Accounting documentation of the bankruptcy of Emperor Matthias of Habsburg in 1615: archival sources and research possibilities

Petr Vorel

Accounting History Review, 2025, vol. 35, issue 2, 149-169

Abstract: Based on archival research, this study presents a hypothesis that significantly changes the interpretation of the causes of the economic and political conflict in Bohemia in 1618. The results demonstrate that the deciding impulse was the uncontrollable indebtedness of the monarchy which resulted in a sovereign default (1615). The Bohemian Diet refused to guarantee the government bonds which resulted in their loss of value. Between 1615 and 1618, along with the fight for preservation of religious freedom, a strenuous fight for fiscal reform and control of economic resources was in motion. The creditors – European politicians, bankers and generals – wanted the monarch to take over Bohemia with force in order to be able to pay off the outstanding debts. The data regarding the monarchical credit crisis in Bohemia between 1615 and 1618 have not been analysed scientifically up to this point. In this study, the author presents the main documentary sources available on this issue to encourage further research and highlight the value of interdisciplinary dialogue.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/21552851.2024.2408246

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