The lords of Lobkowicz and Hassenstein in the late middle ages

The modern prince family of Lobkowicz243 has its roots in North Bohemia several hundred years ago. This diploma work deals with the general history and cultural meaning of this family in Late Middle Ages, concretely in the course of 15th century and at the beginning of the following century. This work consists of three chapters. The first one is concerned with the history of the Lobkowiczs in its first five generations (14th-16th centuries). Rare information about the first known members of the family are dated to the end of the rule of the Emperor Charles IV. The Lobkowiczs belonged to lower nobility and were known as lairds of Újezd.244 Martin (commonly Mareš) of Újezd had three sons: Blaze (Blažej or Blažek), Wenceslas (Václav) and Nicolas (Mikuláš). The oldest Blaze died early and Wenceslas was a priest, so it was only the youngest son Nicolas who could secure the maintenance of the family. Nicolas of Lobkowicz, a man of high intellectual skills, a talented diplomat and politician, gained confidence of Wenceslas IV, King of Bohemia, and kept a close connection to the royal court. It was him who bought the village and fort Lobkovice in 1410, that gave name to the family. A few years later he had also gained the castle Hassenstein in North-West Bohemia and Hluboká in South Bohemia, which supported the..