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Bohemia, as a political entity, dates back to Premyslid Dynasty which dates from the 9th Century to 1306. During this period, the Vyshehrad Castle was established, the Prague bishopric was founded, and what we now know as the city of Prague began to take shape with the founding of the Old Town and Mala Strana.
The Czechs' greatest leader was Charles IV, who reigned from 1346 to 1378. Prague continued to grown in size and stature. In 1355, Charles was crowned Holy Roman Emperor and Prague subsequently became the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. Prague became an archbishopric, and the St. Vitus Cathedral was built. The Czech language became an official language along side German and Latin. Charles University was founded, the New Town area formally established, and the Charles Bridge over the Vltava River was constructed. This era is known at the Golden Age of Prague.

The 15th Century is best known for the Reformation movement led by clergyman Jan Hus. Hus not only insisted on preaching his sermon in the Czech language, he used his sermons to attack what he saw as the corruption of the Catholic church. He was burned at the stake for his efforts in 1415. This lead to a backlash among his followers, who are today known as Hussites. In 1419, the First Defenestration took place when seven anti-Hussite government officials where thrown from the windows of the New Town Hall. For the next fifteen years, the Hussites and anti-Hussites were in open war, a war which ended in armistice in 1434, but didn't really settle the matter that was at the core of the dispute.

The first Protestant king, Jiri z Podebrad, ascended to the crown in 1458. Known today at the "Hussite King," Jiri promoted peace and tolerance and during his reign the kingdom again began to thrive.
In 1526, Ferdinand I of Hapsburg rose to the throne, and things changed very quickly. He not only asserted the primacy of the Catholic faith over Protestantism, he moved the seat of the crown from Prague to Vienna.

Under Rudolf II, however, Prague reemerged as a great city. He moved his capital to Prague and used his resources to make Prague a leader in the arts and sciences. It was during these years that Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler lived in Prague. This era is known as the 2nd Golden Age of Prague.

Peace and prosperity, however, did not survive Rudolf's leadership. Upon his death, persecutions of the Czech Protestant community began anew, and this led to another uprising and what is known as the 2nd Defenestration

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