Blanik


	Czech Encyclopedia list the family as being "Ancient Knights of Bohemia" from the period before the year 1212.

History of the village of Vlasim lists the family's origin as being from the ancient House of Vlastislavici that ruled the area southeast of Prague from the years 1000 to 1200.

	Very little is known of rodu Vlastislavicu … per ancient Czech legends, the family dates back to the late 800's and the time of Princes Vlastislava and Neklan.

		Per legends from Vlasim ... the family may have colonized an area on the river Blanice, near Vlasim, in the 800's and then abandon the early settlement. But the family may have ruled from the King's fortress at Mt. Blanik from as early as the year 1000.

			Blanik is a mountain with twin peaks of Maly and Velky. It is approx. 6 miles south of Vlasim and 2 miles from both of the small villages of Pravonin and Jankov.

			Blanik today is a public preserve which was created by Emperor Josef II in 1783. This site contains archeological ruins of an ancient Celtic settlement and place of worship. This ancient tribe was called the Boii. From this tribe the name Bohemia is derived.

		After the year 300AD the Germans came from the north and the Boii were absorbed into the German population. Likewise in the 700's the Slavs came from the east and the local lands absorbed into the Greater Moravian Empire. Part of this Empire later became the Kingdom of Bohemia.

				On the top of Velky Blanik is also the archeological remains of an ancient wooden Fortress. In Medieval Times, Velky Blanik was said to be the meeting place for the "Knights of Blanikem". There are many legends in regards to the Knights. .


	Translation from Privilege of King Vladislav II. from 1158 .. after conquest of Milan


	Songs and legends were celebrating the brave deeds Czech heroes. One of them, brave knight, crowned with glory back home to their homeland. There above the river Blanicí , stood his seat, bounded on three sides by steep hills, the fourth plane was associated with isolated deep moat with a drawbridge to the castle and for the most part it was built of wood.


	In the 1100's and 1200's, the families of Vlastislavicu established Churches at Pod Blanikem, Jankov, Kondrac and Pravonin all within a few miles of Velky Blanik.






	The Earliest History




	Ancient Romanesque Churches - above, at Kondrac from about the year 1200 and at Liboun Pod Blanikem from the year 1149.. below, Churches of St. John at Jankov and at Pravonin from the early 1200's


	Translation from the History of Village of Vlasim. Prameny: Dìjiny mìsta Vlašsimì a jeho statku, F.A. Slavík 1889

Vlasimì za nejstarsich známých dob knízecímu rodu Vlastislavicù, kteøí drzeli i nìkterá dalsí panství v okolí. Ale pouzívali stejný znak napø. páni na Hrádku, Zbraslavicích, Jankovì, Popovicích atd.

Vlasim in the earliest known time Vlastislavicù princely family, who have they kept some of the other estates in the area. But using the same coat of arms. lords of the Castle, Zbraslavice, Jankove, Popovice etc.

Asi nejstarsím dokladem s jménem, je listina krále Pøemysla kostelu Olomouckému z roku 1207, kde jako se uvádí Vlasín, pán èeský, otec Stanimírùv. Pozdìji, jestì napø. z roku 1239, Vlasín, pán èeský, otec Pravony (obci Pravonín, nedaleko Vlasimì), jako na listinì Pøemysla, markrabìte moravského.

Probably the oldest evidence of name, the document is King Pøemysla church in Olomouc from 1207, where as stated Vlašín, Lord Èeský father Stanimírùv. Later, is the of 1239, Vlašín, Lord Èeský father Pravony (Pravonín the village, near Vlasim) as the witness Pøemysla, Moravian margrave.

Potomci zakladatele vládli i na Jankovì a Cerekvici a psali se podle svých sídel "z Vlasimì", "z Jankova", pozdìji "Jankovstí z Vlasimì". Hlavním motivem znaku vsch tìchto spøíznìných pánù byla orlice. Prvním listinným dolozeným pánem z Vlasimi byl Hynek starsí, zemského soudu v letech 1318 - 1345.

