Week One

Although my family is of Polish descent, the readings for this week have been my first introduction to the history of my ancestors, and for the rest of East Central Europe. That being said, I do have an extensive academic background in Western European history, specializing in the Hispanic world. I have learned through the readings for the past two weeks I have learned a few great differences between the West and the East/Central regions of the continent. 

1. The difference in the roles of the Catholic Church in the region as a whole is much different than in Western Europe. As Wandycz states, "acceptance of Christianity by Hungarians and western Slavs meant the exposure to Western civilization and all that it implied." The spread of Christianity into the East transformed language, culture, architecture, and obviously religion into this territory. 

2. I learned the true origins of the Habsburg dynasty, a family that in its time controlled most of the European continent, including my specialization Spain. Although famously associated with Austria, the family actually originates in southern Germany and Switzerland. The background of the family, has answered many of the questions I have always had about the family through my studies. As such an important lineage that eventually crosses with the Spanish line, this was a very useful literature choice for me. 

3. I learned the extremely complicated ethnic situation in the formation of the Czech territory, including the four major ethnic groups at the formation of the city of Prague, including the Roman, Celtic, German, and Slavic cultures. The formation of the current-day Czech culture is a rich mix of many different cultures, and is not easily defined as a merely Germanic or Slavic culture. 

Learning these three facts has greatly increased my perceptions of the area. Before this research I knew next to nothing about the area, and now I have a more general understanding of the geographic, ethnic, and religious origins of the culture of Central Europe. In my future writings I will be careful to remember to put the history of the region in its correct historical context.