History of Bratislava from 1st century ­ 21st century

Heinrich Struck

Index of contents:

1. 1st - 10th century

2. First Hungarian age

3. The beginning of Habsburg epoch

4. The uprisings an Napoleonic time

5. First Czechoslovak Republic

6. Bratislava during the world wars

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History of Bratislava from 1st century ­ 21st century

The Slovak Republic with his capital Bratislava is located in central Europe,

surrounded by the Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Hungary and Austria.

Bratislava ranks among the youngest capitals of Europe and at the same

time among the towns with rich history dating back top the times of more than

two thousand years ago.

1st century ­ 10th century

From the first century until 4th century river Danube was the border of the

Roman Empire. (1)The defence system of roman limes should separate the

world of romans from that of the Free Barbaricum ( German tribes ­ Marco-

manni ). One of the roman quarters was Gerulata in the territory of the

suburb of Rusovce, which was integral part of the defence system Limes

Romanus.

During migration of nations, Slavs settled in the territory of present-day

Bratislava.Under the leadership of Frankish merchant Samo, who became

King of the Slaves in 623. His empire lasted after his death till 658.Samo´s

Empire disintegrated into principalities.By subsequent joining the principali-

ties, a state formation of Greater Moravia was founded. Fame of the empire

reached its peak in the reign of the most significant sovereign Svatopluk.The

beginning of its gradual cessation is associated to the first written reference

to the castle of Bratislava in annals of Salzburg of 907, when a battle took

place near the castle between Hungarians and Bavarian army. The Hungari-

ans won it, subsequently occupying eastern part of Greater Moravia. The

Bavarian historian Johannes Aventinus was writing in the 16th century that in

805 the Bratislava castle was repaired during the reign of Prince Vratislav on

the ruins of the old roman settlements and was named Wratisslaburgium. So

Vratislav is only after Samo the second Slavic historical figure known from

the Middle Danube region.

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