Founders of Český Krumlov

Český Krumlov is the second most visited place in the Czech Republic. Tourists admire preserved and compact architecture of the old town and its rich history. They hear stories about the castle and people who lived in it and in the town. But what happened with founders of Český Krumlov?

The area of Český Krumlov was settled for thousands of years. This settlement was however very sparse and until the first half of 13th century the town did not exist. According to a legend, before the town was built, the area was used just to cross a river on the way to Prague. The rock, that stands above the river, was a hideout fo bandits. They were waiting there for travellers so they could steal what they had. The area belonged to powerful family Vítkovci, who eventually destroyed these bandits. And instead of hideout of bandits they started to build a castle on the rock.

Vítkovci

Founder of Vítkovci family was Vítek from Prčice. Member of the court of king Vladislav II., he was rewarded with land in the south of Bohemia. During his life he was able to aquire even more land and he became one of the most powerful Czech knight. As a symbol for his family he choose a rose, which as a symbol was widely used among the European nobility.

Vítek had five sons. Before he died, he divided his little empire among them. In this way he created five new families when each of his sons accepted rose in a different color as a family symbol. This event of the Czech history is called a division of roses. Color of these roses were green, red, white, blue and golden (yellow). And members of one of these branches became founders of Český Krumlov.

Záviš from Falkenštejn

Son, who found Český Krumlov, was a holder of the green rose. Vítek II. the Older. The castle was probably built around 1235. Vítek II. died next year and a power was given to his son, Záviš from Nechanice. Then in 1240 Český Krumlov is mentioned for the first time as “Krumbenowe” by Ulrich von Lichtenstein. The place was supposedly a site of the knight’s tournament.

Záviš had two sons. Budivoj from Krumlov and Vítek from Krumlov. But the most famous member of the green rose branch was a son of Budivoj, Záviš from Falkenštejn. Born in 1250 he became a very important member of the Czech nobility. In 70s he was involved in a conflict with king Přemysl Otakar II. who started to build towns and monasteries on the land of Vítkovci. After some clashes king executed few nobles and the rest, including Záviš, escaped to their castles. However king died in battle in 1278. His son, Václav II. was only seven years old, and he was imprisoned by Brandenburgers until 1283.

A widow after the king Přemysl Otakar, Hungarian lady Kunhuta and a Czech queen, falls in love with Záviš. She lives with him until her son, a young king, is ransomed, and he comes back to Bohemia. Then she, as a queen mother, is able to persuade her son to accept Záviš as a member of the royal court. All could be well for charming Záviš, but in 1285 Kunhuta dies.

Záviš is betrayed

In the beginning, young king liked Záviš and had chosen him as his advisor and a military leader. But in 1287 king Václav marries a Habsburg lady Guta and she begins to plot against Záviš. Her reason was simple. To decrease an influence of the Czech nobility represented by Záviš, and to increase an influence of her own camp. She is eventually successful and Záviš loses his positions and leaves a king’s court. But Guta was not satisfied and she persuaded king to arrest Záviš. Záviš is invited by king to Prague but he is immediately arrested and charged with treason.

The end of the green rose. Founders of Český Krumlov.

Záviš is not alone. His family, Vítkovci, is the most powerful family in the Czech kingdom. They declare war to Václav and they support Polish duke Henryk IV. as a possible future Czech king. But Václav receives military help from the Holy Roman empire and he crushes the uprising. Vítkovci escape to their castles in the south and wait.

King’s army with Záviš as a prisoner is marching from castle to castle. In front of each of them they build a scaffold and they threat that Záviš will be executed until the castle surrenders. Castle by castle falls and Vítkovci from all roses swear loyalty to king. Until the army arrives under Hluboká castle, defended by Záviš’s brother Vítek.

Vítek had his own prisoner. Brother of bishop Tobias. On a threat that Záviš will be executed if the castle is not given up he responded with his own threat of execution. However, king really meant his threats and Záviš is decapitated.

In order to stop the killings and uprising, king forgives cousins of Záviš from red, blue, white and golden families and even to his cousing from the green rose branch. His four brothers are however forced to exile. Either in exile or on the Krumlov castle, remaining members of the green rose branch die without heirs. Last one of founders of Český Krumlov, Vok from Krumlov, in 1302. King Václav then agrees that the land of the green rose will be inherited by their relatives. The red rose family. Rožmberks. Jindřich from Rožmberk then comes to Krumlov in 1302 and starts a very new chapter not just of this place but of his family too.

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