do you think hans reacts so vehemently to henry being taken into service at the beginning of KCD1 because he’s intensely jealous?
henry, a unknown peasant, is immediately given chance to bear serious responsibilities: investigating with the guard, carrying out tasks for radzig, and even being put in charge of hans himself.
meanwhile, hans, despite being nobility and already in his twenties, is being infantilized and still isn’t taken seriously.
at first, i focused too much on their class difference and overlooked how personal this actually was for hans. imagine being in his shoes: you’re the son of nobility, twenty years old, and still not entrusted with the management of your own estates. your uncle constantly reminds you that you're too irresponsible, that you're not ready. no one gives you the chance to prove yourself, and no matter how much you try to assert your independence, you’re dismissed as reckless and immature.
then, out of nowhere, some random village yokel your age storms into your dining hall and demands—DEMANDS! to be taken into service—and instead of laughing him out of the room, your uncle & sir radzig agree. this peasant, who’s never had a proper education or noble upbringing, is suddenly given the kind of responsibilities you’ve been denied your entire life.
yeah. you can definitely see why hans was pissed.
and similarly, i can see why hans warmed up to henry so quickly too. by spending so much time together hans starts recognizing the actual weight of responsibilities that henry bears, largely due to being hans' squire too.
at first, he probably expected henry to fail. a nobody from a burned-down village with no noble blood, suddenly handed a position of responsibility? hans, who had been denied real responsibilities his entire life despite being born into them, must have assumed henry would keel over the moment things got difficult. maybe he even wanted him to, just to prove a point.
but instead, henry just... kept doing the work. being hans' squire, enduring his temper, his jabs, running tasks for radzig, carrying out duties that were actually meant for someone of hans' status—it never seemed to faze him. and while hans could be arrogant, he wasn’t blind. he recognized effort when he saw it.
maybe that’s what shifted things for him. henry wasn’t some upstart playing at knighthood; he actually took responsibility in a way hans never had the chance to. and whether he admitted it or not, that must have stung. but at the same time, it gave hans something to admire. because if responsibility wasn’t just about who you were, but what you did, then maybe it wasn’t too late for him, either.
the concept of henry missing istvan in some twisted way, like a dual part of himself that had become a vessel for compartmentalizing his capability for exacting violence, revenge and cruelty. istvan becoming his second self in the subconscious, the cruel one, so henry doesn't have to face those parts directly.
and later in the game, long after istvan's corpse had gone cold, going out of his way to drink himself into nightmares just to make sure that part still exists, that he's still there, because it's easier to confront the monster in a dream than to admit the monster was him the entire time, that it was a part of him. because fear is easier to hold onto than guilt.
i finally collect my thoughts and speculations on the possible continuation of the KCD franchise in this post - but please march into this knowing these are speculations born of my own biased narrative and hopeful bastardizations of real events. unlike KCD, i will try to adhere to the real life dates provided primarily by wikipedia as no dates or years were specified for KCD3. and finally - this is only a speculation of what a KCD3 plot might look like IF it was confirmed. as of today's date, no confirmations about the sequel of the games has been announced. PS: i am not a historian. i just like history.
PART: 1 2 3 4 5
_________
my primary speculations will be aimed at the main protagonists of the KCD franchise - henry of skalitz and hans capon (jan ptaček of pirkštejn) with the assumed relationship between them being romantic post KCD2.
— jan hus
the reason i find myself making this theory at all is because a couple of very important things are about to happen in a very close future in bohemia. among political tensions that followed wenceslaus iv with every step and the beginning of the anti-church sentiments sown by one jan hus, the next 10-20 years will turn out to be formative for the future of bohemia.
to be extremely brief, jan hus' teachings targeted the body of church as a whole, denouncing the popes, bishops, priests and the acts of paying for any kind of dissolution of sins. jan hus believed church to be leeches who got rich off of poor people and demanded the clergy to be stripped of any worldly possessions if they wanted to preach. he also believed only jesus christ and the lord could be the judges of sin; that no body of church could sell forgiveness or blessings.
— hussites
following the teachings of jan hus, the hussites emerged as soldiers from the commonfolk following the death of jan hus in 1415 (burned at stake). two prominent factions formed within hussites - the radical taborites and the moderate utraquists.
it was in the taborites that jan žižka emerged as a prominent figure, and he had made his first significant mark on history in 1419 when he participated in the first defenestration of prague.
so, as you can see, there was a significant gap between jan žižka's time as a roadside bandit in 1403 and his rise to fame in 1420s. that had been in part because it is speculated he had been serving as a king's courtier to king wenceslaus iv and his family. (funny detail; at some point wenceslaus calls žižka "faithful and beloved" in a special letter LOL)
_________
— and your're still reading this probably wondering "where is the part where he talks about hansry" but worry not, it is here.
