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The Pernštejn (german: Pernstein) was one of the seven Moravian dynasty families and the most important (
uradel (, German: "ancient nobility"; adjective or ) is a genealogical term introduced in late 18th-century Germany to distinguish those families whose noble rank can be traced to the 14th century or earlier. The word stands opposed to '' Briefadel'', ...
) family originating from Moravian nobility. The first mentioned member of House of Pernštejn lived in the 13th century. They took their name after their first main seat – the
Pernštejn Castle Pernštejn Castle ( cs, hrad Pernštejn, from german: Bernstein, originally from ''Bärenstein'') is a castle in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It lies on a rock above the village of Nedvědice and the rivers Svratka and Nedv ...
. Throughout history, Pernštejns held some of the most prestigious offices in both Kingdom of Bohemia and Margraviate of Moravia. Four members of the House of Pernštejn were appointed to the position of Land Hejtman of Moravia at various times. Their power peaked in the 16th century during the life of Vilém II of Pernštejn and his sons. With John Vratislav of Pernštejn the male line of the family became extinct in 1631. The last member of the female line – Polyxena of Pernštejn – then married into the
House of Lobkowicz The House of Lobkowicz (''Lobkovicové'' in modern Czech, sg. ''z Lobkovic''; ''Lobkowitz'' in German) is a Czech noble family that dates back to the 14th century and is one of the oldest Bohemian noble families. The family also belong to the G ...
, who incorporated the black aurochs of Pernštejn family into their coat of arms.
One of the most important authorities on the Pernstejn family history is the Czech historian Petr Vorel.


History


Rise

The recorded history of Pernštejns starts with Stephen I of Medlov, who became the
burgrave Burgrave, also rendered as burggrave (from german: Burggraf, la, burgravius, burggravius, burcgravius, burgicomes, also praefectus), was since the medieval period in Europe (mainly Germany) the official title for the ruler of a castle, especia ...
of the royal Děvice Castle in the first half of 13th century. He also founded the Convent of Augustinian nuns in
Doubravník Doubravník is a market town in Brno-Country District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 800 inhabitants. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument ...
. Various members of the house under various name appear in historical sources after that. The next firmly established member of the Pernštejn family is Vilém I who held various offices before becoming the Land Hejtman of Moravia in 1421. He sympathized with the teaching of
Jan Hus Jan Hus (; ; 1370 – 6 July 1415), sometimes anglicized as John Hus or John Huss, and referred to in historical texts as ''Iohannes Hus'' or ''Johannes Huss'', was a Czech theologian and philosopher who became a Church reformer and the insp ...
, both his sons – Bavor and Jan II – fought for the side of
Hussites The Hussites ( cs, Husité or ''Kališníci''; "Chalice People") were a Czech proto-Protestant Christian movement that followed the teachings of reformer Jan Hus, who became the best known representative of the Bohemian Reformation. The Huss ...
during the
Hussite Wars The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, European monarchs loyal to the Cat ...
. In 1473, Jan II was elected to be one of the four stewards of
Margraviate of Moravia The Margraviate of Moravia ( cs, Markrabství moravské; german: Markgrafschaft Mähren) was one of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown within the Holy Roman Empire existing from 1182 to 1918. It was officially administrated by a margrave in cooper ...
. Both brother also financed the expensive reconstruction of the
Pernštejn Castle Pernštejn Castle ( cs, hrad Pernštejn, from german: Bernstein, originally from ''Bärenstein'') is a castle in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It lies on a rock above the village of Nedvědice and the rivers Svratka and Nedv ...
after it burned out in 1457. Jan II's son Vratislav served first as the
Highest Chamberlain High may refer to: Science and technology * Height * High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area * High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory * High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift ...
, then as Land Hejtman of Moravia like his grandfather. He extended the family holdings by buying the domains of
Plumlov Plumlov (german: Plumenau, ''Blumenau'' or ''Plumau'') is a town in Prostějov District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,300 inhabitants. Administrative parts Villages of Hamry, Soběsuky and Žárovice are administrati ...
and
Prostějov Prostějov (; german: Proßnitz) is a city in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 43,000 inhabitants. The city is known for its fashion industry. The historical city centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an Cultural ...
.


