The Žerotín or Zierotin family of count

Count

A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...

s (from 1706 Reichsgrafs, lords from 1478) was one of the oldest and illustrious noble families originating from Moravia

Moravia

Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...

 and Bohemia

Bohemia

Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...

. The family was first mentioned around the year 1200 as Bludovici (Blud z Bludova

Blud z Bludova

Blud z Bludova is the founder of the village of Bludov village and belongs to the Moravian aristocratic clan of Zerotin. His name appears in records around 1200 as a Grand Huntsman and from 1213 till 1215, as the burgrave of Přerov. He had two sons, Oneš and Viktor....

), later renamed Žerotínové.

According to romantic legend

Legend

A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...

, the Zierotins were the offspring of prince Oleg of Drelinia

Oleg of Drelinia

Oleg was a Rurikid ruler of the Drevlyans from 969 to his death in 977. He was the second son of Sviatoslav I of Kiev.Date of birth is not known, but is probably before 957. Sviatoslav split up his domains, and gave the Drevlyan lands to Oleg. Oleg and his brother Yaropolk went to war after their...

, brother of Vladimir I of Kiev

Vladimir I of Kiev

Vladimir Sviatoslavich the Great Old East Slavic: Володимѣръ Свѧтославичь Old Norse as Valdamarr Sveinaldsson, , Vladimir, , Volodymyr, was a grand prince of Kiev, ruler of Kievan Rus' in .Vladimir's father was the prince Sviatoslav of the Rurik dynasty...

, and thereupon the family uses in its coat of arms

Coat of arms

A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...

 a royal crown (or more properly the crown of Grand Prince

Grand Prince

The title grand prince or great prince ranked in honour below emperor and tsar and above a sovereign prince .Grand duke is the usual and established, though not literal, translation of these terms in English and Romance languages, which do not normally use separate words for a "prince" who reigns...

) and princely mantling

Mantling

In heraldry, mantling or lambrequin is drapery tied to the helmet above the shield. It forms a backdrop for the shield. In paper heraldry it is a depiction of the protective cloth covering worn by knights from their helmets to stave off the elements, and, secondarily, to decrease the effects of...

. The heraldic device is a blason of coat of arms is gules a lion sable crowned or on three mountains argent, in crest is on royal crown lion sable rampart crowned or.

Members of the family were judges, governors, patrons of arts, and politicians. The most famous is Karel Older of Zierotin (1564–1636), head of the Moravian nobility during the Thirty Years' War

Thirty Years' War

The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....

 friend of Henry IV of France

Henry IV of France

Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....

 and brother-in-law of Albrecht of Wallenstein. Other interesting members were Johan Karl von Zierotin (1719–1776) directeur des spectacles of Frederick II of Prussia

Frederick II of Prussia

Frederick II was a King in Prussia and a King of Prussia from the Hohenzollern dynasty. In his role as a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, he was also Elector of Brandenburg. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel...

 and friend of Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...

, Karel Emanuel of Zierotin (1850–1934), peer of the Austrian Empire

Austrian Empire

The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...

 and governor of Moravia (1900–1906), and Ladislav Velen of Zierotin (1579–1638), head of the uprising against the Habsburgs.

Male line of this family died out in 1985. Its estates, manor Bludov, were after fall of the Communist rule (1989) returned to their female descendants, the family Mornstein-Zierotin.