Iglau language island

The Iglau language island or Jihlava language island (Iglauer Sprachinsel, Jihlavský jazykový ostrov) was a German language island in present-day Czech Republic, located on the border between Bohemia and Moravia. The area included 79 settlements on an area of about 43 × 18 km around the city of Jihlava (Iglau). Other centres were the municipalities of Stonařov (Stannern) and Štoky (Stöcken). The settlement of Germans dates back to silver mining in the Iglau mountains in the Middle Ages. Here, as in other places in Medieval Central and Eastern Europe, mining was based on German-speaking skilled workers. From 1233 a document is preserved in which the Teutonic Order sold the Iglau church estates to the Seeau Monastery. In 1249, Wenceslaus I and Ottokar II, then Margrave of Moravia confirmed the Iglau Mining Law, which became formative for Central European mining and also the South American possessions of Spain. In the dispute for the imperial crown against Rudolf I, Ottokar II lost his life in the Battle on the Marchfeld. To reconcile, the victorious Rudolf married his children to children of Ottokar, whose weddings were celebrated in 1271 in Iglau. The Reformation quickly established itself in Iglau and its surroundings, especially through the preaching of Paulus Speratus from Ellwangen. The only Meistersinger school in the Czech lands was founded in Iglau. After the Battle of White Mountain, Iglau was also occupied by imperial forces. The Protestant clergy were expelled and the population was given a deadline of six weeks to become Catholic or emigrate. From 1645 to 1647 Swedish troops occupied Iglau. The imperial forces besieged the city and eventually recaptured it. As a result of forced emigration from the region as a consequence of recatholization, Iglau lost its importance, however, a second wave of German immigration followed. In the 15th century, Jihlava had a vast majority German-speaking population with only about 10 percent Czech-speaking inhabitants.