Peak

Vilém II of Pernštejn Vilém II of Pernštejn (german: Wilhelm II. von Pernstein or ''Wilhelm II. von Bernstein'', cs, Vilém II. z Pernštejna or ''Vilém z Pernštejna a na Helfštejně''; 1438 – 8 April 1521) was a Czech nobleman. He held the office of High Tre ...
inherited all family holdings and became the most renowned member of the Pernštejn family. He held the offices of the Supreme Marshall and later the
Highest Hofmistr High may refer to: Science and technology * Height * High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area * High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory * High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift ...
of the Kingdom of Bohemia. He was a skilled manager and acquired vast domains in both
Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
and
Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The me ...
. House of Perštejn was the second richest and the second most powerful noble house in Bohemia after the
House of Rosenberg The House of Rosenberg ( cs, Rožmberkové, sg. ''z Rožmberka'') was a prominent Bohemian noble family that played an important role in Czech medieval history from the 13th century until 1611. Members of this family held posts at the Pragu ...
at the time. Inspired by the Rosenbergs, he also built systems of ponds and promoted fish farming on his domains. He was respected for his unusual religious tolerance and lived to a high age of 86 years. The family holdings were then split between his two sons.
His son Vojtěch I inherited the Bohemian portion of the family holdings. He served as the Highest Hofmistr of the Kingdom of Bohemia like his father. In 1526, after the death of Louis Jagiellon, Vojtěch I was even considered a potential candidate for the emptied throne. He died suddenly at the age of 44 and with no male heirs.
Vilém II's other son – Jan IV of Pernštejn – inherited the Moravian part of the dominion. He finished the renaissance reconstruction of the Pernštejn Castle, started by his father. In 1526, he was in charge of the martial aid provided to the king Louis Jagiellon before the
Battle of Mohács The Battle of Mohács (; hu, mohácsi csata, tr, Mohaç Muharebesi or Mohaç Savaşı) was fought on 29 August 1526 near Mohács, Kingdom of Hungary, between the forces of the Kingdom of Hungary and its allies, led by Louis II, and thos ...
by the lords of Moravia. After his brother's premature death, he became the sole overlord of the Pernštejn dominion and gained the nickname "Jan the Rich". At that time the estimated size of the Pernštejn dominion was three times the size of the Rosenberg dominion. He too held the office of Land Hejtman of Moravia.


Decline

Jan IV the Rich had three sons: Vojtěch II, Jaroslav and Vratislav II. Vojtěch II expanded the family library and started the art collection of Pernštejn family. He and Jaroslav both died without heirs and so the whole dominion was once again in the hands of one person – Vratislav II. Vratislav II of Pernštejn was a well traveled man. He studied at universities in Prague, Vienna, later also in France and Italy. He served as an envoy to the Habsburg kings and – during his stay in Spain – married a local noblewoman Maria Manriquez de Lara. They both moved back to Bohemia and Maria Manriquez brought with her a statue that later became famous as the
Infant Jesus of Prague The Infant Jesus of Prague ( cs, Pražské Jezulátko: es, Niño Jesús de Praga) is a 16th-century wax-coated wooden statue of the Child Jesus holding a '' globus cruciger'' of Spanish origin, now located in the Discalced Carmelite Church o ...
. Their glamorous lifestyle in Prague combined with dowries for their five daughters resulted in a loss of domains and later debts, from which the House of Pernštejn never quite recovered.
In 1596, his son Jan V was forced to sell the main seat of their family – the Pernštejn Castle. He died a year later on a battlefield. His only son Jan Vratislav also died on a battlefield in 1631 during the
Thirty Years War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battl ...
. He was the last male member of House of Pernštejn. His sister – the last female member – died fifteen years later. Through the marriage of Zdeněk Popel of Lobkowicz with Polyxena of Pernštejn – daughter of Vratislav II of Pernštejn – the black aurochs of Pernštejn family was added to the
House of Lobkowicz The House of Lobkowicz (''Lobkovicové'' in modern Czech, sg. ''z Lobkovic''; ''Lobkowitz'' in German) is a Czech noble family that dates back to the 14th century and is one of the oldest Bohemian noble families. The family also belong to the G ...
coat of arms where it appears to this day.