if you checked hans capon's (jan ptaček) wiki you would have seen that later on, he follows the lead of his poweful neighbour petr of šternberk on the anti-hussite and pro-sigismund side. petr of šternberk was prominently pro-sigismund, had very strong anti-hussite views and was a famous hussite killer and enemy of jan žižka. hans will do this for reasons unknown to us and reasons that the game will probably improvise on.
this is where i would put the heart of henry and hans' conflict. both henry and hans have been vocally and actively pro-wenceslaus since KCD1, which would also translate into being pro-hussite in the future.
here is also where i mention the not so subtle moment in KCD2 when žižka approaches henry with the offer to join the fight by his side, because that was very deliberate and sets us up pretty well for the next installment of the game if it comes to be.
this is also the point i would consider crucial to the testament of henry's character. up to this point, henry had been following people; radzig, hanush, hans, jobst, prokop, john of lichstenstein on the side of wenceslaus. i think it would be important for henry to decisively choose a side in this conflict, not only because it was sigismund's forces that razed skalitz, but also because this is a cause he himself believes in rather than follows for the sake of loyalty or revenge. and i'll say - those are both valid motives, but i feel like it would mean a lot more and feel like a big step in his character development to choose a fight he believes in rather than feels obligated to.
thus i believe henry would join the side of jan žižka and subsequently hussites.
but wait! it gets better. henry's own father, radzig kobyla, would go on to join jan žižka in waging guerilla campaigns against the rosenbergs while in service of king wenceslaus. i believe this was happening during the years 1406—1411. so, henry running with this band would make a lot of sense to me from the perspective of both henry's motives and loyalties. so by the year 1419, which i'm naming now for malevolent reasons i will reveal further down, henry would be established as not only pro-wenceslaus but also as a hussite in the coming years.
and now you're probably wondering "but what about hans and henry kissing?" well. the story of KCD is about henry more than hans, and i believe the emergence of anti-sigismund movements that henry would be required at just as hans is about to be conveniently married off presents the story with an opportunity to separate hans and henry for a while, and sets us up with the heartbreaking promises of "i'll come back for you," while hans settles in as the new lord of pirkstein if the game lore allows it. we do not know whether warhorse will follow the timeline of wikipedia on the matters of hanush refusing to give up his estates to the rightful heir, hans capon, or whether they'll force hanush to hand the estates over to hans in the coming years when his son is born.
if that does happen, hans would be presented with the opportunity to show what he's learned about responsibilities during the events of KCD2 as a newly appointed lord of his own estate.
thus, henry is whisked off to fight for the king, father and the people as hans takes over his lordly and familial duties as a new father if we're to believe wikipedia that his son heinrich (hynce), named after his lover henry, was born in the year 1404.
so why did i mention the year 1419?
well, for reasons you're probably not going to like.
it is my firm belief that up until the year 1416-ish henry and hans would have enjoyed eachothers company often, as lovers and as envoys of the highly politically important subjects such as john II of lichstenstein, margrave jobst and prokop, radzig kobyla, jan žižka and king wenceslaus iv himself. this probably doesn't satisfy the needs of many of you for their fluffy happy ending, but i am taking into account primarily their duties to the crown/class/people and then their romantic relationship, because that was unfortunately the hand they would most likely have been dealt.
why up until 1416?
it was in july of 1415 that jan hus was burned at the stake, and the hussites movement grew stronger than ever, to the point in 1419 where the first major hussite battle happened. battle of živohošť, an event that occured in november of 1419, was fought under the command of petr of šternberk, with hans capon in tow, as he had decided to side with his powerful neighbour as mentioned earlier.
now this would present the story with a unique opportunity of putting hans capon and henry of skalitz on opposing sides.
hans, while loyal to henry and the rest of the wenceslaus + hussites, was ultimately forced to join the side of opposition, and thus had political obligations he had to fulfill owing to his duties as a lord of his estates.
it is during this battle that i could see henry getting killed off for the sake of driving the plot. poetically, two lovers find themselvese on the opposite sides of a battlefield, one fighting for something he believes in with the traitor on the other side, fighting in accordance with duty.
according to hans' wiki, it was after this one, singular battle that he switched sides and even signed a declaration in favour of the moderate hussites, even with petr of šternberk still alive at this point.
with his documented presence ceasing here, it is presumed that he had died in 1419, as his son hynce, 17 years old at the time, succeeded his father's estates in 1420.
in my tragic telling of the story of KCD3/4/5, henry's death on the battlefield is what spurs hans on to sign the declaration in support of the ideology his henry had died for, perhaps as a last gesture in favour of his dead lover.
and in true KCD2 galehaut and lancelot fashion, hans capon would perish from grief, mourning his best friend and the love of his life.
