Count Wilhelm Kinsky von Wchinitz (; ; 1574 – 25 February 1634) 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' Places * Czech, ...

landowner and a statesman. By birth, he was member of the

House of Kinsky The House of Kinsky (formerly Vchynští, sg. ''Vchynský'' in Czech; later (in modern Czech) Kinští, sg. ''Kinský''; german: Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau) is a prominent Czech noble family originating from the Kingdom of Bohemia. During the ...

, which belonged to the highest circle of Bohemian aristocracy.

Early life

Wilhelm was born as the younger son of Johann Kinsky von Wchinitz, Burggraf of

Karlštejn Karlštejn Castle ( cs, hrad Karlštejn; german: Burg Karlstein) is a large Gothic castle founded in 1348 by Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor-elect and King of Bohemia. The castle served as a place for safekeeping the Imperial Regalia as well as ...

(1540-1590) and his wife, Anna Pauzar von Michnic (d. 1598), daughter of Johann Pauzar von Michnic.

Biography

In 1628, Wilhelm Kinsky was elevated to the rank of

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

in the Bohemian nobility when Wallenstein was elevated to

Duchy of Friedland Duchy of Friedland (Czech: ''Frýdlantské vévodství'', German: ''Herzogtum Friedland'') was a de facto sovereign duchy in Bohemia. It was created in 1627 and disappeared in 1634, after death of the ruler, Albrecht von Wallenstein (1582 - 163 ...

. As a rich landowner in Bohemia, Kinsky lived in exile at

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

after the

Battle of White Mountain The Battle of White Mountain ( cz, Bitva na Bílé hoře; german: Schlacht am Weißen Berg) was an important battle in the early stages of the Thirty Years' War. It led to the defeat of the Bohemian Revolt and ensured Habsburg control for the n ...

, because he was a

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

and, unlike the members of the Trčka family, had refused to convert to the

Catholic faith The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

but was allowed to regularly visit his Bohemian estates. Subsequently, together with his brother-in-law Adam Erdmann Trčka, he attempted to pull Wallenstein over to the Protestant and

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

side. Kinsky was assassinated 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 battle ...

, on 25 February 1634 at

Cheb Cheb (; german: Eger) is a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river Ohře. Before the 1945 expulsion of the German-speaking population, the town was the centre of the German-s ...

, together with Trčka and other officers loyal to the general and the Field Marshal himself, during the so-called Eger Bloodbath, a plot to purge the Imperial Army from

Albrecht von Wallenstein Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein () (24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein ( cs, Albrecht Václav Eusebius z Valdštejna), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Th ...

's supporters. Kinsky's estates, among them

Teplice Teplice () (until 1948 Teplice-Šanov; german: Teplitz-Schönau or ''Teplitz'') is a city in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 49,000 inhabitants. It is the second largest Czech spa town, after Karlovy Vary. The hi ...

, were confiscated by Emperor Ferdinand II.

Personal life

Wilhelm Kinsky married Countess Elisabeth Magdalena Trčka von Lípa, whose brother Adam Erdmann Trčka von Lípa was married with Countess Maximiliane von

Harrach The House of Harrach is an old and influential Bohemian and Austro-German noble family. The '' Grafen'' (Counts) of Harrach were among the most prominent families in the Habsburg Empire. As one of few mediatized families, it belongs to high nobili ...

, a sister of

s second wife. They had: * Count Adolf Ernst Kinsky von Wchinitz (d. after 1648); married Elisabeth Killgrew. They had: ** Count Wilhelm Leopold Kinsky von Wchinitz (d. 1709); married Franziska Rosalie Berka of Dubá. They had no issue * Count Ulrich Kinsky von Wchinitz (d. after 1648) * Count Philipp Moritz Kinsky von Wchinitz (d. after 1648)

References

Bibliography

Otto's encyclopedia ''Otto's encyclopedia'' ( cs, Ottova encyklopedie or ), published at the turn of the 20th century, is the largest encyclopedia written in Czech. For its scope and the quality of the writing, it is comparable to the greatest world encyclopedias of i ...

a

*
Official pages of the family Kinsky: ''Vilém Kinský a Albrecht Václav Eusebius z Valdštejna''

Joachim Whaley: ''Germany and the Holy Roman Empire:Volume I: Maximilian I to the Peace of Westphalia, 1493-1648'',Oxford University Press 2011

Hamish M. Scott: ''The European nobilities in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries'', Volume 2, Longman, 1995
1574 births 1634 deaths Bohemian nobility

Wilhelm Kinsky Wilhelm may refer to: People and fictional characters * William Charles John Pitcher, costume designer known professionally as "Wilhelm" * Wilhelm (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname Other uses * Mount ...

People from Cheb Assassinated nobility {{Czech-noble-stub