Wratislaw of Mitrovice

Wratislaws of Mitrovice claimed to be descendants of Vratislaus II, the first king of Bohemia who ruled in 11th century. There is no evidence for this claim and historians therefore consider this to be an example of etiological myth.[1] First documented member of the family is Wratislaw, who bought the estate of Mitrovice in 1448 and thus established the family name. He sided with Oldřich of Hradec in his dispute with king George of Poděbrady, that followed the imprisonment of Oldřich's father. Despite this, he later became the burgrave of the Prague Castle. His son John later held the court office of Master of the Hunt.[2]

Václav Wratislaw of Mitrovice (19th century litography)

Next notable member of the family was Wenceslaus, who as a young man accompanied the diplomatic mission of the Emperor Rudolf II to Istanbul in 1591. In response to increased hostilities along the Habsburg–Ottoman border and the diplomatic fallout, all participants of the diplomatic mission were imprisoned and later – when the Long Turkish War broke out – sent to be galley slaves. After he was set free, Václav wrote his famous work Adventures of Baron Václav Wratislaw of Mitrowice: What He Saw in the Turkish Metropolis, Constantinopole, Experienced in His Captivity, and After His Happy Return to His Country, Committed to Writing in the Year of Our Lord 1599. The book was first printed in 1777 and soon after that translated to German, English and Russian.[3] It became the most read work of the Czech renaissance literature.[1] Wenceslaus and his relative William Wratislaw of Mitrovice – member of the Knights Hospitaler – also fought for the Habsburg side during the war with Ottomans. During the Bohemian Revolt – started in 1618 – a majority of the family stayed loyal to the Holy Roman Emperor. Thanks to that they escaped the fate of many other Czech noble families who lost their possessions following the Battle of the White Mountain. Wratislaws of Mitrovice remained involved with the Order of Knights Hospitaler, brothers Adam and Francis even became consecutive grand priors of the Bohemian branch of the order. Denis Francis fought for the Spanish king and – after his return – served as Steward of the Plzeň County.

Jan Adam Wratislaw of Mitrovice

Another notable member – Jan Václav – was an imperial diplomat, operating primarily in England. He was appointed Chancellor of the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1705 and served till his death 6 years later. Jan Adam chose a church career. He was first Bishop of Hradec Králové, then Bishop of Litoměřice. His younger brother John Joseph was later appointed Bishop of Hradec Králové as well. He built a brand new baroque castle he called Nové Mitrovice. The family also owned the Wratislaws' palace in Malá Strana in Prague and multiple other castles and estates.[3] It was at this time – at the start of the 18th century – that the Wratislaws of Mitrovice reached the peak of their wealth and power.

Eugen II Wratislaw of Mitrovice

In the 19th century, the Wratislaws of Mitrovice became supporters of the Czech National Revival. Count Joseph Wratislaw of Mitrovice, Supreme Marshal of the Kingdom of Bohemia at the time, was an important patron of the National Museum. Eugen II was the chairman of National Theatre Society and member of Parliament of the Kingdom of Bohemia.

William Ferdinand Wratislaw – descendant of a Czech emigrant to England – came back to Bohemia to prove his descendancy from the noble family of Wratislaws of Mitrovice, but was unable to find a firm proof.[3] Nonetheless, he and his son Albert Wratislaw were Czech patriots and the latter went on to translate and popularize many Czech literary works in the English speaking world.
At the start of the 20th century, only two branches of the family remained. One lived at the Dírná Castle and Myslkovice Castle, the other at Koloděje nad Lužnicí Castle. In 1938, Wratislaws of Mitrovice co-signed the Declaration of Czech nobility and thereby confirmed their allegiance to Czechoslovakian government. As a result they faced prosecution during the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia. In 1948, after the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia took power, they lost all of their properties. Part of the family fled persecution to New Zealand.[1] The 31-year-old Count Maximilian Joseph decided to stay. He worked as a woodcutter and a tractor driver.[3] After the Velvet Revolution, the Count – aged 72 – was given back the Dírná Castle and the Wratislaws of Mitrovice live there to this day.