A Village Burned

Historical events are often viewed through a present time lens. This makes some sense, as it is the time with which we are engaged. While much of history took place in time with differing values, or cultures, it can still be instructive. From about 1618 to 1648 Central Europe was involved in what we know as the Thirty Years War. I have many lines of ancestors from Bohemia, but research into one line shows the effect of this war on a village they would come to inhabit a century later. This is the story of the burned village of Hlavatce and how Viet Jodl, my 6th great grandfather, came to acquire a holding (to be known as house #8) in Hlavatce in 1720.  

Stable Cadastre Map of Hlavatce, ~1835

The Thirty Years War started when two newly assigned regents of the Austro-Hungarian Empire arrived in Prague and were promptly thrown out the upper floor windows of the Hradčany Castle by Bohemian protestants (this incident is known as the defenestration of Prague). This started what is known today as the Thirty Years War, a mainly religious war that took its name from its length. As with many wars, this resulted in depopulation and migrancy. The US is worried about balloons flying in the atmosphere, and here Hapsburg regents who were to be the Crown's representatives in  Bohemia were thrown out a castle window, or maybe each got their own window. It is reported that both regents survived the 96 foot fall without serious injury. Interestingly, many of the power lords of Bohemia at the time were protestant and it was under their control that the second serfdom commenced in the 16th century, and then continued through the Thirty Years War and until partial emancipation of the serfs in the late 18th century and the final emancipation with land reform in 1848. 

Present time distance Lazistka to Hlavatce

During the Thirty Years War, terror would strike varied settlements. Hlavatce was one settlement affected by the uprising, which is supported by two main pieces of evidence. First, is the 1654 Berni Rula which was an inventory by the governmental authorities for taxation purposes. (Unfortunately, the 1651 census of population known as the 1651 Soupis is lost for this district, which would have provided other evidence.)  We are fortunate that the 1654 Berni Rula survived. The Berni Rula had a column for designating when a holding was resettled, a clear indication that many villages or dwellings saw the same fate as Hlavatce. A review of the Berni Rula for Hlavatce provides a total of 20 landholdings, which would represent many parcels of land around the village. Of these 20 holders only four appear to have either survived the terror of the war or (perhaps more likely) had already resettled on the holdings prior to 1654, but after the destruction. Two more properties are accounted as having been resettled in 1654, leaving 14 total holdings which were still vacant. The title heading these 14 holdings essentially says they are desolate. Further explanation on the page indicates that the properties were burned. 

1654 Berni Rula Holdings in Hlavatce
Simon Soubar would become the Jodl holding
See Haas, 1954

The next, more descriptive evidence comes from the land registers for Hlavatce. Richard D'Amelio translated the Jodl line in two land registers for about 70 years starting in 1720 when Veit Jodl acquired the Hlavatce holding. Richard is diligent in is work, and as part of it he looked back in time from before Veit Jodl acquired what was known as the Šimon Šaubar  holding. The summary Richard provided notes the following: 

The Šimon Šaubar holding (1626-1711 land register for the court district of Hlavatce). This holding is identified as burned at the inception of the 1626 land register. The initial summary text states that the holding had remained abandoned for a period of 40 years to 1662. Furthermore, the register suggests almost every holding in Hlavatce had suffered a similar fate. The descriptive text of a holding sold in 1676, specifically states that it had remained abandoned for a period of 60 years, from the time of the „Vnglikhafften Böhmischen Rebelion [unglückhaften böhmischen Rebelion]“ (Folio 126), suggesting the holding had become so during the Bohemian Revolt of 1618.

From this we are informed that the village saw significant destruction of most, if not all, structures by vandalism induced conflagration in the early part of the Thirty Years War, or Bohemian Revolt. If not in 1618 itself, the destruction likely occurred by 1622. This is supported by the aforementioned tax inventory of the Berni Rula which noted that a vast majority of holdings were still desolate due to being burned. We don't know what side caused the destruction, we only know the village was destroyed.

Hlavatce House #8, Stable Cadastre Indication Sketch
~1826

Following the war, according to the D'Amelio summary, the Šaubar holding was first rebuilt in 1662 by Michael Kreüsinger, with permission of the then Hauptmann (director) of Libějovice dominion for the sum of 77sß 8g 4₰. This amount was was due the manorial authority, since the property had effectively reverted to its control. However, Kreüsinger would only farm the property for three years with the holding being sold in 1665. It must not have been easy to reclaim farm fields that had been fallow for forty years. Pioneer trees, think box elder and silver maple, could easily take hold and be rather good sized trees within only a 20 year time. The property would see seven additional owners over that 55 year time span until 17 Oct 1720 when forty year old Veit Jodl acquired the holding.

