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

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

royal (and later imperial) court, and were viewed as very powerful lords of the

Kingdom of Bohemia The Kingdom of Bohemia ( cs, České království),; la, link=no, Regnum Bohemiae sometimes in English literature referred to as the Czech Kingdom, was a medieval and early modern monarchy in Central Europe, the predecessor of the modern Czec ...

. This branch of the Vítkovci clan was initially founded by Vítek III, the son of Witiko of Prčice.

History

Around 1250, the Vítkovci clan settled at the

Rožmberk Castle Rožmberk (German: original Rosenberg) is a castle situated in South Bohemia near Rožmberk nad Vltavou in the Czech Republic. Considered one of the oldest castles in Bohemia, it stands on a promontory carved out on three sides by the river Vltav ...

in the region of

Český Krumlov Český Krumlov (; german: Krumau, , or ''Böhmisch Krumau'') is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. The historic centre with the Český Krumlov Castle complex is protected by law as an urban monument reservation, and sin ...

, then about 1253 erected the

Český Krumlov Castle Český Krumlov Castle is a castle in Český Krumlov in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It dates back to 1240 when the first castle was built by the Vítkovci family, the main branch of the powerful Bohemian family Rosenberg. ...

. The Český Krumlov Castle thus became the residence of the Lords of Rosenbergs for the next three hundred years. It was the Rosenbergs who influenced the appearance of southern

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 ...

to a great extent. The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

and emblem of this family was represented by a red five-petalled rose on a silver field, which is still often seen in a considerable part of southern Bohemia.

Peter I of Rosenberg Peter I of Rosenberg (died 1347) was lord chamberlain of the Kingdom of Bohemia, who acted as regent during John of Bohemia's absences at war between 1339 and 1346. He was a patron of Vyšší Brod Monastery and is thought to have commissioned th ...

held the post of the superior

chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...

at the court of

John of Bohemia John the Blind or John of Luxembourg ( lb, Jang de Blannen; german: link=no, Johann der Blinde; cz, Jan Lucemburský; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of ...

. His wife was a widow of the Bohemian King Wenceslaus III. Another significant personage of the family was Jindřich III of Rosenberg, a son of

Oldřich I of Rosenberg Oldřich I of Rosenberg (died 4 March 1390) was the fourth son of the Peter I of Rosenberg and his second wife, . Together with his mother and brothers, he founded a Minorite monastery in Český Krumlov. After the death of his older brother , ...

, who led the

League of Lords The League of Lords ( cs, Panská jednota) was an opposition group of feudal nobles dissatisfied with the rule of Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia. Lasting from 1394 to 1405, the goal of its members was to provide mu ...

, being displeased during the reign of King Wenceslaus IV. Jindřich's son,

Oldřich II of Rosenberg Oldřich II of Rosenberg (Czech: ; 13 January 1403 – 28 April 1462) was an important Bohemian nobleman who, after the Battle of Lipany, became a recognized leader of the Catholic lords in Bohemia. Biography Oldřich II increased the power of t ...

, was a member of the

Bohemian nobility Czech nobility consists of the noble families from historical Czech lands, especially in their narrow sense, i.e. nobility of Bohemia proper, Moravia and Austrian Silesia – whether these families originated from those countries or moved into them ...

who defended the interests of Bohemian catholic nobility and of

Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 – 9 December 1437) was a monarch as King of Hungary and Croatia ('' jure uxoris'') from 1387, King of Germany from 1410, King of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death in ...

, during the times of 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 ...

. A daughter of Oldřich II was Perchta of Rosenberg, who is identified with the Rosenbergs "

White Lady A White Lady (or woman in white) is a type of female ghost. She has long straight hair, typically dressed in a white dress or similar garment, reportedly seen in rural areas and associated with local legends of tragedy. White Lady legends a ...

" ghost tales, and current residents of the area still report seeing Perchta's spirit around the castle. The decline of the House of Rosenberg began with

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

and

Peter Vok Peter Vok of Rosenberg ( cs, Petr Vok z Rožmberka) (1 October 1539, Český Krumlov – 6 November 1611, Třeboň) was a Czech nobleman of the House of Rosenberg, descended from the Vítkovci. Rožmberk was a leading Protestant in the unsettled ...

, the sons of Jošt III, both being raised under the guardianship of their uncle, Peter V. William of Rosenberg is generally considered the most significant representative of the family, making the Český Krumlov area the centre of southern Bohemian cultural and political life. After William's death in 1592, his younger brother Peter Vok assumed the position of reigning lord. In 1601, he was forced to sell the Krumlov castle to

Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–1608). He was a member of the Hous ...

. Peter Vok transferred his residence after the sale to

Třeboň Třeboň (; german: Wittingau) is a spa town in Jindřichův Hradec District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,100 inhabitants. The town centre with the castle complex is well preserved and is protected by law as an ...

, where he died in 1611. Peter Vok brought to a close the three-hundred-year-long reign of this illustrious dynasty.

External links

History of the Rosenbergs

The Rosenberg coat of arms

Website of the castle of Rožmberk

(in Czech)
Mint Rosenberg
(in Poland) {{Authority control

History

See also

Further reading

External links