Kolowrat family

House of Kolowrat
The ancient coat of arms of the House of Kolowrat.
Country Kingdom of Bohemia
 Holy Roman Empire
 Austrian Empire
 Austria-Hungary
Founded1347 – Lord Albrecht of Kolowrat
Current headCount Maximilián Alexander Kolowrat-Krakowský
TitlesLords
Counts
Imperial Counts
Cadet branches
  • Krakowsky
  • Liebsteinsky
  • Kornhauzsky
  • Zehrovicky
  • Bezdruzicky
  • Nowohradsky
  • Mastovsky
  • Cernonicky

The House of Kolowrat is a Czech noble family[1][2] that had a prominent role in the history and administration of their native Kingdom of Bohemia[2] as well as the Holy Roman Empire and later the Habsburg monarchy as high-ranking officials and supporters of the Czech National Revival.[2]

The family origins are so far back in time that they are not recorded in any extant Bohemian historical documents. Only a few legends, such as those recounted by historians Bohuslav Balbín and František Palacký, give an account of those origins.[3] The first historically documented Kolowrat is Albrecht of Kolowrat the Elder (cs).[2] The family rose to prominence during the Habsburg Monarchy, during which its members held some of the highest political, military, and clerical offices, including serving as Minister-Presidents, Supreme Chancellors, field marshals, archbishops,[2] and knights of the Order of the Golden Fleece.

  1. ^ Krishan Kumar. Visions of Empire: How Five Imperial Regimes Shaped the World. Page 191. Chapter: The Habsburg Empire. April 17, 2017. Citation: "[...] Czech families who played prominent roles in the imperial administration: Martinic of Slatava, Lobkowitz and Czernin, Kinsky and Sternberg, Kolowrat, Nostitz and Schlick." ISBN 9781400884919.
  2. ^ a b c d e House of Kolowrat history. kolowrat.cz/en. Citation: "[The] first historically documented Kolowrat, recognised by historians as the founder of the family, is Albrecht of Kolowrat the Elder († 1391). [...] He married three times and fathered eight children, six of them sons, laying the foundations of one of the most ramified among Czech aristocratic families."
  3. ^ Levy, Miriam (1988). Governance and Grievance. Indiana: Purdue University Press. p. 161.