Prince Zdeněk Vojtěch Popel of Lobkowicz (also Zdenko Adalbert Popel of Lobkowitz; 15 August 1568 – 16 June 1628) was a Czech noble and High Chancellor of Bohemia.

Biography

Zdeněk came from the Popel of Lobkowicz branch of the

Lobkowicz family The House of Lobkowicz (''Lobkovicové'' in modern Czech, sg. ''z Lobkovic''; ''Lobkowitz'' in German) is an important Bohemian noble family that dates back to the 14th century and is one of the oldest noble families of the region. Over the cent ...

. His parents were Ladislav Popel of Lobkowitz and Johanna

Berka of Dubá Berka of Dubá () was a cadet branch of a Bohemian noble family of Lords of Dubá established by Hynek Berka of Dubá (1249–1306). It held estates in what is today the Czech Republic and Saxony in Germany throughout the Middle Ages. Ancestors ...

. After an education with the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

and at

Charles University Charles University (CUNI; , UK; ; ), or historically as the University of Prague (), is the largest university in the Czech Republic. It is one of the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest universities in the world in conti ...

in Prague, he undertook educational journeys through Europe. Upon his return, he entered the diplomatic service at the Imperial court in Prague in 1591. When Emperor

Rudolf II Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–1608). He was a member of the H ...

, at the urging of the Pope, began filling the Bohemian provincial offices in 1599 with Catholics who had distinguished themselves in the re-Catholicization process, or who had received a strict Catholic education, Zdeněk was appointed Supreme Chancellor of the Kingdom of Bohemia. The articulate and well-educated Zdeněk thus became the secular leader of the Catholics of the Bohemian nobility and a staunch opponent of the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

. After his marriage in 1603, he lived in the

Lobkowicz Palace The Lobkowicz Palace () is a part of the Prague Castle complex in Prague, Czech Republic. It is the only privately owned building in the Prague Castle complex and houses the Lobkowicz Collections and Museum. The palace was built in the second h ...

in Prague. When Emperor Rudolf granted religious freedom to the Protestant estates in a

Letter of Majesty The Letter of Majesty (1609) was a 17th-century European document, reluctantly signed by Rudolf II in his capacity as king of Bohemia, granting religious tolerance to both Protestant and Catholic citizens living in the estates of Bohemia. The l ...

in 1609, Zdeněk sided with the Catholic opposition of the Bohemian lords and refused to sign it. Under Emperor Matthias, he was able to maintain his leading position in Bohemia. Since 1598, Zdeněk had been in close contact with Bishop Melchior Khlesl, who led Matthias's government since the spring of 1609. Later, Zdeněk had problems with Khlesl's policy of compromise as the Emperor's favorite minister. In 1617, he was among the supporters of the coronation of Ferdinand II as King of Bohemia and managed to divide the opposition. He escaped the

Defenestration of Prague The Defenestrations of Prague (, , ) were three incidents in the history of Bohemia in which people were defenestrated (thrown out of a window). Though already existing in Middle French, the word ''defenestrate'' is believed to have first been us ...

in 1618, because he was in Vienna at the time for negotiations at the imperial court. Even after the

Battle of White Mountain The Battle of White Mountain (; ) 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 next three hundred years. It was fought on 8 November 16 ...

, he remained primarily at the imperial court in Vienna. As chancellor, he advocated to commute death sentences into long prison terms, in the punishment of those involved in the

Bohemian Revolt The Bohemian Revolt (; ; 1618–1620) was an uprising of the Kingdom of Bohemia, Bohemian Estates of the realm, estates against the rule of the Habsburg dynasty that began the Thirty Years' War. It was caused by both religious and power dispu ...

and opposed the confiscation of property. His political influence diminished as a result. In 1621, after the death of his brother Ladislav, he inherited the

Holešov Holešov (; ) is a town in Kroměříž District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 12,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre with the castle complex is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. Administra ...

estate. After the Battle of White Mountain, he was able to acquire the estates of

Bystřice pod Hostýnem Bystřice pod Hostýnem (; ) is a town in Kroměříž District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,000 inhabitants. Administrative division Bystřice pod Hostýnem consists of five municipal parts (in brackets population acc ...

, Prusinovice, and

Dřevohostice Dřevohostice is a market town in Přerov District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,500 inhabitants. Geography Dřevohostice is located about east of Přerov and southeast of Olomouc. It lies in the Moravian-Silesian F ...

, which had previously belonged to Václav Bítovský of Bítov, confiscated from the Protestants. In 1620, he became a Knight in the

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece (, ) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in 1430 in Brugge by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy, Isabella of Portugal. T ...

. In 1623, Ferdinand II elevated him to the rank of first Prince of Lobkowicz.

Marriage and children

In 1603, Zdeněk married Polyxena of Pernštejn, widow of

William of Rosenberg William of Rosenberg (; 10 March 1535 – 31 August 1592) was a Bohemian nobleman. He served as High Treasurer and Supreme Burgrave of Bohemia, High Burgrave of Bohemia. Life William of Rosenberg was a member of the influential noble House of ...

, who was considered one of the richest widows in Bohemia. From the inheritance of her Spanish mother, Maria Manrique de Lara, she also possessed the later famous statue of the

Infant Jesus of Prague The Infant Jesus of Prague (: ) is a 16th-century wax-coated wooden statue of the Child Jesus holding a ''globus cruciger'' of Spanish origin, now located in the Discalced Carmelite Church of Our Lady of Victories in Malá Strana, Prague, C ...

, which she donated to the Carmelites in Prague for public veneration. The marriage produced one son: * Václav Eusebius of Lobkowicz (1609–1677), his heir and successor

Sources

Deutsche Nationalbibliothek

BLKÖ:Popel-Lobkowitz, Zdenko Adalbert
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lobkowicz, Zdeněk Vojtech Popel of 1568 births 1628 deaths 16th-century people from Bohemia 17th-century people from Bohemia Knights of the Golden Fleece Chamberlains of the Emperor of Austria Austrian princes Lobkowicz family Czech nobility Habsburg Bohemian nobility