Courier Service in Dvůr Králové n. L. in the Early Modern Period

This diploma thesis focuses on the issue of oral and written communication through the groups of couriers, who mediated between smaller royal dowry town Dvůr Králové nad Labem and its own villages as well as another distant locations situated in another dominion. Diploma thesis applies to region called Podkrkonoší in the advanced Early Modern Period, describes and analyses some of the preserved archival primary sources of knowledge dedicated to the courier services in Dvůr Králové nad Labem. It mentions the enviroment in which the gateke- epers and other couriers fulfilled their services. This thesis attempts to define the relationship between the distance and courier's income in Dvůr Králové nad Labem's domain and outside of it. In the context of diverse contents of oral and written messages the thesis mentions sever- al other topics, for example the actual filling work of corvée (or statute labour), showing by gatekeepers the way to hussar-soldier at surveying, transport of beggars and vagabonds and even the beginning of postal services in this area. Working method is based on detailed archival probe into rarely preserved municipal bookkeeping, especially into records of gate- keeper's courier services and records of other settled couriers both from the year 1740 and 1768. Results are presented..