Descendants of the founder and ruled on Jankove and Cerekvice and write according to their settlements "in Vlasim "," from Jankov ", later " from Jankovstí Vlasim". The main motive coat of arms these married Lords was the eagle. The first documented documentary lord of Vlašimi Hynek was older, Regional Court in 1318 - 1345th.

In the late 1200's the family had the Coat of Arms of the Black Eagle.




		drawing of Fortress at Mt. Blanik


	The family ruled the area in the late 1200's as the "Lords of Jankova". The family owned a Fort at Jankov and owned the villages of Kunraci and Vracovici north east of Velky Blanik.




		remains of the castle at Chrenovice 1289 - 1318


	During this time period members of the family *z Jankova na Chrenovskych* also ruled an area 20 miles southeast of Vlasim near the river Sazava. The land included the villages of Dobra Voda, Veznem, Pertoltic and Chrenovici.

		In 1303 the family acquired the land and Hynek z Vlasim built a Fortified Chateau at Vlasim in 1318.

In regards to the small village of Jankov .. Jankov means "John's Family" .. with Jankovsky meaning "John's Family's Land" .. Flowing through the village is the river of Jankovsky Potok.




		Jankovsky Potok - site of the family's Fort at Jankov - site was converted to Brewery which made Jankov Beer until 1924.


		Historic Coat of Arms from the Village of Jankov .. also the Crown on the Jankovsky COA's

Within one mile of Jankov are two small settlements .. Jankovska Lhota and the settlement of Otradovice. Otradovice was originally called Jankovske prior to Benes Jankovskym selling the land in 1385 to Venek z Otradovic. Otradovice was also a home of the famous Czech composer Adam Michna Von Otradovic.

The village of Jankov is the historic site of one of the greatest and bloodiest battles of the Thirty Year War. In 1645 the armies of Sweden and the Imperial armies of the Hapsburgs fought at the "Battle of Jankov".


	The Battle destroyed the village.



				Village of Pravonin, in Bohemia




		click above - for the history of the Battle

The nearby village of Pravonin was the village the family lived in the 1800's. It was also a home of both composer Richard Wagner and later composer Gustav Mahler.

The family moved back to this area in about 1775, I believe, from Skalice which is in the mountains of Moravia. This occurred after the loss of the Royal Properties to the Austrian relatives by order of Austrian Empress Marie Theresa.


	A Chateau at Pravonin was built by relatives, the Counts Caretto de Cavriani. The family may have stayed there in the late 1700's after losing the land in Southern Moravia. In 1832 the Chateau was the summer home of Richard Wagner.

Records from 1789 list the family as "Kralovskych Svobodnikum" ( land owner subject only to the King). In the early 1800's the family owned a home near Pravonin with the family listed with title "Zeman" ( the lowest order of German nobility i.e. esquire ).

Great, Great Grandfather John who lived 99 years, came to the US in 1887, returned to Pravonin, sold his share of the family's land in this area and then returned back to the U.S. in 1891 with the balance of his family then coming in 1893. His father who lived 96 years remained.




	farming complex near Pravonin .. the family tried to re-claim land in Europe at time of WW I but was not successful.


		In 1889 a small part of land marked in pink was sold and added to the public preserve. The family house and remaining land at Nakvasovice was later claimed by a different family.



			Photo c/o past owners


	The original house of the early 1800's is long gone. Per the past owners of the property .. they lost claim to the land and the estate was converted into a collective farm in the late 1940's. On the land there once were three graves of the old family Jankovsky.

Map of the area of the original family lands


Jankovsky Potok

	Jankov


	The above is the recorded history .. the family did own land in the area from the year 1000 into the 1900's .. but the origin and history of the family may go back as far as ??

Vlasim and the villages of Kondrac, Vracovice and Naceradec were transferred to family z Vlasimi z Jenstejna in 1363; they sold the lands in 1414.

The Villages near Jankovsky Potok, two miles west of Velky Blanik, were sold by Benes in 1385.

Velky Blanik was sold by Matej in years 1397 to 1402.

The Village and the Fort of Jankov were sold in 1418 and in 1433.

The mountains north of Pravonin were sold and incorporated into the Preserve in 1889.

The remaining family land near Pravonin was lost (i.e. claimed by others) at the time of WW I


	Vlasim