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Seal of Otakar II, Premysl, King of Bohemia, Duke of Austria and Styria, 1273AD
Source: The Wieber Collection
Referenced by BOHEMIAN KNIGHT, 13th CENTURY in Armies of Feudal Europe 1066-1300 by Ian Heath:
Bohemia (including Moravia from 1002) was a member-state of the Holy Roman Empire throughout this era, first becoming a kingdom in 1086.
Large numbers of Germans settled there from the 10th century onwards, which inevitably resulted in the general adoption of Western European feudalism,
armour and styles of dress at an early date. This particular figure is King Premysl Ottokar II (1253-78), taken from his seal.
His reign saw Bohemia reach the pinnacle of its power, Ottokar being king of Austria too (1251-78), in addition to which he seized Carinthia and Carniola (1260) and Styria (1261).
Note his helmet crest, comprising two wings made up from eagle feathers; crests such as this were extremely popular amongst the Western Slavs
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