Czechs
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| Czechs |
|---|
 |
| Total population |
|
over 10 million |
| Regions with significant populations |
 Czech Republic: 10,235,455 (July 2006 est.)
in the Czech Republic include |
| Languages |
| Czech |
| Religions |
| Non-religious 59%, Roman Catholic 26.8%, Protestant 2.1%, other 3.3%, unspecified 8.8%[1] |
| Related ethnic groups |
| other West Slavs |
Czechs (Czech: Češi) are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs live also in Slovakia, Austria, USA, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries. They speak the Czech language, which is closely related to the Slovak language.
Among the ancestors of the Czechs are ancient Slavic tribes who inhabited the regions of Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia from the 6th century onwards.
The most successful and influential of all Czech kings was by far Charles IV (Karel IV), who also became the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. The Luxembourg dynasty represents the heights of Czech (Bohemian) statehood territorial and influence as well as advancement in many areas of human endeavors.
Many heroes, most notably the religious reformist Jan Hus and the warlord Jan Žižka from the 1400s, are considered national heroes and many national legends and stories concern their lives.
There are also ancient folk stories about the Czech people, such as the Forefather Čech, who according to legend brought the tribe of Czechs into its land or Přemysl, the Ploughman, who started the dynasty that ruled for 400 years until 1306.
The Czech people also take much pride in saints who benefited the Czech culture, most notably St. Wenceslaus (Václav) patron of the Czech nation, St. Vitus (Vít) (whom has a cathedral named after him in Prague: see St. Vitus Cathedral), St. John of Nepomuk (Jan Nepomucký), St. Prokop, St. Adalbert (Vojtěch), St. Ludmila, and St. Agnes of Bohemia (Anežka Česká).
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