Czech Visitors to Fifteenth Century England
Josef Bradac introduces some regal Bohemians who enjoyed medieval English hospitality on their visit to the southeast and hazards a guess at the purpose of their visit.
Early in the year 1466, a ship crossed the English Channel with visitors from the remote and little known Kingdom of Bohemia. The leader of the group was named Lev, a brother of the Queen. Among its lesser members were two—Sashek and Tetzel—who left written accounts of the tour, on which this article is largely based. The party landed at Sandwich in Kent, then a lively port.
Their first night in England can hardly have been restful, for it was the custom to walk through the streets during the hours of darkness, playing on trumpets and lutes, and calling out the direction of the wind. When a merchant heard that the wind was in the right quarter, he would hurry to his ship and set sail at once.
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