Jan Sladký Kozina (10 September 1652 – 26 November 1695) was a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

revolutionary leader of the

Chods The Chods () are an ethnic group who used to live in western Bohemia. They lived in an arc of villages near the western border of what is today the Czech Republic, including major population centres in Domažlice, Tachov and Přimda (together calle ...

peasant rebellion.

Biography

Jan Sladký Kozina was born on 10 September 1652 in Újezd. He was first named Rosocha, after Rosoch Farm (U Rosochů), which from 1632 had belonged to his grandfather, and on which he was born and grew up. In 1670 his father Jan Sladký bought the farm "At Kozinas" (U Kozinů). All those originating from this farm were thereafter called Sladký-Kozina. On 9 May 1678, aged 25, he married Dorota Pelnářová, took over the ancestral farm U Kozinů, and took his place in the middle

yeomanry Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units and sub-units in the British Army Reserve which are descended from volunteer cavalry regiments that now serve in a variety of different roles. History Origins In the 1790s, following the ...

. They seem to have gone on to live as a quiet, god-fearing couple. They had 6 sons but only one – Adam – had descendants. He could neither read nor write, but made his name by his speeches, in which he drew attention to the abuses of the time, and became the spokesman for farmers' woes. He defended the rights of the Chodové people and demanded justice for the country people. This culminated in disagreement with the local magnate Wolf Maximilian Laminger von Albenreuth, also known as "Lomikar". Kozina was judged responsible for the peasant rebellion, arrested and executed in Plzeň on 28 November 1695.

Legacy

He was immortalised as a figure of resistance in the stories of

Alois Jirásek Alois Jirásek () (23 August 1851 – 12 March 1930) was a Czech writer, author of historical novels and plays. Jirásek was a high school history teacher in Litomyšl and later in Prague until his retirement in 1909. He wrote a series of histor ...

and

Božena Němcová Božena Němcová () (4 February 1820 in Vienna – 21 January 1862 in Prague) was a Czech writer of the final phase of the ''Czech National Revival'' movement. Her image is featured on the 500 CZK denomination of the Česká koruna. Biography ...

. In Újezd u Domažlic a memorial to him was set up; his place of execution is marked by a plaque just inside what is now the main entrance to the Pilsner Urquell brewery in Plzeň. Alois Jirásek wrote the book ''Psohlavci'' ("The Dogheads"), which was about the Chodové peoples and young Jan's struggles; this was later turned into an opera of the same name by

Karel Kovařovic Karel Kovařovic (9 December 1862 6 December 1920) was a Czech people, Czech composer and conductor from Prague. Life From 1873 to 1879 he studied clarinet, harp and piano at the Prague Conservatory.''Dopisy o životě hudebním i lidském, p. ...

. In 1918, the newly formed 10th Infantry Shooting Regiment of the newly formed 3rd Division of the Czechoslovak Legions in Russia was named "Regiment Jan Sladký Kozina's of Hrádek".

References

External links

Text of ''Psohlavci''
1652 births 1695 deaths 17th-century people from Bohemia Czech revolutionaries Executed revolutionaries Chodové Executed Czech people People from Domažlice District {{CzechRepublic-bio-stub