BOHEMIAN

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'Bohemians' are people of Bohemia, in the Czech Republic. The term used to designate inhabitants of the former Kingdom of Bohemia, located in the modern day Czech Republic. The name derives from the Latin term for the Celtic tribe inhabiting that area, the Boii, who were called ''Boiohaemum'' in the early Middle Ages. The word "Bohemians" was never used by the local Czech population. In Czech, the region since the early Middle Ages has been called only "Čechy" (Bohemia) or "Království české" (Kingdom of Bohemia), and its mainly Czech-speaking inhabitants were called "Češi".
In other European vernaculars and in Latin (as ''Bohemi''), the word "Bohemian" or a derivate was used to designate all inhabitants of Bohemia. If the Czech ethnic origin was to be stressed, combinations like "Bohemian of Bohemian language", "a real Bohemian" etc. were used.
It was not until the 19th century that other European languages began to use the word "Czechs" (in English — ''Tschechen'' in German, ''tchèques'' in French) in a deliberate (and successful) attempt to distinguish between ethnic Czechs and other inhabitants of Bohemia. Currently, "Bohemians" is still used when there is need to distinguish between inhabitants of the western part of the Czech Republic (Bohemia), and the eastern part (Moravia).
Its secondary meaning (see Bohemianism) comes from the French word ''bohémien'' for a member of the Roma people, as the French believed for a period beginning in the fifteenth century that the Roma originated from Bohemia, because they travelled through it. [1]

Contents

Modern use of the term

See also

Modern use of the term

''Main article: Bohemianism''
In modern usage, the term "bohemian" can describe any person who lives an unconventional
artistic life, where self-expression is the highest value — that art (acting, poetry, writing, singing, dancing, painting etc) is a serious and main focus of their life.
The term was applied particularly to the poets and writers of Carmel-by-the-Sea and
the Bloomsbury Group in the first half of the 20th century, and, early in the 21st
century, to a style of female fashion ("boho-chic").

Hindenburg's nick name for Adolf Hitler was "Bohemian corporal".

Bohemian still carries its original usage in many parts of the United States where large
groups of Bohemians immigrated.

See also

★ History of the Czechs

★ Bohemian Rhapsody

★ Bohemian Manifesto, A Field Guide to Living on the Edge

★ Bohemian Grove