The Activity of the Order of Malta in the Czech Lands in the Time of the so-called First Republic and its Economic Aspects

(in English) The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta is the oldest and most important knightly order of the Catholic Church. Its origins are connected with the crusades to the Holy Land and it came to the Bohemian territory in the second half of the 12th century. Until the break-up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire it enjoyed an exceptional position, but after the creation of the so-called first Czechoslovak Republic its position was greatly weakened. The new state, primarily a part of its political elites, was not inclined to the Catholic Church, and for a number of contemporaries represented this traditional and aristocratic order a relic of an old monarchy. The difficult political and social position of the order was accompanied by economic difficulties caused, inter alia, by land reform, which had a significant negative effect on the order's land property. The aim of this thesis is to describe the operation of the order at this time with a focus on its economic activities. Key words Order of Malta, Grand Priory of Bohemia, Economic activity, First Czechoslovak Republic, Land refor