Page 169 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 13(1) (2025)

O Žižkovem otroštvu, vzgoji (kasnejša po- two farms, with a total area of two lans (about
ročila omenjajo, da je bival na kraljevem dvoru) 40-50 hectares), until 1421. The identities of his
ali izobrazbi ni znanega nič. Jan Žižka se prvič parents remain uncertain; nevertheless, they are
pojavi v štirih listinah, datiranih med letoma typically recognised as Řehor (Gregorius) and
1378 in 1384, povezanih z območjem med Češki- Jana, as referenced in the Chronicle of the Dead
mi Budejovicami in Češkim Krumlovom. Vsebi- at the nearby Minorite monastery in Český
na le-teh ga predstavlja kot slabega gospodarja, ki Krumlov. Jan Žižka, a minor noble, possessed a
ni bil zmožen poskrbeti za svojo polovico kme- coat of arms featuring the insignia of a crayfish,
tije in ki je zato kmalu prodal vse svoje premo- likely red on a silver field, although no evidence
ženje v Trocnovu ter okolici. Žižka je iz pisnih of the colours has been discovered. None of his
virov izginil med letoma 1384 in 1408. Obstaja- verified relatives, including his brother Jaroslav,
jo ugibanja o njegovi službi kralju, vendar so za- his sister Anežka or Anna, his aunt, or his pater-
nesljivejše informacije, ki kažejo, da je služil ple- nal cousin, bore the surname Žižka. This name 169
miču Jindřichu (III.) z Rožmberka v Češkem was solely associated with Jan and certainly rec-
Krumlovu. Precej verjetna je tudi teza, da je bil ognised a distinctive characteristic, possibly the
najemnik, ki si je kruh služil za mejami Češke- irreversible damage to his eye, which resulted in
ga kraljestva. Informacij o njegovi udeležbi v voj- his blindness during childhood or young adult-
nah proti Osmanom na Ogrskem, na Spodnjem hood. Although the surname Žižka was preva-
Saškem ali v stoletni vojni med Anglijo in Fran- lent in the Czech lands from the 14th century,
cijo ni mogoče dokazati iz znanih virov. Treba proof of its common usage to denote a one-eyed
bi bilo nadaljnjih raziskav, s katerimi bi preverili, individual emerged only after the commander's
ali je služil na dvoru vojvod Burgundskih na za- demise. Data from the Chronicle of the Dead
četku 15. stoletja. Vendar sta bila Žižka in njegov in Český Krumlov indicates that Jan Žižka was
brat najkasneje leta 1408 člana oborožene skupi- married twice and outlived both of his wives,
ne, ki je na ukaz vplivnih plemičev napadla Jin- both named Kateřina (Catherine). Žižka's sole
dřicha (III.) Rožmberškega in mesto Češke Bu- recognised offspring was a daughter, whose
dejovice. Take skupine so svoje podvige, ki so bili name remains unidentified, but it is known that
onstran zakona, izvajale na širšem območju če- she was wed to Jindřich (or Ondřej) of Dube.
ško-moravsko-avstrijskih meja. Ko je bil Matej, Nothing is known of Žižka’s childhood, Niti črno niti belo, temveč barvito! • Not Black or White, but Vibrantly Coloured!
imenovan tudi Vodja, ujet in usmrčen, se je Jan upbringing (later reports mention residence at
Žižka očitno zatekel v trdnjavo Kraví Hora, ka- the royal court), or education. Linked to the
tere posadka je imela koristi od nezakonitih de- region between České Budějovice and Český
javnosti te roparske družbe. Kralj Václav IV. je Krumlov, Jan Žižka first shows up in four sourc-
Žižki 25. aprila in 27. julija 1409 podelil amnesti- es dated between 1378 and 1384. These show
jo. Žižka in znani condottiere Jan Sokol z Lam- him as a bad manager who could not keep his
berka sta nato kot najemnika vstopila v službo half of the farm, therefore selling all his Troc-
poljskega kralja Vladislava II. Jagiellonskega in nov and nearby land. Between 1384 and 1408,
se borila v t. i. veliki vojni, v kateri se je Poljsko- Žižka disappears from written records. There
-litovska zveza spoprijela z Nemškim viteškem are theories about his royal service, but more
redom za nadzor nad južnimi baltskimi dežela- credible data points to his service under the no-
mi. Žižka naj bi sodeloval v znameniti bitki pri ble Jindřich (III.) of Rožmberk in Český Krum-
Grunwaldu (15. julij 1410), vendar neposrednih lov. He may also have been a mercenary working
dokazov za to doslej zaenkrat ni bilo najdenih. outside the borders of the Bohemian Kingdom.
Po kasnejših informacijah je bil od jeseni 1410 do There is no proof of his involvement in wars
februarja 1411 član posadke gradu Radzyn, ki je against the Ottomans in Hungary, in Lower
bil zajet od Nemškega viteškega reda. Saxony, or in the Hundred Years’ War between