Witiko or Vitico of Prčice (, ; c. 11201194) was a

Bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, originally practised by 19th–20th century European and American artists and writers. * Bohemian style, a ...

nobleman and liensman of the

Přemyslid dynasty The Přemyslid dynasty or House of Přemysl (, , ) was a Bohemian royal dynasty that reigned in the Duchy of Bohemia and later Kingdom of Bohemia and Margraviate of Moravia (9th century–1306), as well as in parts of Poland (including Silesia ...

. He was the ancestor 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 ...

family and the subject of the historical novel '' Witiko'' by

Adalbert Stifter Adalbert Stifter (; 23 October 1805 – 28 January 1868) was a Bohemian- Austrian writer, poet, painter, and pedagogue. He was notable for the vivid natural landscapes depicted in his writing and has long been popular in the German-speaking wo ...

published in 1867.Jahrbuch des A.-Stifter-Institutes No. 14 Adalbert Stifter-Institut des Landes Oberösterreich - 2007 "Offenbar wollte Stifter nun eine neunbändige Trilogie über die Zeit der Rosenberger schreiben, zunächst über den im Jahre 1194 verstorbenen Vitek (deutsch Witiko), dann über den unglücklichen, im Jahre 1290 hingerichteten Zävis und ..."

Life

A noble ''Vítek'' (

diminutive A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment, and sometimes to belittle s ...

from ''Vít'', Vitus) descending from Prčice south of

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 ...

was first documented in an 1134 deed. An alleged relation 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 ...

, as claimed by his descendants

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

(1434–1472) and Jošt of Rosenberg (1430–1467), has not been established. In 1165 he appeared as a

cup-bearer A cup-bearer was historically an officer of high rank in royal courts, whose duty was to pour and serve the drinks at the royal table. On account of the constant fear of plots and intrigues (such as poisoning), a person had to be regarded as thor ...

, from 1169 to 1175 as

seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...

at the court of Duke Vladislaus II of Bohemia. In the winter of 1172 he accompanied the

Bishop of Prague The following is a list of bishops and archbishops of Prague. The bishopric of Prague was established in 973, and elevated to an archbishopric on 30 April 1344. The current Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Prague is the continual successor of the bis ...

on two diplomatic missions to Emperor

Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (; ), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death in 1190. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March 115 ...

. In 1177 he served as a

burgrave Burgrave, also rendered as burggrave (from , ), was since the medieval period in Europe (mainly Germany) the official title for the ruler of a castle, especially a royal or episcopal castle, and its territory called a ''Burgraviate'' or ''Burgr ...

in Kladsko near the border with

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. He also fought in the struggle for the Bohemian throne between Duke Vladislaus' eldest son

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Given name Nobility = Anhalt-Harzgerode = * Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) = Austria = * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fro ...

(''Bedřich'') and his Přemyslid cousin

Soběslav II Soběslav (; ) is a town in Tábor District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,100 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. Administrative division Soběs ...

. In 1184 Vitico was appointed burgrave in

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 ...

and was able to acquire extended estates in

South Bohemia The South Bohemian Region () is an administrative unit (''kraj'') of the Czech Republic, located mostly in the southern part of its historical land of Bohemia, with a small part in southwestern Moravia. The western part of the South Bohemian Reg ...

. He again appeared at the court of Duke

Conrad II Conrad II (, – 4 June 1039), also known as and , was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad ruled the kingdom ...

in 1189. Through his four sons, he was the progenitor of several Vítkovci branches, among them the

House of Rosenberg 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 ...

(''Rožmberk'').

References

Year of birth unknown 1194 deaths 12th-century people from Bohemia Nobility from medieval Bohemia People from Příbram District {{czech-stub