13. - 14. století
Arnost of Pardubice
Archbishop of Prague and close friend of Emperor Charles IV
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He was the first Archbishop of Prague with aristocratic origins. He was highly educated, which enabled him to become the advisor of Emperor Charles IV, with whom he participated on a number of major projects. Arnost was from Kladsko (a town near the Czech-Polish border) where he was educated in the parochial school of the Johannites. After his studies in Prague, he traveled to Italy to study law school at the universities of Bologna and of Padua. This is also where he met the young Charles.
He returned to Prague in 1339, had himself ordained and became a member of the Chapter of St. Vitus. After the death of Bishop Jan IV of Drazice, he was chosen as his successor with the substantial
help of Prince Charles. He was later entrusted to lead a delegation to the new Pope (who was also Charles’s friend) regarding the establishment of a Prague archiepiscopate, which was appointed in 1344. Throughout his entire life, Arnost was theologically very close to the Augustinians. As one of the leading Czech diplomats he was entrusted with a number of sensitive missions by the Emperor, where he abundantly made use of his legal education. During Petrarch’s stay in Bohemia in 1356, the two met and held discussions. In his later years he divided his time between the administration of the archdiocese and the chancellorship of the newly established Prague University.
