Matthias Louda from Klumtschan

Matthias Louda von Klumtschan (Czech Matěj Louda z Chlumčan ) († 1460 ) was a Bohemian military leader and diplomat.

Louda descends from the Chlumčanský Junker family . Although he attended university around 1409, he presumably did not complete his studies, even though he was able to speak Latin. This was probably the first time he came into contact with Jan Hus’s ideas . In 1420 he was one of the leading Taborites . A short time later, his successes as a military leader were rewarded with the transfer of ownership of the house U červeného beránka (To the red ram) in Prague , which he sold again in 1429. Louda moved to Pisek and became captain and treasurer of the Taborites.

He made a name for himself not only as a warrior, but also as a diplomat. In 1423 he took part in a dispute in Konopischt , on October 18, 1425 he was one of the mediators in peace negotiations between the Taborites and orphans in Woschitz . On February 6, 1426 he took part in the meeting of the Taborites in Pisek. From 1426 to 1428 he was back as captain of the field army.

At the beginning of the Basel Council he was one of the Taborite delegates. In May 1431 he accompanied the delegation to negotiate with King Sigismund in Eger .

At the second meeting in Eger, Louda was elected envoy to the Basel Council. On December 6th the delegation set out and Louda, treasurer of the delegates, expressed his radical thoughts on the way. On arrival in Nuremberg, he then pulled out a flag with Christ on one side and a chalice on the other . At the urging of other emissaries, he later rolled up the provocative flag again. On January 16, 1433 he appeared as the spokesman for the Bohemian delegation, but argued calmly and, according to the chronicler František Palacký, "was praised and respected by the Basel Council for his peaceful nature". When he returned to Bohemia , he again carried his provocative standard.

On June 22, 1433 he was re-elected as envoy for the 2nd Basel Council. On July 11th, the delegation left Prague and on August 11th, 1433 Louda represented the interests of the Bohemian reformers. On October 22nd, the legates returned to Prague.

In 1434 there was the Battle of Lipan , which Louda led as captain of the Taborites, but was then captured by the Austrian Duke Albrecht. At the request of John of Palomar , a legate of the council, he was dismissed. Shortly afterwards Louda left the Taborites and moved to Prague, in the house he had bought in the old town in 1433. In 1434 he bought another house near the Bethlehem Chapel .

On May 20, 1435 he was elected representative of the knighthood who took part in negotiations with the Emperor Sigismund in Brno . The successes at the council in Basel, which were ascribed to Louda, led to the fact that the new king took him into his service and he took part in negotiations in Belgrade as the emperor's representative as early as December 1435 . In 1436 he was appointed court judge of the royal cities by the emperor.

In 1437 he was commissioned, together with Jan z Příbrami , Prokop von Pilsen , Petr z Vartemberka , Přibík z Klenové and Václav Březka to take part in the further negotiations of the Basel Council as a representative of the city state.

In 1443 he took part in negotiations at the Kuttenberg Synod, in which he partially revealed secrets of the Hussites . In 1447, together with Petr z Mladenovic , Jan Malovec and Martin Kučka z Kutné Hory, he again represented the town councils in negotiations with Pope Eugene IV.

Towards the end of his life he found his love for the university again. Together with primates from the Prague districts, he organized banquets for the masters and in 1460 donated the Loudov College to the university , intended for poor students preparing for the priesthood.

Bohuslav Balbín also attributes contemporary reporting to Louda, which, however, has not survived. František Palacký made a similar statement, but described it as not very extensive.