Witiko of Prčice

Witiko of Prčice (also Witiko I of Prčice; Veit of Prčitz, first name also Witek; Witko, Witigo; Witego; predicate by Purschitz, from Prschitz; Latin Witego de Purschitz; Czech Vítek z Prčice; Vitek I. z Prčice; Vitek nejstarší; * before 1120, † 1194) was a Bohemian nobleman who was in the service of the ruling Přemyslids. He is considered the founding father of the Witigonen, branching out among his sons in four branches of the family.

Life

Witikos origin and date of birth are not known. His title " of Prčice " (from Purschitz ) derives from Prčice at Sedlec. He was first mentioned in 1134. For 1165, it is detected as cupbearer and from 1169 to 1175 as a steward at the court of the Duke Vladislav II. From this he was sent in winter 1172 along with the Bishop of Prague, Frederick I with two diplomatic missions to the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. In 1177 he was Viscount of Glatz. In 1179 he is said to have taken part in the Battle of Loděnice, which was fought between the Dukes Vladislav II and Friedrich. Since 1181, the German form of the name " Witigo " is next to the hitherto common names " Vitek ", which is a diminutive of Vít ( Veit ), survived.

1184 he was appointed viscount of Prácheň ( Castellan de Prahen ). Presumably, in this position, he acquired extensive lands in South and Central Bohemia. In 1185 he was present when the Weitraer territory that belonged to Bohemia at the time, was awarded to the Kuenringer. As in 1189 on the court day in Sadská by Duke Konrad III. the Bohemian land law was codified, he also appeared as a witness.

His extensive estates he bequeathed to his four sons, who founded their own branches of the family:

• Witiko the Elder. Prčice ( Vitek starší z Prčice; Vitek II ), occupied from 1213 to 1236; Founder of the line Krumlov, went out in 1302.
• Witiko of Prčice and Blankenberg ( Vitek Mladší z Prčice az Blank Berka; Vitek III z Prčice az Blank Berka. ); founded the line of the Rosenbergs, went over the possessions of the extinct Krumlov line to the 1302. With Peter Wok von Rosenberg, this line became extinct 1611.
• Henry I of Neuhaus; Founder of the family branch of the Lords of Hradec, which became extinct in 1604.
• Witiko of Klokot ( Vitek z Klokot; Vitek IV ), occupied from 1220 to 1234; Founder of the line of country rock or Witingau that went out in 1381.

Roman hero

1867 published Adalbert Stifter, who was a connoisseur of the Czech history of the Middle Ages and even came from Bohemia, the historical novel Witiko. The protagonist of the novel is Witiko of Prčice, he tried to present as authentic as possible.

Legend

The origin of the Witigonen of the Roman family of the Italian Orsini is not occupied and belongs to the realm of legend. She came from the fact that constructed a fictitious genealogical descent from the Princes Orsini Ulrich von Rosenberg to increase the prestige of the Rosenbergs. It was confirmed 1469-1481 at the request of Ulrich's sons John and Jost of three members of the Orsini family. The legend was after 1594 by the Rosenberg Hofchronisten and archivist Václav Březan taken up in his " Monumenta Rosenbergica " and disseminated by it. In 1609 she took on Březan in the brief and summary excerpt from the Rosenberg Chronicle. There Witiko relevant heading in Chapter I, is therefore misleading: " O knížeti vlaském Vítkovi, kterýž se nejprv do těchto krajin dostal " ( The Italian Duke Witiko, which came first in this country).