Jan Pašek z Vratu

Jan Pašek z Vratu (* in Altknin ; † March 15, 1533 in Tauschin ) was mayor of Prague . He united the Prague Old Town and the Prague New Town . Between 1524 and 1528 he established a quasi-dictatorial city regime that relied on the guilds and sought to drive back the power of the patriciate , the nobility and the king.

Life

Jan Pašek came from a poor family and initially taught in the village before starting his studies at Charles University in Prague . After taking his Baccalaureus examination in 1491 and the master’s examination in 1493, he was also dean of the university from 1496 to 1497.

He then went into local politics and held several offices. From 1498 to 1511 he was city chancellor of Prague's old town, was elevated to the nobility by King Vladislav II in 1504 and received the addition of z Vratu . From 1515 to 1518 Jan Pašek was elected procurator and lay judge. In 1522 he was knighted. In 1518, shortly after his election as mayor, Pašek united Prague's old town with the new town without royal permission, but with the support of Zdeniek Lev von Rosental . Because of this act he was deposed in 1523 by King Ludwig on the occasion of his visit to Prague.

Pašek took advantage of the troubled times that prevailed in Prague, caused by Lutheran Neo- Utraquists and Old Utraquists , who were closer to the Catholic faith, with the Protestants holding most of the offices. In 1524 he organized a putsch , after which he was reinstated as mayor. He based his power mainly on the conservative old town guilds, under which the food industry dominated. Their representatives received most of the most important city offices in Pašek's regime. Many of his opponents have been driven out, arrested or executed.

However, Pašek did not understand how to use his power. His autocratic decisions and orders prompted Ferdinand I to depose him again in 1528. New intrigues were unsuccessful and Pašek was expelled from Prague. He then settled on his manor Tauschin.

Literature and Sources

• Winfried Eberhard: Confession formation and estates in Bohemia, 1478-1530 (= publications of the Collegium Carolinum. 38). Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, Munich et al. 1981, ISBN 3-486-49531-3 (also: Bochum, University, dissertation, 1974).
• Bartošova Kronika pražská od léta páně 1524 až do konce léta 1530. JG Kalve, Prague 1851, (Prague Chronicles 1524–1530 - contemporary description of the Pašek rule, online ).
• Václav Vlček: Jan Pašek z Vratu. Obraz z dějin českých věku šestnáctého. Spolek pro vydávání laciných kněh českých, Praha 1867 (literary processing of the Pašek rule, online ).

Web links

• Josef Veselý: Podtrhniž mu nohu, ať sám upadne ... - transcript of a radio documentary about Pašek's life.