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 Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

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

Kingdom of Bohemia The Kingdom of Bohemia (), sometimes referenced in English literature as the Czech Kingdom, was a History of the Czech lands in the High Middle Ages, medieval and History of the Czech lands, early modern monarchy in Central Europe. It was the pr ...

. This branch of the

Vítkovci The Vítkovci () were a Czech noble clan from southern 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 Czech ...

clan was initially founded by Vítek III, the son of

Witiko of Prčice Witiko or Vitico of Prčice (, ; c. 11201194) was a Duchy of Bohemia, Bohemian nobleman and liensman of the Přemyslid dynasty. He was the ancestor of the Vítkovci family and the subject of the historical novel ''Witiko (novel), Witiko'' by Adalb ...

History

Around 1250, the Vítkovci clan settled at the

Rožmberk Castle Rožmberk () 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 Vltava. It was first mentioned ...

in the region of

Český Krumlov Český Krumlov (; , ''Böhmisch Krumau'') is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 13,000 inhabitants. It is known as a tourist centre, which is among the most visited places in the country. The historic centre ...

, 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 1253 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 ( ; ; ) 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 ...

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 last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

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 14 October 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 com ...

held the post of the superior chamberlain at the court of

John of Bohemia John of Bohemia, also called the Blind or of Luxembourg (; ; ; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of Poland. He is well known for having died while fighting ...

. 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 () was an opposition group of feudal nobles dissatisfied with the rule of Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia, King of the Germans and the Romans and King of Bohemia. Lasting from 1394 to 1405, the goal of its members was to provide mutua ...

, being displeased during the reign of King

Wenceslaus IV Wenceslaus IV (also ''Wenceslas''; ; , nicknamed "the Idle"; 26 February 136116 August 1419), also known as Wenceslaus of Luxembourg, was King of Bohemia from 1378 until his death and King of Germany from 1376 until he was deposed in 1400. As he ...

. 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 th ...

who defended the interests of Bohemian catholic nobility and of

Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor 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 ...

, 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 Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, a ...

. 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 is typically dressed in a white dress or similar garment, reportedly seen in rural areas and associated with local legends of tragedy. White Lady legends are found in many count ...

" 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 masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

and

Peter Vok Peter Vok of Rosenberg (; 1 October 1539 – 6 November 1611) was a nobleman of the House of Rosenberg, descended from the Vítkovci. Rožmberk was a leading Protestant in the unsettled years before Battle of White Mountain. Life Peter Vok was b ...

, 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 Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg), Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–16 ...

. Peter Vok transferred his residence after the sale to

Třeboň Třeboň (; ) is a spa town in Jindřichův Hradec District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,300 inhabitants. The historic town centre with the castle complex is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monum ...

, 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 Rosenberg

History

See also

Further reading

External links