Following Dry Devil´s track

Following Dry Devil´s track

Dry Devil, or Hynek of Kunštát, is a noticable personality of the Jevišovice history. He was a keeper of a local domain, a warrior, but also a redoubtable highwayman. His marauding raids headed not only to prominent residences in Jevišovice and Znojmo regions but also to Austria. And besides that, disorders ran through our countries in Hynek´s time, which culminated into the form of Hussite wars.

Jevišovice under the banner of Dry Devil became a redoubtable enemy of the royal town Znojmo. One of his most noticeable feats was a defeat of an Austrian duke Albrecht and king Sigismund of Luxemburg who took arms together against Hynek in 1404. Then he still had, as a burgrave, in his governance the town of Znojmo. Albrecht lost his life on this campaign due to the dysentery which spread around the camp, Sigismund was also at the death´s door.

The Old Castle, where Dry Devil dwelled, was burnt down in 1421 by armed forces of Albrecht of Habsburg, an Austrian duke, later a Czech king. But at that time Dry Devil had already been dead for a long time. Sezema Zajímač, a member of the Kunštát family, was the ruler of the region then. The Old Castle in Jevišovice was a centre of the Hussite opposition in the South Moravia.

And where did the name Dry Devil emerge from? The nickname Devil reflects his violent character and unscrupulous behavior. And because Hynek was unusually lean for his time, and tall, he was given an epithet Dry. However there isn´t too much information preserved about his looks, but according to one of the few paintings (see the introductory picture) Dry Devil in his armour looked really sinister.

Publikováno: 17. 10. 2015


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Jevišovice a okolí – tipy na akce v regionu

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