THE SCHLIK FAMILY
Origin of the family
Until the beginning of the 15th century the Schlik family was little known. Originally it was a patrician family from Cheb. The first written reference to the family dates from 1394. The earliest known member was Heinrich Schlik, a linen master who served as a councillor of the town of Cheb between 1408 and 1425.
This wealthy patrician had several sons: Kaspar, Heinrich, Nikolaus, Franz and Matthias. Their generation elevated the family into the ranks of the high nobility.
Kaspar Schlik
The first prominent member of the family was Kaspar Schlik (around 1400–1449). As an educated scribe who had studied at the University of Basel, he accompanied Emperor Sigismund to the Council of Constance in 1415.
His successful court career opened the way for the family to enter the noble estate and the ranks of imperial free lords in 1422. His rise may also have been supported by his origin, as his mother is believed to have belonged to the noble family Collalta de Camino.
In 1433 Kaspar became Imperial Chancellor. After the Battle of Lipany in 1434 he received the burgraviate of Loket with the town and castle. A year later he also acquired the Sokolov region and became administrator of the entire Cheb territory. He later obtained Hroznětín and the whole Loket district including Ostrov and the castle of Andělská Hora.
The Loket region remained in the possession of the Schlik family until 1547. Kaspar also acquired estates outside the Kingdom of Bohemia, including the Italian county of Bassano Vicentino (1431) and the Hungarian estate of Holíč. In 1437 he received the imperial title of count.
Throughout his life he served as chancellor to Emperor Sigismund and his successors and maintained contacts with many important personalities of his time, including the humanist Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini. His brother Heinrich became Bishop of Freising.
Family estates and the foundation of Jáchymov
While Kaspar devoted most of his time to imperial service, the family estates were administered by his brother Matthias. He purchased Bečov, Bochov and in 1446 also Nejdek.
Matthias together with his son Hieronymus bought the castle of Kynžvart from the descendants of Henry II of Plauen. They later sold it in 1508 to the Gutštejn family.
Kaspar’s son Stephan Schlik (1487–1525), head of the Bohemian branch of the family, founded a new settlement in 1516 on the site of the abandoned village of Konradsgrünn. The place was initially simply called “Tal” (Valley). The later town of Jáchymov developed here.
After the discovery of rich silver deposits, the Schlik family established mines and a mint. Here the famous silver coins known as thalers were minted, from which the word “dollar” later originated.
Conflicts with the Habsburgs
Although many members of the family held important offices, the Schlik family often found themselves in opposition to the ruling Habsburg dynasty.
During the first Bohemian estates’ uprising, Albin Schlik (†1541) was one of the leading figures of the rebellion. After the defeat of the Schmalkaldic League in 1547 he fled the country and died in Thuringia.
His brother Hieronymus Schlik (1494–1551) allowed Saxon troops to enter the country and opened the gates of his towns and castles, including Jáchymov.
Albrecht Schlik served as the supreme commander of the Bohemian army and became particularly known in 1527 when he led troops in Hungary against the Ottomans.
The family during the Thirty Years’ War
Members of the Schlik family again opposed the Habsburgs during the Thirty Years’ War.
Johann Albin Schlik (1579–1628), head of the Sokolov branch of the family, was one of the directors of the Bohemian revolt. After the defeat at the Battle of White Mountain he fled to Germany, where he died in Zwickau.
Joachim Andreas Schlik (1569–1621), head of the Ostrov branch, was also one of the directors of the uprising and a major supporter of King Frederick of the Palatinate. After Frederick’s coronation he was appointed Supreme Judge of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and governor of Upper Lusatia.
After the defeat at White Mountain he fled to Saxony but was recognized and arrested in Dresden. On the order of the Saxon ruler he was extradited to Bohemia and executed on 21 June 1621 on Prague’s Old Town Square. Before the execution his right hand was cut off and his head was displayed on the tower of Charles Bridge.
Heinrich Schlik
His brother Heinrich Schlik (1580–1650) was a well-known military commander. He fought in the Netherlands, Hungary and Savoy. As a general of the estates he commanded the Moravian regiment at the Battle of White Mountain, which resisted the longest.
However, these were not Moravian soldiers but mercenaries recruited in German lands with Moravian funds. After the battle Heinrich was not punished, as Emperor Ferdinand II recognized that he had fought as a professional soldier rather than for political reasons.
Later he converted to Catholicism, became an imperial general and served in the army of Albrecht von Wallenstein. He also took part in the conspiracy against Wallenstein.
After the Thirty Years’ War he remained the only member of the Schlik family in Bohemia. He held the estates of Kopidlno, Velíš, Staré Hrady, Planá near Mariánské Lázně and the seat in Jičíněves.
The family in modern times
The descendants of Heinrich Schlik remained in Bohemia and continued to hold important positions.
His grandson Leopold Anton Joseph Schlik (1663–1723) became an imperial general and in 1713 was appointed Supreme Chancellor of the Kingdom of Bohemia. In the same year he received the Order of the Golden Fleece.
Franz Joseph Heinrich Schlik (1788–1862) fought against Napoleon at Dresden and at the Battle of Leipzig. In 1848 he helped suppress the Hungarian uprising and in 1859 commanded Austrian troops at the Battle of Solferino.
The family in the 20th century
Heinrich Schlik (1875–1957) was a captain in the Czechoslovak army. In his publication And Then? he protested against the land reform and the socialist tendencies of the state. In 1939 he was one of the signatories of the Declaration of the Czech Nobility. During the German occupation his property was placed under forced administration.
After the communist takeover in February 1948 the family’s property was nationalized. Heinrich Schlik (1916–?) later worked as a tractor driver and emigrated in 1968. In the same year he became commander of the Order of St. John in Mailberg.
His brother Sigmund Schlik (1916–1988) worked as a manual labourer. Heinrich’s son Franz Heinrich Schlik emigrated with his father in 1968 and returned to the Czech Republic after 1989.
