User:Jan.Kamenicek/sandbox

Jan Žižka was born in one of two Meierhofs of the village Trocnov (nowadays part of the Borovany municipality in the České Budějovice district). An old legend says that he was born in the forest under an oak growing just next to the fields and little ponds belonging to the Meierhof. Later a small chapel dedicated to John the Baptist was built there, of which only ruins remained. The exact date of his birth is not known, but it must have been before 1378. His father was most probably Jan called Žižka of Trocnov (Johannes dictus Zizka de Trocnov) and his mother's name was Kateřina. The family belonged to the lower Czech gentry (zemané) but did not own much estate. They had a crayfish in their coat of arms.

It is not known much of the rest of the family too. Jan Žižka had several siblings but the only names known to historians are brother Jaroslav and sister Anežka.