Racek Kobyla of Dvorce facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Racek Kobyla of Dvorce
Royal Hetman of Wenceslaus IV Burgrave of Vyšehrad
Coat of arms
Died	2 February 1416 Kutná Hora
Spouse(s)	Anna of Úlibice

Racek Kobyla of Dvorce (died February 2, 1416) was an important person in Bohemia during the Late Middle Ages. He owned land, was a royal military leader (called a hetman), and managed the Vyšehrad castle for King Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia.

Racek Kobyla's Life Story

Not much is known about Racek's early life. We first hear about him in 1403. At that time, he was in charge of silver mining in a town called Stříbrná Skalice.

Escaping Danger

In 1403, the town of Stříbrná Skalice was attacked and destroyed by Sigismund of Luxembourg. Racek helped people leave the town safely. He first went to Talmberk for safety. It was said that only an old woman and a pig were left in Skalice. Because Sigismund was still a threat, Racek moved again. He went to Rataje nad Sázavou, where he was welcomed by Hanuš of Lipá.

Working for the King

Racek worked for King Wenceslaus IV. He helped the king fight against the powerful Rosenberg family. Racek used clever, small-group fighting tactics, like a guerilla campaign. He worked with other brave men, including Jan Žižka and Jan Sokol of Lamberk.

In 1410, King Wenceslaus made Racek the manager (burgrave) of Vyšehrad castle. This was a very important job.

A Fight Over Books

In the same year, a religious leader named Archbishop Zbyněk Zajíc of Hazmburk caused trouble. He threatened to stop church services (this was called an Interdict) for anyone who kept books by John Wycliffe. Wycliffe was a thinker whose ideas were seen as wrong by some church leaders.

After checking the books, they were called "heretical," meaning against church teachings. The books were then burned in the archbishop's courtyard. King Wenceslaus IV was angry about this. He ordered the archbishop to pay back the people whose books were burned. When the archbishop and his helpers refused, the king told Racek to take their property. Because of this, many church leaders who disagreed with Wycliffe disliked Racek.

Building a Castle

In 1412, Racek had his own castle built. It was called Veselé and was near a place called Chocerady today. In 1415, Racek was mentioned as a supporter of the church in Chocerady.

A Tragic End

In 1416, Racek was sent to Kutná Hora to collect taxes for the king. However, local preachers there stirred up the miners against him. On February 2, 1416, Racek and 12 of his friends were killed in an inn. A large group of miners, filled with strong religious feelings, attacked them.

"They grabbed them in the inn where they were staying. They cut their bodies into pieces and threw them onto the street. There, the crowd stomped on their remains. Then they happily sang and went to the preacher's home to be praised for what they had done."

After Racek's death, his castle and the villages of Chocerady, Údolnice, and Vráž were given to his wife, Anna of Úlibic. His children were looked after by two knights, Mikuláš Šraňek and Mikuláš of Reblic.