Notable family members

*
Jan II of Pernštejn Jan II of Pernštejn ( cs, Jan II. z Pernštejna; – 28 December 1475) was a Moravian nobleman and supporter of the Hussites. Later King George of Poděbrady of Bohemia appointed him to Lord Chamberlain of the District Court at Brno and in 1473 ...
(c. 1406–1475), Lord Chamberlain of the District Court at Brno *
Vilém II of Pernštejn Vilém II of Pernštejn (german: Wilhelm II. von Pernstein or ''Wilhelm II. von Bernstein'', cs, Vilém II. z Pernštejna or ''Vilém z Pernštejna a na Helfštejně''; 1438 – 8 April 1521) was a Czech nobleman. He held the office of High Tre ...
(c. 1435–1521), governor of the Kingdom of Bohemia *
Zikmund of Pernštejn Zikmund of Pernštejn (also spelled ''Sigmund of Pernstein''; – 1473 or later) was a Moravian nobleman. He was a supporter of the Bohemian King George of Poděbrady and was taken prisoner by the anti-king Matthias Corvinus. Life Zikmund was ...
(c. 1437–1473) * Vojtěch I of Pernštejn (1490–1534), governor of the Kingdom of Bohemia * Jan IV of Pernštejn (1487–1548), High Treasurer of Moravia * Vratislav II of Pernštejn (c. 1530–1582), diplomat * Polyxena of Pernštejn (c. 1566–1642), catholic patron, founder of
Friars Minor Capuchin The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. O.F.M. Cap.) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of Three " First Orders" that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant (OFM Obs., now OFM ...
Monastery in
Roudnice nad Labem Roudnice nad Labem (; ) is a town in Litoměřice District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 13,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. A steel road br ...
. Married
Zdenko Adalbert Poppel, Prince of Lobkowicz Zdenko is a male given name of Slovak, Slovene or Croatian origin. It is the Slavic version of the name Sidonius (meaning ''of Sidon''). Other explanation are given as coming from the slavic term '' zidati'', meaning to build or to create or '' ...


Notable castles in possession

*
Pernštejn Castle Pernštejn Castle ( cs, hrad Pernštejn, from german: Bernstein, originally from ''Bärenstein'') is a castle in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It lies on a rock above the village of Nedvědice and the rivers Svratka and Nedv ...
(before 1285 – 1596) * Helfštýn Castle (1474–1554) * Hranice Castle (1475–1547) *
Plumlov Plumlov (german: Plumenau, ''Blumenau'' or ''Plumau'') is a town in Prostějov District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,300 inhabitants. Administrative parts Villages of Hamry, Soběsuky and Žárovice are administrati ...
Castle (1490 – before 1619) * Pardubice Castle (1491–1560) *
Tovačov Tovačov (german: Tobitschau) is a town in the Přerov District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,400 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Administrat ...
Castle (1503–1597) *
Lanškroun Lanškroun (; german: Landskron) is a town in Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 9,300 inhabitants. It lies on the border of the historical lands of Bohemia and Moravia. The historic town centre ...
Castle (1507–1588) *
Prostějov Prostějov (; german: Proßnitz) is a city in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 43,000 inhabitants. The city is known for its fashion industry. The historical city centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an Cultural ...
Castle (1522 – around 1600) *
Litomyšl Castle Litomyšl Castle is one of the largest Renaissance castles in the Czech Republic. It is owned by the Czech state. It is located in the centre the town of Litomyšl and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. Litomyšl Castle is an outsta ...
(1552–1646)


References


Sources

* {{Authority control Moravian noble families