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 (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 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 monument (Czech Repub ...

) was a

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

, 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 upright=1.2, Battle between Hussites (left) and Crusades#Campaigns against heretics and schismatics, Catholic crusaders in the 15th century upright=1.2, The Lands of the Bohemian Crown during the Hussite Wars. The movement began during the Prag ...

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 (; ), was the sixteenth King of Bohemia, who ruled in 1458–1471. He was a leader of the Hussites, but moderate and tolerant toward 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''; or or ; or or ; died: 1417) may have been treasurer or even chief treasurer of Bohemia between 1377 and 1387. Between 1403 and 1408, he held the office of ("chief admi ...

and Anna Elisabeth of Leipa (), a daughter of Henry of Leipa (). 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 (; ) is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. It is known both as a tourist destination and centre of industry. The historic town centre with the castle complex is well preserved and i ...

and Hummel, and

Litice Castle Litice Castle () is a castle in Záchlumí (Ústí nad Orlicí District), Záchlumí municipality in the Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. The town Lititz, Pennsylvania, Lititz in Pennsylvania was named afte ...

, 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 Boček III of Poděbrady (also: ''Boček III of Kunštát and Poděbrady'', , or ''Boček III. z Kunštátu a Poděbrad'' or ''Boček mladší z Poděbrad''; died: 1429) was a Bohemian-Moravian nobleman and supporter of the Hussites. Life Boč ...

. 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 effects ...

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 (; ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. It is situated on the Elbe River. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Mo ...

. 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 (German: ''Wyschehrad,'' ''Prager Hochburg'', English: "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 1 ...

in part and joined the

Orebites The Orebites (), also called Lesser Taborites and later known as Sirotci ("Orphans"; ), officially Orphans' Union (), were followers of a radical wing of the Hussites in Bohemia. The founders took part in the procession on Mount Oreb, near T ...

. Early in 1422 he approached

Jan Žižka Jan Žižka z Trocnova a Kalicha (; 1360 – 11 October 1424) was a Czechs, Czech military leader and Knight who was a contemporary and follower of Jan Hus, and a prominent Radical Hussite who led the Taborites, Taborite faction during the Hu ...

, 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 Orebites (), also called Lesser Taborites and later known as Sirotci ("Orphans"; ), officially Orphans' Union (), were followers of a radical wing of the Hussites in Bohemia. The founders took part in the procession on Mount Oreb, near T� ...

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

George George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...

(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