Oldřich II of Rosenberg (Czech: ; 13 January 1403 – 28 April 1462) was an important

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

n nobleman who, after the

Battle of Lipany The Battle of Lipany (), also called the Battle of Český Brod, was fought at Lipany 40 km east of Prague on 30 May 1434 and virtually ended the Hussite Wars. An army of moderate Hussite (or Calixtine) nobility and Catholics, called the ...

, became a recognized leader of the Catholic lords in Bohemia.

Biography

Oldřich II increased the power of the

Rosenberg family The House of Rosenberg ( or ''Páni 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 royal (and ...

after taking advantage of the weakening royal power 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 Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, a ...

. Oldřich was initially sympathetic for the Hussite movement, a position influenced by his guardian

Čeněk of Wartenberg Čeněk of Wartenberg (; ; c. 137917 September 1425) was a commander of the Royalist Bohemian forces at the start of the Hussite Wars. Up until the first half of 1420 he was a commander of the Utraquist League, a moderate fraction of the Hussi ...

. However, after the Hussites burned down the town of

Sezimovo Ústí Sezimovo Ústí (; ) is a town in Tábor District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,100 inhabitants. Etymology The name literally means "Sezima's river mouth". Geography Sezimovo Ústí is urbanistically fused wi ...

in 1420 and founded

Tábor Tábor (; ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 34,000 inhabitants, making it the second most populated town in the region. The town was founded by the Hussites in 1420. The historic town centre is well pres ...

on the very northern border of the , Oldřich became a leading ally of

Emperor Sigismund Sigismund of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 – 9 December 1437) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death in 1437. He was elected King of Germany (King of the Romans) in 1410, and was also King of Bohemia from 1419, as well as prince-elect ...

and acted as a negotiator and diplomat. Sigismund appointed him governor of the

Bechyně Bechyně (; ) is a town in Tábor District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,800 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, ur ...

region and

Prácheňsko Prácheňsko (; ) is a historical and cultural region in the Czech Republic, covering roughly the Otava River basin, mostly in the northwest part of South Bohemia. It was an administrative region in southwestern Bohemia, created in the late 13th c ...

. Oldřich II was defeated in the

Battle of Tábor The Battle of Tábor took place in the early morning hours of 30 June 1420 in a locality between and the Lužnice near the walls of a newly emerging Hussite village called Tábor. Between 3,000 and 9,000 Taborites, including women and childre ...

and in the near modern-day Malý Bor, and participated in the

Battle of Vyšehrad The Battle of Vyšehrad was a series of engagements at the start of the Hussite War between Hussite forces and Catholic crusaders sent by Emperor Sigismund. The battle took place at the castle of Vyšehrad from 16 August 1419 to c. 1 November 1 ...

in 1420. He found later military success in the

in 1434 and saw to the destruction of the remaining Hussite forces at the Battle of Křeč in 1435. During the 15th century, the Rosenberg State dominated almost the entire area of southern Bohemia. In addition to property gains, Oldřich II forged documents stating the Rosenberg family was to receive special privileges from the monarchy. He counterfeited wax seals and amended original documents. A set of documents, allegedly issued by

Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV (; ; ; 14 May 1316 – 29 November 1378''Karl IV''. In: (1960): ''Geschichte in Gestalten'' (''History in figures''), vol. 2: ''F–K''. 38, Frankfurt 1963, p. 294), also known as Charles of Luxembourg, born Wenceslaus (, ), was H ...

in 1360, claimed the indivisibility of the Rosenberg State and the establishment of the title of Governor of the House of Rosenberg. These claims were fully legalized in 1493 after approval by the

Bohemian Diet The Bohemian Diet (, ) was the parliament of the Kingdom of Bohemia within the Austro-Hungarian Empire between 1861 and Czechoslovak independence in 1918. The Diet during the Absolutist Period In 1471, the Bohemian estates elected the Ja ...

and entry in the land records. They were observed until the extinction of the Rosenberg family on November 6, 1611. Oldřich II also falsified a legend about the origin of the Rosenbergs from the ancient

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

family Ursini. Together with the Italian

Orsini family The House of Orsini is an Nobility of Italy, Italian noble family that was one of the most influential princely families in Middle Ages, medieval Italy and Renaissance Rome. Members of the Orsini family include five popes: Pope Stephen II, Step ...

, they reached an agreement confirming their fictional common origin. Oldřich II was likely a member of the

Order of the Dragon The Order of the Dragon (, literally "Society of the Dragonists") was a Chivalric order#Monarchical or dynastical orders, monarchical chivalric order only for selected higher aristocracy and monarchs,Florescu and McNally, ''Dracula, Prince of M ...

. He was later depicted in the 1956 film ''

Against All "None of the above" (NOTA), or none for short, also known as "against all" or a "scratch" vote, is a ballot option in some jurisdictions or organizations, designed to allow the voter to indicate disapproval of the candidates in a voting system ...

'' and played by .

Biography

References

Further reading