Magnates and their honours · Kingdom of Bohemia · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Vítkovci

The kindred that will dominate south Bohemia is still young in 1200.

Its founder Vítek of Prčice rose in the dukes' service (steward, castellan of Kladsko and of Prácheň) and died in 1194. His sons hold the family's estates round Prčice in the hills south of Prague, with Sepekov, Klokoty by the later Tábor, Načeradec and Skalice, an outlying estate at Nechanice near Hradec in the east, and, across the Austrian frontier, Blankenberg on the Große Mühl in the Mühlviertel. Their great castles and towns of the south (Krumlov, Rožmberk, Hradec, Třeboň, Landštejn) belong to the next generation, before or about the middle of the thirteenth century; on 1 January 1200 the southern forest towards Austria is still largely the king's.

Who he is

Name
The sons of Vítek of Prčice (died 1194): Vítek the Elder (later of Krumlov), Vítek of Blankenberg (later of Rožmberk), Vítek of Klokoty (later of Landštejn), Henry (Jindřich, later of Hradec; his parentage is not stated in the source) and Sezima of Ústí (illegitimate). Which of them is of age and who leads the kindred on 1 January 1200 is not pinned.
Title
Lords of Prčice (the kindred of the rose)
Since
1194 (father's death)
Born
Not pinned
Family
Vítek of Prčice (died 1194) was the duke's steward (Truchsess, dapifer) 1169-1176, castellan of Kladsko in 1177 and castellan of Prácheň from 1184 (de.wikipedia, Witigonen). The sons founded the lines of Krumlov, Rožmberk, Landštejn and Hradec in the next generation.
Confidence
medium

de.wikipedia (Witigonen) lists the holdings at the turn of the twelfth to the thirteenth century: Prčice (attested 1179), Sepekov, Klokoty, Načeradec and Skalice in south Bohemia, Nechanice in east Bohemia, and Blankenberg in Austria with land along the left bank of the Große Mühl down to the Danube, acquired probably by the son Vítek about 1192. The first dated mention of a son in that source is 1213.

Overlord

Ottokar I, king of Bohemia; for Blankenberg, the Austrian or Passau side (aus and sal)

What it holds

  • Prčice (attested 1179), the family seat
  • Sepekov, Klokoty (by Tábor), Načeradec and Skalice in south and central Bohemia
  • Nechanice in east Bohemia (by Hradec Králové)
  • Blankenberg in the Mühlviertel with land along the Große Mühl to the Danube (probably acquired about 1192): outside Bohemia, for aus and sal
  • Not yet: Krumlov, Rožmberk, Hradec (Jindřichův Hradec), Třeboň, Landštejn, Nové Hrady

How it was acquired

Ducal service and grants to Vítek of Prčice from the 1160s; the Austrian holding by purchase or grant about 1192.

Allies and rivals

Royal servants by tradition; their expansion south into the frontier forest brings them up against the Austrian lords (the Kuenringer at Weitra) and the bishop of Passau later.

How things stand that morning

Held by the sons of Vítek of Prčice; no conflict recorded.

Wealth

Farm land and forest; the Austrian estate on the Mühl.

Military

Their following; no castles of their own pinned for 1200 beyond the seat at Prčice.

Places of note

  • Prčice: Family seat, attested 1179
  • Nechanice: Outlying estate in east Bohemia
  • Blankenberg: Austrian estate on the Große Mühl (aus and sal)

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Vítek's career and death are dated; the sons appear in charters only from about 1213, and the holdings of 1200 are those listed by de.wikipedia for the turn of the century.

On the map: Approximate: the source lists estates, not bounds.

Primary sources for Kingdom of Bohemia (Ottokar I)

Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.

Sources and studies

  1. Witigonen (de.wikipedia)

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.