Zavis from Falkenstein

Zavis came from an influential family of Vitkovichi from Krumlov , a branch of the feudal clan Vitkovichi , who owned Chesky-Krumlov . In his youth, Zavish was the Burggrave of the Krumlov Castle and on the coat of arms wore an image of a green Krumlov rose of five petals on a silver field, which, in memory of his mother’s family nest - the Bavarian Falkenstein - was decorated with a falcon (the name Falkenshtein is translated from German as the Falcon Rock ), respectively having changed his name, the title Zavish from Krumlov to Zavish from Falkenstein .

The Witkowicz clan had a great influence at the court of Czech kings, but their relationship with the royal family deteriorated when King Przemysl Otakar II founded the Trnov Monastery (later known as Zlatokorunsky Monastery) near the Krumlov Castle and gave it extensive land allotments along the Czech-Austrian border. Vitkovichi considered this an illegal invasion of their estates and in 1276 - 1277 rebelled. Zavish attacked the monastery and burned it to the ground, after which the Vitkovichi were forced to flee and seek protection from the wrath of Otakar from the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf of Habsburg .

After the death of Otakar II in the battle of Sukhoi Krut, his wife Kunguta Galitskaya asked Otton V , Margrave of Brandenburg , to take custody of her and her son Wenceslas . In 1279 they settled in Bezdez Castle with their influential relative, who kept them hostage. Kunigund managed to escape and hide in the Opava land in his widow's castle in Hradec nad Moravici .

Zavis from Falkenstein arrived in Hradec nad Moravici and offered his help to the queen. By this time he was a widower. The name and identity of his late wife are unknown. Zavish had a daughter from this marriage, who later married Gink Krushin from Lichtenberk.

Detailed evidence of the meeting of Kunguta with Zavis was left by one of the most famous medieval Czech chronicles (Chronicon Aulae regiae) - Zbraslavsky chronicle:

“In the days of this, a pan from the Czech Republic named Zavish, of which King Otakar blamed him for condemnation of the exile, gave him all kinds of households with his reproach of eternal exile, and refused to return home. He, after the death of Otakarova, met Queen Kunguta, who was on Morava, met a hunter who was not so in the services, but in conversations, who was the most trusted knights of life, he rested. He claimed that he would take away his places again and would easily get his city back if he achieved close friendship with the Queen of Grace. Anyway, women's thoughts change easily, and the queen, by the tricks of his sorcery, began to love him greatly, having forgiven him from her heart for what she had done wrong with the king, placed him over others in her squad . ”

In 1281, the Queen appointed Zavis the Burggrave of the castle of Hradec nad Moravici. In the same year they had a son, Jan , nicknamed Yeshek. After returning to the Czech Republic the young king Vaclav Zavis was able to achieve his location and became his second father.

Under the influence of Zavis, the former leaders, Tobias from Bechine and Purkart from Janowice , whom he replaced with his relatives or friends, were removed from public administration. Brother Zavisha Vitek from Krumlov became subcomfort (the highest manager of the royal cities), another Vitkovich Oir from Lomnice became the highest comrade, and the wife of his sister Groznat from Uzice became the Prague burggrave . Falkenstein himself concentrated all power in the Czech kingdom in his hands and was a kind of unofficial viceroy.

The same chronicle narrates:

“When the king was silent, he himself spoke and single-handedly decided the affairs of the whole kingdom, they were always more afraid of him than the king, he installed everything himself, everyone listened to him self-united”

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Falkenstein, first of all, again strengthened in the Czech Republic, torn by strife and riots and issued to the looting of foreign soldiers royal power.

The former intercessor of Zavis, Emperor Rudolf of Habsburg, also had plans for the heir to the Czech crown. According to the earlier agreements with the Otakar, and later updated by Kunguta on the marriage union of the Habsburgs and Przemyslovich , in the beginning of 1285 , in the city of Cheb , the wedding of the thirteen-year-old Czech king Wenceslas II with his coeval daughter Rudolf Habsburg - Guta took place .

In May of that year, another wedding took place in Prague . Queen Kunguta remarried her lover Zawisha. The marriage union was officially sealed. According to the testimony of the Viennese chronicler, the wedding happened after the feast of the Holy Trinity, that is, May 20. His consent was given by the young King Wenceslas himself. As the Zbraslav Chronicle narrates:

“Zavis, turning to the king with honey-sweet speeches, asked that he give him Kungutu as his legal wife. The king, still young, thinking that it was suitable, easily satisfied the latter’s request, and his mother, who liked it too, following the wishes of both, publicly betrothed Zavish, so that they would come together in an illegal union after majesty (celebration) legal marriage, then they lived together according to the law ”

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However, the marriage did not last long. On September 9, 1285 , the queen died. Kunguta died most likely from tuberculosis . According to the chroniclers, the proof of this was a too bright blush on her face and the fact that her son Czech King Wenceslas II died of the same illness in 1305 .

