Hynce Ptáček of Pirkstein

Hynce Ptáček of Pirkstein
Born	1404
Died	27 August 1444 Rataje nad Sázavou
Buried	St. Matthew's Church in Rataje nad Sázavou

Hynce (also: Hynek or Hyncík) Ptáček of Pirkstein (also: Pirkenstein, Birkenstein, Pürkstein or Bürgstein) (born: 1404; died: 27 August 1444 in Rataje nad Sázavou) was a Bohemian Nobleman, the highest Hofmeister and Münzmeister of Bohemia and regent of Bohemia's royal cities.

Life

Hynce Ptáček of Pirkstein came from a side line of the noble Leipa family. From 1420 he was in possession of Rataje nad Sázavou and he soon rose to the highest court master and mint master of the Kingdom of Bohemia and the acting regent of the royal cities. As a moderate representative of the Hussites he fought in 1434 in the Battle of Lipan on the side of Prague. After Sigismund's death in 1437 he and George of Poděbrady, his protégé and future provincial administrator and King of Bohemia, joined the influential group of nobles who boycotted, the election of Sigismund's son Albert II to King of Bohemia. They tried to elect the Polish king Władysław III as the new king of Bohemia. They then nominated Władysław's brother Casimir IV Jagiello, who was only eleven years old at the time. Casimir was elected by the opposition group, but could not prevail against Albert II. Albert II died in 1439 without male heirs, leaving the throne empty.

In 1440, Hynce Ptáček of Pirkstein along with other nobles founded the regional Landfrieden alliance, to maintain the peace. As leader of the alliance, Hynce Ptáček of Pirkstein convened a meeting at Čáslav in 1441, where the alliance decided to take action against the robber baron Jan Kolda of Žampach, who had illegally occupied several possessions in East Bohemia. In 1443 Hynce Ptacek of Pirkstein and Jan Čabelický conquered the Prague Castle.

Hynce Ptáček of Pirkstein died in 1444 and was buried in the St. Matthew's Church in Rataje nad Sázavou.

Marriage and issue

Hynce Ptáček of Pirkstein first marriage was with Jitka of Kunštát, a daughter of Heralt of Kunštát (d. 1408). After her death he married Anna (d. 1452), daughter of Chief Mint Master Ulrich V of Neuhaus. With Anna, he had a daughter Margaret, who married in 1463 Victor, Duke of Münsterberg, the second son of George of Poděbrady.

References

• Jan Urban: Lichtenburkové, ISBN 80-7106-579-X, S. 8
• Jörg K. Hoensch: Geschichte Böhmens. Beck, München 1997, ISBN 3-406-41694-2, p. 154–156
• Lydia Baštecká, Ivana Ebelová: Náchod. Náchod 2004, ISBN 80-7106-674-5, p. 51–52