Former kingdom, central Europe.
Settled in the 5th century AD by the Czechs, it became tributary to Charlemagne 's empire. It was part of the kingdom of Moravia in 870; on the dissolution of Moravia, it became a duchy with an important center at Prague . In the 10th century it expanded to include parts of Silesia , Slovakia, and Kraków . From the election of Ferdinand I as king in 1526, it remained under Habsburg rule until 1918. Following World War I, Bohemia declared independence along with Moravia and Slovakia. It was invaded by Germany in 1939 on the pretext that much of the population was German. After World War II it became a province of Czechoslovakia (later the Czech Socialist Republic). On the breakup of the eastern European bloc, it became part of the independent Czech Republic in 1993.