In the situation of Zavis, however, nothing has changed. The young king Wenceslas II still trusted him and saw him as his second father.

After some time, the vain knight again began to look for a bride. In search of a counterweight to the close relations of the Czech Republic with the Habsburgs, with the consent of Wenceslas II, he chose Elzbiet Kumanska, the sister of King Laszlo IV Kun , who at that time was a nun of the monastery on the island of Margit . Zavisha stole her from there with the help of his squad.

The wedding of Zavish with the Magyar princess took place in the fortress of Budin above the Danube. Then he arbitrarily appropriated the title of Duke of Opava, on the grounds that in Hradec near Opava he took care of Queen Kungut. With this act, he added to the list of his enemies the true title holder of the Duke of Opava Mikulas , the elder half-brother of Wenceslas II, the son of Przemysl Otakar II and his mistress Anezhka from Kuenring, who had recently been freed from Habsburg captivity.

Zavis was absent in the Czech Republic for a long time, living in Hungary with a new wife. And these took advantage of his enemies. Vaclav II was completely influenced by his opponents, led by Bishop Tobias and half-brother Mikulas.

A few months later, Zavish and his wife returned to the Czech Republic, but found that his relatives had been expelled from key government posts. Then he preferred to settle in the royal fortress of Svojanov on the Czech-Moravian borderlands and so far carefully wait.

In May 1289 , his wife Elzbieta gave birth to a son, and Falkenstein decided to take advantage of this to call two kings to his christening at once: his Hungarian brother-in-law Laszlo IV and Czech Wenceslas II.

The rest of the chronicle says:

“Then King Wenceslas, having strengthened himself in the Lord so as to try for himself and the whole kingdom about the world, set Zavis to be imprisoned in prison and pretending that he could not go to the christening without Zavishov escorting him to send him to come to Prague. Meanwhile, the king called the nobles more than the others who had given him to come secretly for him, but he announced his intentions not without great fear, asking everyone to secretly keep their suppressor in front of the enemy, and they themselves came with help. Not so inspired by their advice as supported by their help, he secretly prepared a squad that he could collect, and Zavis, when he returned to him, on Prague Castle, believing in the Lord, gave captivity, so that godlessness would tame him with prison fear, and treasures and signs the royal, which he possessed, took from his hands. "

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When the news of the capture of Zawisha reached southern Bohemia , the Vitkivtsi rebelled, captured the cities of Pelgřímov and Tyn over the Vltava, belonging to the leader of the opponents of Zavisz, Bishop Tobias, and besieged the royal city of Ceske Budejovice . Some rebels immediately offered the Czech crown to Wroclaw Prince Henrik IV . The royal army went to pacify the rebels, the command of which was taken by Mikulas Opavsky . On the cart, he carried Zavish, bound in shackles .

The army with the captive went along all the once royal fortresses, which the Vitkovites and their supporters subjugated to themselves during Zavish's stay in the place of the Viceroy. Stopping in front of each of them, Mikulash offered change. Otherwise, he threatened that Zavish would be executed. The threat was effective, and the Vitkivtsi surrendered one fortress after another.

Only in front of the Hluboká Fortress (Wroburg), its owner, the younger brother Zavisha Vitek, refused to believe the threats. According to the chronicle, the tied Zavish himself shouted to his brother under the fortress wall that he would rather die, if only the fortress did not give up.

On August 24, 1290, after three times repeated call to surrender and subsequent three-time refusal, Mikulash Opavsky exponentially executed Zavish. On the execution of Witkowiec in the chronicle literally says:

“When the friends of Zavishov, who lived at the top of the city themselves refused to extradite, (Mikulash), depending on the hedge of that city ... ordered to be beheaded”

Vitek was able to hold the fortress and in response to the death of his brother ordered to cut off the head of the bishop Tobias captured by him. But nevertheless he surrendered with the guarantee of giving him the opportunity to leave the kingdom abroad. Witek went to Poland, where he continued his resistance to Wenceslas II , who claimed the Polish crown. As a result, he was still captured and executed.

• Vitkovichi from Krumlov
• Cross of the Depend

• Galek, Vitezslav . Zavis from Falkenstein 1860
• Šusta J., Záviš z Falkenštejna, in Úvahy a drobné práce historické, Praha 1934.
• Hádek C., Konec Přemyslovců v Čechách Praha 2006.
• Anna Kubíková: Rožmberské kroniky. Krátky a summovní výtah od Václava Březana . České Budějovice 2005. ISBN 80-86829-10-3 , S. 80-85
• Jan Bauer. Secrets of Czech fortresses and castles. Publisher Accent.

• Zavis from Falkenstein (1250-1290) (inaccessible link)