House of Kolowrat
| House of Kolowrat | |
|---|---|
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| Country |
Kingdom of Bohemia Holy Roman Empire Austrian Empire Austria-Hungary |
| Titles |
Lords Counts Imperial Counts |
| Founded | 1347: Albrecht z Kolowrat |
| Current head | Count Maximilián Alexander Kolowrat-Krakowský |
| Ethnicity | Czech |
| Cadet branches |
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The House of Kolowrat is a Czech noble family that had a prominent role in the history and administration of their native Kingdom of Bohemia as well as the Holy Roman Empire and later the Habsburg Monarchy as high ranking officials and supporters of the Czech National Revival.
The family origins are so far back in time that they are not recorded in any extant Bohemian historical documents.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. The first historically documented Kolowrat is Albrecht of Kolowrat the Elder (). 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, and knights of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
According to historian Bohuslav Balbín, legend tells the story of a strong man who saved a Czech king and his little son, who were travelling in a carriage when suddenly their horses started panicking. The wheel of the carriage was about to fall off, and the carriage about to crash. A strong man, who stood nearby, saw what was happening and grabbed the wheel of the carriage by its spokes, stopping the carriage from crashing. As thanks, the king gave the man the right to the name Kolowrat, which is a combination of the word "kolo" (wheel) and "vrátit" (to return). In tribute to the legend, the original Kolowrat coat of arms (still used by the city of Kolovraty) had a wheel with eight spokes on the breast of the Kolowrat eagle. The family's legendary founder is Prince Vlastislav.
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Wikipedia