Victor of Kunštát and Poděbrady (also: ''Viktorin of Poděbrady'', ''Victor Boček of Poděbrady'', ''Victor Boček of Kunstadt and Poděbrady''; Czech: ''Viktorín z Poděbrad'', or ''Viktorín Boček z Kunštátu a Poděbrad''; German: ''Viktorin von Podiebrad''; 1403 – 1 January 1427 in

Pardubice Pardubice (; german: Pardubitz) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 89,000 inhabitants. It is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the Elbe River. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monu ...

) was a Bohemian-Moravian nobleman and a member of the

House of Poděbrady A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

. He was supporter of the

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 Hussit ...

and father of the Bohemian King

George of Poděbrady George of Kunštát and Poděbrady (23 April 1420 – 22 March 1471), also known as Poděbrad or Podiebrad ( cs, Jiří z Poděbrad; german: Georg von Podiebrad), was the sixteenth King of Bohemia, who ruled in 1458–1471. He was a leader of the ...

Life

Victor was born into the noble Poděbrady family. His parents were

Boček II of Poděbrady Boček II of Poděbrady (also: ''Boček II of Kunštát and Poděbrady''; german: Boček II. von Kunstadt und Podiebrad or german: italic=yes, Botschek von Podiebrad or german: italic=yes, Botschek der Ältere von Podiebrad; cs, Boček II. z Pod� ...

and Anna Elisabeth of Leipa ( cz, Anna Eliška Lipá), a daughter of Henry of Leipa ( cz, Jindřich z Lipé). He gave several of his sons the middle name of ''Boček'', a name which many of his ancestors had had. Victor was first mentioned in a document dated 1417 dealing with the inheritance of his father, who died in that year. Victor inherited the Bohemian lordships of

Náchod Náchod (; german: Nachod) is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 19,000 inhabitants. It is known both as a tourist destination and centre of industry. The town centre with the castle complex is well preserved ...

and Hummel, and

Litice Castle Litice Castle (german: Lititz) is a castle in Záchlumí municipality in the Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. History The steep slopes of the foothills of the Orlické Mountains gave the advantage of a st ...

, which became his headquarters and which was the reason he sometimes called himself ''Lord at Litice''. He inherited his father's Moravian estates jointly with his older brother Boček III of Poděbrady. His youngest brother

Hynek Hynek is both a Czech masculine given name and a surname. It is a pet form of the name Henry. Notable people with the name include: Surname * J. Allen Hynek (1910–1986), American astronomer, professor, and ufologist * Joel Hynek, visual effect ...

inherited Poděbrady Castle and the associated estate. The eldest brother, John, died during his father's lifetime, sometime between 1407 and 1409. Victor and Boček III fought several court cases about their Moravian possessions, among others with their distant relatives Gerald Puška of Kunštát and Smil of Kunštát at Bludov. Around 1420, Victor acquired the dominion of

, which extended his eastern Bohemia possessions considerably. His brother Hynek died in 1426 during the battle of

Nymburk Nymburk (; german: Nimburg, Neuenburg an der Elbe) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 15,000 inhabitants. It is situated on the Elbe River. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an ...

. After Hynek's death, Victor inherited his dominion of Poděbrady, and also Mydlovar Castle, which Hynek had taken illegally in 1425. Like his brothers Victor supported the

. In 1420 he participated in the siege of

Vyšehrad Vyšehrad (Czech for "upper castle") is a historic fort in Prague, Czech Republic, just over 3 km southeast of Prague Castle, on the east bank of the Vltava River. It was probably built in the 10th century. Inside the fort are the Basilica ...

in part and joined the

Orebites The Orebites ( cz, Orebité) or Hradecti were followers of the Hussites in Eastern Bohemia. The founders took part in the procession on Mount Oreb, near Třebechovice pod Orebem and Hradec. Later, most noble supporters belonged to the East Bohemi ...

. Early in 1422 he approached

Jan Žižka Jan Žižka z Trocnova a Kalicha ( en, John Zizka of Trocnov and the Chalice; 1360 – 11 October 1424) was a Czech general – a contemporary and follower of Jan Hus and a Radical Hussite who led the Taborites. Žižka was a successful milita ...

, and became his supporter and friend. For this reason Litice was besieged in 1421 by the armies of the princes and catholic nobles who sided with emperor

Sigismund Sigismund (variants: Sigmund, Siegmund) is a German proper name, meaning "protection through victory", from Old High German ''sigu'' "victory" + ''munt'' "hand, protection". Tacitus latinises it ''Segimundus''. There appears to be an older form of ...

. After Žižka's death, Victor lead the

Sirotčí The Sirotci ("Orphans"; german: Waisen), officially Orphans' Union ( cz, Sirotčí svaz), were followers of a radical wing of the Hussites in Bohemia. Founded in 1423 originally under the name Lesser Tábor, it consisted mostly of poorer burghers ...

for a while, but then he sided with the more moderate citizens of Prague. From his marriage with Anna of Wartenberg ( cz, Anna z Vartenberka; born: 1403; died: 1459), he had three children: *

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

(1420–1471), who became King of Bohemia in 1458 * Alžběta (1422–1501), married Jindřich z Dubé a Lipé * Markéta (1425–1476), married Bohuslav ze Žeberka a Plané Victor died on 1 January 1427 at his Pardubice Castle. Soon after his death, Jan Hlaváč of Ronov claimed both the castle and the eponymous estate.

References

* Felcman Ondrej, Radek Fukala et al.: ''Poděbradové. Rod českomoravských pánů, kladských hrabat a sleszkých knížat'', Nakladatelství Lidové Noviny, 2008, .

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Victor of Kunstat and Podebrady Podiebrad family 1403 births 1427 deaths