Vit and family in 1719 Seigniorial Register for Lazistka
Trebon Archives, Ord 51

Veit Jodl hailed from the village of Lažišťka, which is about 16 miles from Hlavatce, although both villages are in the Libějovice dominion. Veit Jodl acquired the property due to negligence of the prior manger who controlled the holding for only three years. The land register, in its handover to Veit Jodl, makes a point of the condition of the holding, lack of payment and the debts acquired by the previous holder: 

The previous holding owner, Martin Novotný, had managed the land negligently for a period of three years so that the property has become completely dilapidated. In addition, he has accumulated debts here and there, consequently paying little in the way of land tax, and nothing at all in the way of ground rent, for which reason the gracious manorial authority has ordered him to leave the holding....

This would be an expensive property to purchase. Veit's father still controlled the holding in Laziskta, and in the 1719 Seignorial Register Veit, his wife and four of their children are living with his parents and are part of the lodger class, that is he does not hold property. The land register is clear that Veit made no down payment for the property. Generally, it seems to me, the oldest son had more difficulty in obtaining a farm. Generally, in Bohemia, the youngest son took on the father's farm, and if his father is deceased at that point, he may at least have a "down payment" on the holding with his share of of the inheritance being deducted from the amount due to the heirs. I have not had the handover register for Veit's father translated which would give the inheritance that Veit would receive and maybe when he received such payments. 

Land Register Introduction to required Payment
Trebon Archives, Ord 17

In agreeing to purchase the rights to manage the holding, Veit Jodl took on a great deal of debt as the total price was 100sß 8g 4₰. The purchase included the stipulation that "he pay each and every debt which the previous holding owner had been liable, promptly and diligently, alongside an annual installment of 2sß against the carried purchase price".  At 2sß per year on a debt of 100sß 8g 4₰ meant that it would take over 50 years to pay off the encumbrance. By comparison when of Michael Kreüsinger purchased the property in 1662 the price paid was: 77sß 8g 4₰. The additional accrued amount was debts accumulated by the previous owner. Veit not only had to pay the amount due over time he also was agreeing to grant a life provision to the widow (it is unclear whose widow, but probably a prior owner) but such arrangement was "agreed in advance." The register gives a great level of detail on what makes up this over 100 schock grossen debt. The bulk of the payment owed is to the manorial authority, there is also payments to heirs of two prior owners (going as far back as the heirs of the owner from 1681 to 1692), and payment to the negligent owner Martin Novotný for the value he had paid. The manorial authority was gracious to waive the registration fee for Veit, so no payment was due in 1720. It must have been a difficult holding to farm and revitalize, as from 1721 to 1734 Veit only once made a payment over 2sß or more and that was in 1723 when paying 3sß 30g. The last payment to satisfy the debt was made in 1787. Therefore, it took 67 years for Veit, his son, Martin and his grandson, also named Veit, to pay this large debt. 

Detailed accounting of the breakdown of  the100sß 8g 4₰
Veit Jodl has to pay
Trebon Archives Land Register, Ord 17

When Veit Jodl decided to uproot his family he had to weigh the benefits of his owning a farm against the risks of incurring so much debt. Using the 1654 Berni Rula we can see that the Šimon Šaubar holding acquired by Veit Jodl was 30 strich, or about 21 acres. It was slightly larger than the Havel holding in Raiborova Lhota, but its poor condition required a great deal of work. Veit saw that this holding represented his best option for farming.

About one hundred years after the village burned Veit Jodl took advantage of the poor situation, and reconstructed a neglected farm. This began a long-term Jodl family relationship with the #8 Hlavatce holding. The Jodl family would farm the land for many generations as my second great grandmother Anna Jodl's brother Mathias would take on the holding in 1846, just two years before the full serf emancipation and the land reform. The Thirty Years War desolated the village of Hlavatce, and it took two generations for resettlement to occur and even then there was much trial and difficulties. History is complex, but this provides an interesting insight into the Jodl line of the Havel family.

Sources:  

D'Amelio, Richard. Summary of early land registers, Feb 2023.

1954, Haas, Antonin, Berni rula 27 Kraj Prachensko (1654 document)

Trebon Archives, Land Registers, Ordinal 17. Translated by Richard D'Amelio

Trebon Archives, Land Registers, Ordinal 29, Translated by Richard D'Amelio

Trebon Archives, Seigniorial Register, Ord 51. 

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