Matthew the Leader

Matthew the Leader
Born	14th century
Died	1409 České Budějovice

Matthew the Leader (Czech: Matěj Vůdce; died 1409 in České Budějovice) was a gang leader who harassed the Rosenberg family and the royal town of České Budějovice in the early 15th century. He operated in the South Bohemian Region.

Matthew himself was likely an impoverished zeman, or part of the lower nobility. According to the black books of Jihlava, he lead a large group, which included famous military leader Jan Žižka. They subsisted on road robberies and raids.

Gang activity

Matthew's gang activities were recorded by the Rosenberg family. It is likely he was supported by nobles who sided with Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia against the League of Lords, such as John Sokol of Lamberg.

Although mainly focused on theft, Matthew also attempted to occupy some castles in South Bohemia. This includes an attempt to acquire the royal Castle Hus, administered at the time by Mikuláš of Hus. There were also plans to seize Nové Hrady. With help from the Bítov family of Lichtenburg, Matthew further attempted to take the Rosenberg held castle of Velešín near Českého Krumlova, but failed.

In 1407, Henry III of Rosenberg began to crack down on the banditry. Some members began to leave the group, including Žižka. Many members were captured, tried, and executed. Under torture, Matthew himself confessed to several robberies. In response to these crimes, Matthew himself was hanged in 1409 at České Budějovice.

References

• Petr Čornej (2003) Tajemství českých kronik - Paseka, Praha, ISBN 80-7185-590-1
• Petr Hora (1991) Toulky českou minulostí (druhý díl) - Práce, Praha, ISBN 80-208-0111-1.
• Adolf Kalný (1993) Popravčí kniha pánů z Rožmberka - Státní oblastní archiv Třeboň
• František Šmahel (1969) Jan Žižka z Trocnova – Melantrich, Praha
• Václav Vladivoj Tomek (1993) Jan Žižka - V Ráji, Praha, ISBN 80-900875-7-4.