Milan Buben wi h his book The G and P i- o y o Bohemia o he O de o Mal a in His o y (1s ed., 182 pages), published in 2018 by Lib i in P ague. Since he beginning, i mus be s a ed ha he book does no b ing any undamen- al new in o ma ion. I also d aws om he p ima y sou ces only o alimi ed ex en . On he o he hand, i is signi ican o i s summa iza ion o he o da e Czech li e a y p oduc ion on he opic on a ela i ely limi ed space. I is also e y eadable, sym- pa he ic, albei in asligh ly a chaic s yle, which is also ypical o he au ho ’s o he publica ions. Milan Buben ou lines he s o y o he Knigh s o he O de o S .John in he Czech Lands since hei a i al in he 12 h cen u y o he p esen . The book is w i en essen ially in he o m o ach onicle; e en s a e o de ed mos ly ch onologi- cally, al hough when i is necessa y, he au ho does no hesi a e o s ep ou o he s ic ly ch onological line. He does i o example when desc ibing he li e s o ies o impo an pe sonali ies o he O de . I is also somewha su p ising ha al hough he book is no di ided in any chap e s, he whole s o y is p esen ed in acohe en way. The s uc u e is logical, as i is a ollow-up o he line o indi idual Supe io s o he O de in he Czech Lands. The his o y o he G and P io y is depic ed as adesc ip ion o e en s ha happened unde hei uling. The book begins wi h he ci cums ances o he a i al o he O de o he Czech Lands and adesc ip ion o he land owne ship ha he Knigh s had in he Middle Ages. Mos o hese asse s we e acqui ed by he O de in he 12 h cen u y. The g ea - es a en ion is gi en o he la e mos impo an mano o he O de in Bohemia, in S akonice. The au ho ma ginally ou lines apa o he his o y o he noble amily Ba o o S akonice, who b ough he Knigh s o his e i o y a he beginning o he 13 h cen u y, and om whom he O de ecei ed anumbe o endowmen s in he subsequen cen u ies. A he same ime, o he impo an e en s om he his o y o he O de a e depic ed, such as he ac ha a mee ing be ween King WenceslasIV and A chbishop Jan o Jenš ein ook place in he O de ’s Commande y in P ague, as i was he neu al e i o y, a e which, howe e , he ica -gene al, John o Nepomuk (la e canonized) was o u ed o dea h. In pa icula , du ing he Hussi e wa s, he O de su e ed subs an ial economic losses. The G and P io y o Bohemia’s p ope y holdings se led only om he 17 h and 18 hcen u y. A e he ounding o he Czechoslo ak Republic, he O de was ma- Ma in Pola OPEN ACCESS Ma In POLa 97 e ially a ec ed by aland e o m. This, oge he wi h he di e inancial si ua ion in which he G and P io y o Bohemia and Aus ia ound i sel due o he ex ao dina y expenses du ing he Fi s Wo ld Wa , o ced he Knigh s o p oceed o he sale o hei lands. The au ho de o es asepa a e space o each la ge es a e ha was sold. By con as , he subsequen pu chase o he Ligis es a e in S y ia and he Do hé es a e in Subca pa hian Russia is men ioned only in passing. The publica ion is no only de o ed o he p ope y issues o he O de o Mal a in he Czech Lands. I also no es he des inies o i s p ominen knigh s and p ies s, lis s he examples o he cul u al con ibu ions o he O de (in e ms o pa onage in he c ea ion o impo an wo ks o a , cons uc ion ac i i ies o he building o he O de ’s lib a y) and las bu no leas , i desc ibes i s humani a ian and cha i able ac i i ies unde aken h oughou i s exis ence. Indeed, as he au ho ecalls, “ ecognizing he me i s o he su e ings o humani y, Empe o F anz Joseph Iissued an Impe ial Cha - e in Vienna on 2Ap il 1881 he Aus ian P ince’s i le o he G and P io o Bohemia and Aus ia and i s successo s” (pp. 115–116). Undoub edly he mos impo an humani- a ian en e p ise unde aken by he G and P io y in he 19 h and in he 20 h cen u y was he ope a ion o 8 ambulance ains, which anspo ed du ing he Fi s Wo ld Wa nea ly 360,000 wounded pe sons om he ba le ields o hospi als in he hin e land. The ope a ion