The Great Moravian Empire, or Velká Morava, emerged in the early ninth century and received its title from Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII. Incorporating Moravia and Western Slovakia, the empire is remembered for the introduction of Christianity and a liturgical language to the Slavs. The later collapse of the empire shifted influence westward to Bohemia, and also detached Slovakia from the Czechs until 1918.
Not much is known about Velká Morava, and even its borders are disputed. The first known ruler was Mojmir I, whose rule ended in 846. His successor Rastislav is remembered for inviting the priests Cyril and Methodious to his territory in 863, and his nephew, the next Great Moravian ruler Svatopluk I, is credited with achieving the territorial peak of the empire toward the end of the 9th century. Historical accounts make reference of up to thirty fortresses, and it is believed that Rastislav appealed to the Byzantine emperor for missionaries in order to weaken the influence of Frankish/German priests in his lands after appeals to Rome had been ignored.
However, the arrival of Cyril and Methodious in 863 did not prevent an invasion by the forces of Frankish Emperor Louis the German the following year, forcing Rastislav to accept his suzerainty. Svatopluk I would later ally himself with the East Franks to seize his uncle’s throne. After his death, squabbles between his sons would weaken Velká Morava and it would suffer from further East Frankish invasions and, during the first decade of the 10th Century, Magyar invasions erased the state altogether.
One of the most important settlements of Velká Morava was at Staré Mĕsto (near Uherské Hradištĕ in southeast Moravia). To get a sense of what life might have been like during the time of the empire one can visit the Archoeskanzen Modrá, a large scale reconstruction of the fortified settlement in Staré Mĕsto. The reconstructed palisade, fortifications, towers, houses and workshops are based on archeological findings in the region.
Visitors can watch historical reenactments and see domestic animals, but it will come as no surprise to most that the village is of more interest to Czechs than to others. To foreigners, the settlement looks like any other historical reconstruction (although in this case, it has not been ruined by commercialism), but for Czechs it holds importance for those seeking to capture a part of their more influential past.
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