Abstract
The contribution looks at the fate of the small feudal estate of Mladějov over the period it was part of the Duchy of Friedland, created by the imperial generalissimo, Albrecht von Wallenstein. This fascinating constitutionally independent estate has not yet been satisfactorily looked into by historians, and the author has attempted to add some extra information to the overall picture on the basis of archival research.
The study is divided into two sections. The first of these looks at property relations to Mladějov goods, which arose at the beginning of the 17th century with its separation from the dominion of Veliš.
Wallenstein acquired Mladějov in 1623, and four years later it was sold as a Friedland fiefdom to his cousin, Jan Albrecht Slavata von Chlum. He then sold it to the Cornazzanis, and shortly afterwards it was owned by the widow Magdalena Kunašová of Lhota, who subsequently married again to Jiří Jaroslav Stoš of Kounice.
Each change in ownership is documented by the relevant legal acts, with the research undertaken allowing us to add to and revise a number of details contained in older literature. The second part of the study focuses on each of the people to own the estate.
It looks again at their origin and family relations, briefly describes their public and private lives, mentions their marriage partners and children and makes note of any interesting and well-sourced episodes in their lives contained in preserved archival material. This combination of two complementary perspectives (relating to property and prosopography) creates a more plastic picture of the story of this small estate at a time of Europe-wide conflict.
This article is not just a small investigation into regional history, but also has the ambition to be become the basis for looking at the stories of other Frýdlant fiefdoms, something, which it would appear is a great research challenge.