Abstract
This study deals with Beneš of Cvilín, a member of the Benešovici noble family that lived in the mid-13th century. He regularly participated in royal military campaigns, and he was present at the royal court throughout the first half of the reign of Ottokar II of Bohemia where he reached the position of royal chamberlain and burgrave of Znojmo.
He expanded his family's property in the Opava region where he contributed to the founding of Horní Benešov. However, his political career ended in his arrest and execution in 1265.
The life of Beneš of Cvilín allows us to follow the fate of a nobleman who had lofty ambitions and at the peak of his career lost not only all his power, but also his life.