Jan Ptáček of Pirkstein

Jan Ptáček of Pirkštejn ( – 1419) was a Bohemian noble and lord of Rataje nad Sázavou and Polná. He served as a provincial judge, and later as a Catholic military leader against the Hussites.

Biography Jan was born to Jan Ješek Ptáček of Pirkštejn likely in 1388, given that some sources declare that he came of age in 1406. He inherited the name "Ptáček", or "Birdie", from his father.

Jan was a minor when his father died at the end of the 14th century. Consequently, Henry III of Lipá became his guardian. Hanuš of Lipá, the son of Henry, became Jan's guardian and administered the holdings after Henry's death. It was not until 1412 that Hanuš was ordered to leave and Jan began to rule his possessions.

Jan served as a judge in the Moravian provincial court. There is no evidence of his subsequent participation in the war, and Petr Konopišťský was later killed in Prague during the Battle of Vyšehrad in 1420.

Jan died in 1419 and was buried in the family crypt in the Church of Saint Matthew in Rataje nad Sázavou.

Family Jan married Jitka of Kunštát, a daughter of Moravian nobleman . Together they had one son, Hynce Ptáček of Pirkštejn, who became an important military leader and diplomat. Hynce succeeded the Rataje and Polná estates in 1420.

In popular culture Hans Capon, a character in the 2018 video game Kingdom Come: Deliverance, is based on Jan Ptáček. The character is depicted as part of the pro-Wenceslaus faction. He also features in the 2025 sequel Kingdom Come: Deliverance II.