Albrecht the Elder of Kolowrat

Albrecht the Elder of Kolowrat or Albrecht the older Lord of Kolowraty († July 5, 1391), founder of the Kolowrat family, the first documented member of the family.

He served as a governor in the Saxon Vogtland and as a marshal in the service of Queen Anna von Schweidnitz (wife of Charles IV), and as an assessor of the provincial and court fief courts. In 1347, he appears as a witness at the sale of the Rožmitál estate.

The origins of the Kolowrat family

The chronicler Dalimil considers the first ancestor of the Kolowrat family to be the prince of Lucany, Vlastislav, but this cannot be proven. According to tradition and a documentary forgery, the Kolowrat family dates back to the end of the 13th century and its cradle is the village of Kolovraty near Uhříněves, where the fortress used to stand. According to this forgery, Zosimír of Kolowrat and of Průhonice is mentioned in 1297. The genealogical succession of the lords of Kolowrat, documented in the charter, begins with Albrecht the Elder, who also had a sister, Přibyslava († 1379).

Thanks to the preserved and intact seal from 1378, it is evident that he used an eagle in his shield and had two eagle wings in his jewel, i.e. the same emblem that members of the Kolowrat family still use.

Career

Albrecht's name first appears in historical documents in 1347, when he is among the witnesses at the sale of Rožmitál pod Třemšínem Castle, and two years later he is listed as burgrave in Kadaň. From 1352 he was the owner of Ročov.

In 1355 he accompanied the Czech king to the imperial coronation in Rome. He experienced many adventures and dangers with him on the way. In Pisa, on the way back, they even had to fight for their lives against the rebels on June 21. At that time, he made a vow that if he survived, he would found a monastery of the Order of St. Augustine, which he later did.

In 1361–1362 he was marshal of Queen Anna von Schweidnitz. At that time, he was seated at Kornhaus (Mšec in Czech) and at Žehrovice. In 1362 he is also mentioned as the patron saint of the church in Hřivice, in 1380 he presented Mikuláš of Přimda as the parish priest of the church of Saints Simon and Jude in Hradiště.^[1] He is also mentioned in the villages of Očihov (1365), Bezděkov and Selmice (1368), Želeč (1369), and Vlčkova Lhota (1371). In 1373 he became the hetman of the crown fief of Milín. In the years 1374–1380 Albrecht of Kolowrat was the hetman of the Saxon Vogtland, and in the years 1381–1390 he was an assessor of the provincial and court fief court.

Founding of the monastery in Dolní Ročov

Albrecht the Elder of Kolowrat decided to found an Augustinian monastery in Dolní Ročov. On January 2, 1373, the intention to found the monastery was confirmed by Charles IV. and on April 1, 1374 by Pope Gregory XI in Avignon. On September 10, 1374, Albrecht agreed with the provincial of the Augustinian Hermit Order on the property security of the future monastery, on the personnel of the convent and on the duties of the monks. The founder undertook to build the monastery and secure it economically. However, he secured the right of disposal and supervision of the monastery estates for himself and his descendants.

On August 6, 1380, Albrecht of Kolowrat, together with his three sons Albrecht the Younger, Purkart and Herbort, issued a charter for the already existing monastery. They provided him with landed property, a salary and benefits in kind.

It is noteworthy that the duties of the monks included, within the framework of the five daily services, two masses for the sins of the Lord of Kolowrat and for all those whom he had harmed in some way. According to the monastery tradition, Albrecht also donated to the convent a Gothic marble statue of the Madonna with the Infant Jesus (1.25 m high), which is now located on the main altar in Dolní Ročov.

Family

Albrecht was married three times and had eight children with his wives. His first wife was a woman of unknown first name with the predicate from Hřivice. He had a son Ješek (mentioned in 1357, 1362, and 1363) and a daughter Anežka (mentioned in 1367). Anežka became a Benedictine nun at the monastery of St. George, where Ješek's only known daughter Kunhuta of Kolowrat, later abbess (in 1386–1401), also entered.^[2] However, by 1362, Albrecht's first wife was already dead.

He married for the second time Anna of Seeberg (Žeberka), also known as Anna of Slavětín (mentioned in 1375–1380). After the death of Anna of Seeberg, Albrecht married for the third time, this time to Anežka of Švamberk, sister of Bušek of Švamberk.

He and his second wife Anna longed for a male descendant. They had a dream independently of each other in which the Virgin Mary appeared to them. She revealed to them that they were to found a monastery near the Ročov fortress, in a place bordered by a golden thread. According to another version, the place was to be covered with snow, even though it was summer. The couple did indeed have male descendants, out of a total of five children, four sons were born to them:

Albrecht the Younger († 1416), founder of the Libštejn and Kraków lines
Nikuláš (already dead in 1393), founder of the Kornhaus (Mšeck) and Žehrovice lines
Purkart (already dead in 1410), forefather of the Bezdružice and Novohrad lines
Herbort († 1420), founder of the Mašťov line
Aleš († 1422)
Maruška († about 1419), married to Dušek of Žirotín na Pnětlukách (1372–1414)

References

^ Tutte, Karl, ed. (1904). Der politische Bezirk Saaz. Eine Heimatkunde. Saaz. p. 522.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ PACOVSKÝ, Karel (2023). Svatojiřský klášter v Praze očima pisatelů doby předhusitské. Praha: NLN. p. 178. ISBN 978-80-7422-864-3.

[1] Tutte, Karl, ed. (1904). Der politische Bezirk Saaz. Eine Heimatkunde. Saaz. p. 522.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[2] PACOVSKÝ, Karel (2023). Svatojiřský klášter v Praze očima pisatelů doby předhusitské. Praha: NLN. p. 178. ISBN 978-80-7422-864-3.

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