The House of Zierotin or House of Žerotín () was a Czech

noble family Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the rea ...

in the

Lands of the Bohemian Crown The Lands of the Bohemian Crown were the states in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval and early modern periods with feudalism, feudal obligations to the List of Bohemian monarchs, Bohemian kings. The crown lands primarily consisted o ...

, one of the oldest and most illustrious noble families from

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

and

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

. The ancestors of the family were first mentioned around 1200. The family achieved the rank of

Imperial Count Imperial Count (, ) was a title in the Holy Roman Empire. During the medieval era, it was used exclusively to designate the holder of an imperial county, that is, a fief held directly ( immediately) from the emperor, rather than from a prince wh ...

s in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

. The family died out at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, but its indirect lines continue to exist. Several properties were returned to the Mornstein-Zierotin after fall of Communist rule in 1989.

History

According to romantic

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the ...

, the Zierotins were the offspring of Prince

Oleg of Drelinia Oleg Sviatoslavich (; died 977) was the prince of the Drevlians from 970 until his death in 977. He was the second son of Sviatoslav I of Kiev of the Rurik dynasty. Biography Oleg's date of birth is not known, but it is probably before 957. Svia ...

, brother of

Vladimir I of Kiev Vladimir I Sviatoslavich or Volodymyr I Sviatoslavych (; Christian name: ''Basil''; 15 July 1015), given the epithet "the Great", was Prince of Novgorod from 970 and Grand Prince of Kiev from 978 until his death in 1015. The Eastern Orthodox ...

, and therefore the family uses in its

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

a royal crown (or more properly the crown of

Grand Prince Grand prince or great prince (feminine: grand princess or great princess) (; ; ; ; ) is a hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families. Grand duke is the usual and established, though not litera ...

) and princely

mantling In heraldry, mantling or "lambrequin" (its name in French) is drapery tied to the helmet above the shield. In paper heraldry it is a depiction of the protective cloth covering (often of linen) worn by knights from their helmets to stave off the ...

. The heraldic device is a blazon of arms in gules (red) with a lion sable (black), crowned, on three mountains argent (silver). The crest is the crowned lion rampant. The ancestors of the family were the Bludov family. The oldest documented member of this family was Blud of Bludov, who was the

burgrave Burgrave, also rendered as burggrave (from , ), was since the medieval period in Europe (mainly Germany) the official title for the ruler of a castle, especially a royal or episcopal castle, and its territory called a ''Burgraviate'' or ''Burgr ...

of the castle in

Přerov Přerov (; ) is a city in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 41,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Bečva River. In the past it was a major crossroad in the heart of Moravia in the Czech Republic. The historic city centre is we ...

in 1213–1215. He had two sons, Oneš (1209–1249) and Viktor. He was the probable founder of Bludov that his family and then the Zierotin family have owned since time immemorial. Members of the family were judges, governors, patrons of art and politicians. The most famous is Karel the Elder of Zierotin (1564–1636). He was head of the family in the times when the Zierotin family had the largest property in

. He was highly educated, spoke several languages and was an able politician. He was a friend of

Henry IV of France Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...

and brother-in-law of

Albrecht von Wallenstein Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein, Duke of Friedland (; 24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein (), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Thirty Years' War (1618–16 ...

. For several years until 1614, he held the position of the Moravian governor. Other notable members were Johan Karl of Zierotin (1719–1776), directeur des spectacles of

Frederick II of Prussia Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself '' King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prus ...

and friend of

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

; Karel Emanuel of Zierotin (1850–1934), peer of the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

and governor of Moravia (1900–1906); and Ladislav Velen of Zierotin (1579–1638), head of the uprising against the

Habsburgs The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

. The male line of this family died out in 1985. The female line died out in 2016. There are several lines of the family that are not direct descendants of the founders of the family: Mornstein-Zierotin, Klinger-Zierotin and Zierotin-Lilgenau. After the fall of the Communist rule in 1989, several properties were returned to Karel Mornstein-Zierotin, including

Bludov Chateau Bludov Chateau () is a manor house in Bludov in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It is a Baroque building with late Renaissance elements. History A stronghold was established in the place probably in the 1570s. The founder was Lord Jan ...

References

{{authority control Moravian noble families Bohemian noble families