Skala was born in 1583 (approx). He studied at Wittenberg and he married a rich lady so he was financially well off. In 1619 he was an employee in a Czech office and later in a Directorate office. He was not politically active, more like an observer, but his wife's cousin was one of the directorate, who was later executed. Skala left the country anyway. He reached the Court of Frederick Palatine with some message, but later moved to Freiberg, Germany, where he lived with some other emmigrants. There he started to write his "HISTORY OF CHURCH" (Historie Cirkevni) in 1626. In total it contains ten volumes, 60 thousand pages of manuscript and the last four volumes deal with years 1612 to 1623. I assumed that the above book (the original was written in Czech) is one (or less than) one volume (1618 till 1620) and the title "Czech History" might have been given to it by the editor. Skala died somewhere around 1640 in Freiberg.
The manuscript got mysteriously in the hands of protestant Moravian noblemen of Lipe in Silesia, was discovered by catholic prelat and historian Tomas Pe's'ina in the second half of the seventeenth century, and he had it moved in Prague. The other patriotic historian of that time was the well known Bohuslav Balbin, apparently not connected with this manuscript.
Pe's'ina died in 1680 and the manuscript then got in possession of Jan Bedrich de Wallenstein (probably somehow related to infamous Albrecht Valds'tyn - Czech form of his name - but there were too may Wallensteins around at that time, some even protestants). The manuscript got in the family library in Duchcov (where much later also worked Casanova as a librarian) and the last four volumes are in the Czech national Museum now. The first six volumes are now in the Museum of Mnichovo Hradiste, where the Wallenstein library now resides. The missing part (Paralipomena, mentioned by Pe's'ina, but probably never even seen by him) might have disappeared in Freiberg.
Czech historians recognized the value of the manuscript ( its objectivity) as late as in nineteenth century, namely Palacky.
Following are partial tranlations of three pages from the book. Sections are marked in copies (to be added as graphics files, [RZ]) as No. 1 to 4. I tried my best to put it in more straightforward wording then the one in 17th Century Czech.
The expressions in brackets are mine, [JH]
Section 1: (the text is from comments at the end of the book by editors, which are extensive)
Dr.Jan Jesenius (Jessenius, Jesensky) from Jesen, physician, moved in Prague around 1600 and the very same year, he performed autopsy, the first ever in Prague. He came from Hungarian nobility and before Prague, he was teaching at universities in Germany. In Prague and in Vienna he had extended practice (he was a personal phycisian of Rudolph II and Mathias I) which brought him important society connections. In 1617 he was elected the rector of Prague University, the faculty of History. Soon he started to take a political stance and took the mission in Hungary. On the order of Vienese Court (meant Imperial, [JH]) he was arrested on 3rd July of 1618 in Pressburg (Bratislava,[JH]) and transported in Vienna. At the end of December he was released in exchange for Dr. Ponzon and Jacobus de Tepenecz. After return to Prague (11th January 1619) he took again the post of rector, but most of his time was devoted to things public (meant political, [JH]).
At the beginning of 1620 he accompanied Frederick Palatine as a delegate of Czech "stavy" (something like parliament, [JH]) in Moravia and Silesia, later he again took a message to Bethlen in Hungary. After White Mountain (meaning the battle, [JH]) he was arrested and executed with public humiliation, 21th of June 1621.
Section 2: (Skala's text)
Therefore, since there is no hope that the persons who violated the Majestat (document, which guaranteed the religious freedom, signed by Rudolph II,[JH]) through various practices, misusing their positions and offices, when allowed to stay in offices, to return to Czech kingdom, and to keep their offices ...(continued on next picture..)
Section 2: (Skala's text)
... there will be no guarantee that the peace will be kept, but they will furthermore through their hate of "utraquist parlament" (in Czech "podoboji stavy" - there were 3 "stavy" consisting of high nobility, knights and representatives of various cities) disturb the peace and their revernge would continue, therefore they will not be allowed to stay in the country ( i.e. they are sent to exile, [JH]).
Section 3: (Skala's text)
(there follow the names, all of them catholics or imeperial sympatihizers - I didn't translate the names, I believe you will recognize them - Jacobus de Tepenecz is somewhere in the middle. [JH])
Section 4: (Skala's text)
Those persons not be allowed to stay in offices and services of the king, country or those of cities: ( and the list follows, again not translated here - obviously those were not sent in exile, [JH]).
(actual date of this decree is not stated in the book, but the date of Mathias' death follows right after that. The above decidion was made by the directorate and "stavy" were read the text of it).
