Bílá Hora 1620–2021. Mýtus jako stavební kámen informační války

The study is devoted to purposeful interpretations and misinterpretations of the Battle of Bílá hora near Prague, which took place on November 8, 1620, and in which Czech evangelical estates who revolted against the Catholic monarch of the Habsburg family, whom they had previously elected, were defeated. After the defeat of the uprising, the defeated were severely punished – twenty-seven of them were executed, others were confiscated property and forced into exile. The consequences of this battle significantly changed the political, power and social conditions in the Czech lands, so it is traditionally perceived as one of the milestones in Czech history. It is also very often used politically and ideologically, because it is still an emotionally powerful topic for many people. The study maps the most significant changes in the tendentious image of the Battle of Bílá hora over the course of four centuries. It notes the Catholic, evangelical and nationalist interpretations of this event. It emphasizes the very strong updating potential of the so-called Bílá hora myth, which can be operationally misused in almost any propaganda context. The allusions to the Battle of Bílá hora thus most recently appeared in connection with the aversion of part of Czech society against the European Union, and even in connection with the covid pandemic, when the restrictions associated with it were interpreted as oppression comparable to repression in the 17th century. The study interprets the Battle of Bílá hora as a building block of the information war that split past and present Czech society, because it is the historical argument that has traditionally played a much stronger role in the disinformation spread in the Czech environment than in other countries.