Retelling and reflecting one’s family history in applications and ennoblement acts at the Bohemian court chancellery in the second half of the 17th century

This paper deals with the retelling of a family’s history in applications for ennoblement and ennoblement acts in the folders of the Bohemian Court Chancellery, chiefly during the reign of Emperor Leopold I (1658–1705). These documents allow us to directly analyse the applicants’ own words about their family history supplemented by a list of ancestors or even family trees. In some cases, we can see how the family history and applicant’s and relatives’ occupations are reflected in the proposed or bestowed coat of arms.