o ambulance ains du ing he Fi s Wo ld Wa was he high poin o he ac i i ies o he G and P io y. A e ha i su e ed signi ican losses— on he p ope y (especially du ing he Fi s Republic) as on he p es ige. A ela i ely signi ican space in he book is de o ed o he highly con o e sial pe sonali y o F ā F anz We ne Bobe, O.Meli . He was sen enced o dea h in 1947 by an Ex ao dina y People’s Cou in P ague o collabo a ion wi h he Nazis, which had led o he dea h o ou people, and o o he c imes. The execu ion o F ā Bobe was ca ied ou on he day o he judgmen . Since he li e and in luence o his cle ic om he O de o Mal a ha e no ye been subjec ed o aconsis en his o ical inqui y, he au ho e ains om any judgemen . On he one hand, he lis s he c imes o which Bobe was sen enced o dea h, bu he also poin s ou ha Bobe ne e pleaded guil y o mos o hem and wa ns agains he cou ’s bias and he un eliabili y o he wi nesses. He ejec s empha ically he idea ha he collabo a ionis ac i i y o F ā Bobe should be gene alised o he en i e ac i i ies o he G and P io y du ing he Second Wo ld Wa (as is indeed o en he case). In ac , only wo o he ou een O de p ies s collabo- a ed wi h he Nazis, while ou o hem we e pe secu ed du ing he wa . Some o he membe s o he O de we e pe secu ed also a e he Feb ua y 1948 es ablishmen o he communis dic a o ship. The communis s se e ely supp essed he ac i i ies o he O de in Czechoslo akia, seized i s p ope y, and heG and P io y could only ca y on hanks o membe s li ing in exile. The a e o he G andP io y in he second hal o he 20 h and he beginning o he 21s cen u y is ou lined in he book a he schema ically. Fo example, he eade will no know he eason o he appeal o G and P io Paa in 2011. Ve y limi ed space is de o ed o he cu en ul ilmen o he O de ’s mission, i.e. assis ance o he needy, in con- nec ion wi h he in oduc ion o he non-p o i o ganiza ion o Mal ézská pomoc, o.p.s. (whose ounde is he G and P io y o Bohemia), and he e is no men ion o an issue o cu en conce n, he chu ch p ope y es i u ion. OPEN ACCESS 98 WISOHIM/ESHP 30 F om he e iew i is e iden ha he publica ion is no in ended o b ing abou any majo disco e ies. I nei he seeks o be acomple ely exhaus i e sou ce o in o - ma ion abou he his o y o he G and P io y o Bohemia o he So e eign O de o Mal a. On he con a y, he book can be conside ed as aso- a lacking o e iew o he his o y o G and P io y o Bohemia. To p o ide acomp ehensi e pic u e o his his o y, i does no specialise in apa icula a ea o his o iog aphy, bu con ains ele- men s o bo h economic and social his o y, as well as he cul u al, and he poli ical no ions. The book is based on he c ossing o hese disciplines, he e o e i can se e o c ea e abasic idea o he his o y o he Knigh s o Mal a in he Czech Lands. I also helps o unde s and he signi icance o hei exis ence and he ex en o hei ac i i- ies. The book can se e as an ideal in oduc ion o he his o y o he G and P io y. I can g ea ly acili a e he wo k o anyone who would like o explo e deepe i s his o y. In sho , he book is an in en o y o in o ma ion om he his o y o G and P io y o Bohemia, which i s au ho — p obably he g ea es expe on he his o y o he Czech G ea P io y— conside ed he mos impo an , while main aining maximum objec i i y. The eadable o m o he book, as well as alis o he G and P io y ep e- sen a i es, he au ho ’s indispu able expe ise, apic o ial supplemen and, along lis o he bibliog aphy ( o ob ious easons, he as majo i y in Czech) and an annexed index makes abook sui able as o eade s om he public, who jus wan o lea n basic in o ma ion abou his ema kable ins i u ion, as o esea che s who will use i in hei p o essional wo k. In his con ex , i can be added ha he book con ains oo no es, alis o sou ces and li e a u e, and gene ally mee s all he o mali ies e- qui ed by he s anda d schola wo k. Ma in Pola OPEN ACCESS