Countess Marie Immaculata Brandisová, also known as Lata Brandisová or Lata von Brandis, (26 June 1895 – 12 May 1981) was a Czech equestrian and the only woman to win the
Great Pardubice Steeplechase. Her victory over the Nazi officers at the 1937 race, seen as a symbol of Czech resistance against
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
, was celebrated with parades attended by thousands of people. She is the subject of
Richard Askwith's book ''Unbreakable: The Woman Who Defied The Nazis In The World's Most Dangerous Horse Race''.
Early life and family
Brandisová was born on 26 June 1895 at Schäffer Castle in
Úmonín
Úmonín is a municipality and village in Kutná Hora District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 500 inhabitants.
Administrative parts
Villages of Březová, Hájek, Korotice, Lomec and Lomeček are administrative ...
,
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
(now the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
) to Count Leopold von Brandis and Johanna von Schäffer. She was a member of an old
Tyrol
Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...
ean family that had been ennobled in 1580, but later became impoverished.
Her father, a horse breeder, had served as a lieutenant colonel in the Austrian army. Her mother was the daughter of Christian Ritter von Schäffer. Her paternal grandmother, Countess Barbara
Kinská, was the sister of Count
Oktavian Kinsky, who was one of the founders of the
Great Pardubice Steeplechase. She had a twin sister, Countess Marie Kristýna Brandisová. In 1897 they moved from Schäffer Castle to a chateau in
Řitka owned by her mother.
Equestrian career
Brandisová began horseback riding when she was eight years old and grew up attending horse races with her father. In 1916, at the age of 21, she competed in her first horse race. During the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, her father and brother, Count Nicholas von Brandis, went off to fight. Her brother was killed in action in Italy. Much of their property was seized y the government during the war. After the establishment of
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
, the family lost much of their remaining property. She continued her training at the
Prague-Velká Chuchle Racecourse and, in 1921, won her first women's race.
In 1926 her cousin Count Zdenko Radslav Kinský, a nephew of Oktavian, invited her to
Orlík Castle to breed
Kinsky horse
The Kinsky Horse is a Czech breed of warmblood sport horse. It was bred by the Kinsky family in the Kingdom of Bohemia, and is now one of four warmblood sport horse breeds reared in the Czech Republic, the others being the Czech Warmblood, the ...
s for hurdle racing. She continued to train as a horse racer at Velká Churchle and
Veveří Castle
Veveří (german: Eichhorn) is an originally ducal and royal castle in Brno in the Czech Republic. It is located about northwest of Brno city centre on the Svratka River.
History
11th to 15th centuries
According to legend, the castle Ve ...
under the coaching of Karel Šmejda. In 1927 she signed up to race in the
Great Pardubice Steeplechase. Her enlistment in the race caused controversy, and she was faced with protests as the race was seen as too dangerous for a woman.
Petitions were made to the Czechoslovak Jockey Club to have Brandisová removed from the race. The Jockey Club decided that she would be allowed to race, following advice from the
Royal Jockey Club in Great Britain. The Great Pardubice of 1927 was the first time a woman raced, and the first time a French rider raced (Count Alexandre de la Forest). Brandisová placed fifth, after falling three times on the race track.
In 1933 she raced in the Great Pardubice on a mare named Norma and placed third. A year later she placed second, and in 1935 she placed fifth. In 1937 she raced with Norma in the 56th Great Pardubice. At this time, there was extreme tension between Czechoslovakia and the neighboring
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
, with the Czechs fearing an invasion.
Over 40,000 people attended the race, hoping to see a Czech jockey defeat the Germans, who had been consecutive champions in the Great Pardubice over the last few years. On 17 October 1937, Brandisová became the first woman to win the race, seven lengths ahead of a German rider.
Celebrations culminated with a 10,000 person parade from the racecourse to town square in
Pardubice. The race was not held again until after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.
Germany invaded Czechoslavkia in 1939, and Brandisová's estate was seized by the Nazi government. During the war, she joined the
Czech Resistance, providing food for resistance fighters and tending to wounded soldiers during the
Liberation of Prague.
After the war, Brandisová raced again in the Grand Parduice, failing to finish in 1947. After the
1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état brought the country under Communist control, she and her sisters moved into cottage in the woods, where they lived in relative poverty throughout the Communist regime.
She died from
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...
in
Reiteregg, Austria on 12 May 1981.
[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brandisova, Lata
1895 births
1981 deaths
People from Kutná Hora District
People from the Kingdom of Bohemia
Austrian countesses
Habsburg Bohemian nobility
Austrian jockeys
Czech jockeys
Czech people of Austrian descent
Female resistance members of World War II
Deaths from pneumonia in Austria
Sportspeople from the Central Bohemian Region