this, in fact, perfectly sets the franchise up for KCD4/5/? if this were the case; with hans and henry both out of the picture, you emerge as the young nobleman heinrich, aka henry, named after the greatest man his father had known - the year is 1420 and the hussite wars have lit the flames of the bohemian people's revolution.
as you already know, i love finding and analyzing details hidden in KCD2, and this is one of them.
you can find this item on the dining table in the main hall of the ruthard's palace after the pack moves in (oratores) (thank you @lordgeneralsix for info!)
so why is this silly chalice important? i'm sure you already know the answer is hussites.
the hussites chose the chalice as their symbol to represent their belief that everyone should receive both the body and blood of christ during the eucharist. this idea came from jacob of mies, who introduced it to jan hus. they argued that communion should be equal for all people, not just priests. at the time, the catholic church only allowed priests to receive the wine (the blood of christ), while the laity received only the bread (the body). the chalice thus became a symbol of reform and equality in faith.
(source)
when the hussite movement split into factions, the utraquists adopted various names, including calixtines (chalice, lat. calix). the taborites adopted the chalice as one of the main symbols on their banners.
(source)
bonus image of jan žižka himself with the chalice on the flag of hussites.
a lot of the subsequent hussite imagery was based on the chalice since then. very fun detail from WH indeed!
was rewatching the ending scenes of KCD2 and i don't see this mentioned often so here we go.
at the end, we get the moment where henry finally hands radzig his sword—his job, in his mind, is done.
radzig takes the sword, swings it, listens to the metal sing… but then, he hands it back to henry. we’ve always known this would happen, ever since henry first held the sword in KCD1, but the way they frame this moment is genius. let me tell you why:
henry takes up the sword and pauses as he takes in the sword for what it truly is—a responsibility.
and the music! the way it swells in the background, building to a crescendo as the camera pulls back over suchdol—it’s none other than the hussite song, "Ktož jsú boží bojovníci" (Ye who are warriors of God):
it’s a brilliant way of tying the scene’s subtext to the score. radzig says, "but it's not singing for me," which might just be a writing choice, but the symbolism, intentional or not, is incredibly strong.
henry's sword sings the hussite song, and radzig relinquishes the fight to his son. his fight is only beginning.
there's been some speculation on whether it's correct to call janosh hungarian or slovak considering the history and geography of hungary in 15th century, so i thought i'd lay down some basic information about janosh that we do know about him, including his appearance.
here's some things we know canonically:
— he’s from trencsén (modern-day trenčín, slovakia, in 15th century kingdom of hungary) — specifically keselőkő
— in the game, he refers to himself as hungarian
— janosh (or jános) is (most commonly) a hungarian first name
— 'uher' means 'hungarian' in slovak and czech (archaically), pointing to a hungarian ethnicity
due to slovakia not existing as a modern ethnic nation at the time, calling him slovak borders anachronistic, at least in my opinion. however, there are some things that point at a slovak influence so it's not all black and white. let me elaborate!
let's start with the obvious:
Lukáš Latinák is a slovak actor, and is the reason why janosh speaks slovak in the czech version of the game rather than czech, which may reflect a localization decision rather than historical accuracy.
another fun fact i found while researching all this is juraj jánošík, a slovak type of a 'robin hood' legend. and guess what, he participated in the battle of trencsén! janosh, trencsen...we get it.
now, his green caftan and why they may have changed it:
^ the original version of janosh's caftan (left) featured a chernigov motif, which point to eastern slavic influence. on the right, i found a modern recreation of a caftan with the same chernigov motif.
^ i have also found another modern recreation of a caftan with chernigov motifs (left). does janosh's caftan look familiar yet?
the caftan on the left features chernigov motifs, just as the older version of janosh's caftan did. however, they decided to change this in the newer versions of the game:
^ the new version features a mirrored motif of a bird. initially i thought it might've been a depiction of the hungarian national symbol turul, a mythological bird, in an attempt to better solidify his hungarian identity. however, in my research i have discovered this to be a byzantine motif of a bird. here is a wonderful modern recreation of this pattern. this is a motif which appears in decorative silks by otto von falke. (pg. 123)
also, if you're wondering about the influence of chernyakhov culture and that particular choice, i assume it has to do with the archaeological site that was found in hungary (present day romania) which contained remains of chernyakhov culture.
i personally believe that this choice of a depiction of a byzantine influence rather than the previously more distinctly slavic one was an intentional correction in the attempt to better depict janosh's descent. the reason i believe that is because it was magyars (not cumans!), an ethnic group native to hungary, who wore this type of clothing. it was especially present among magyar nobility, which could also be another pointer towards janosh's real origin. however, it wouldn't be odd at all for him to have obtained this caftan through robbery either. but i definitely think it opens things up for interpretation!
so like i said, i think that could reflect the fact that they updated their research or a desire to represent a more distinctly magyar identity more accurately with respect to their real cultural sphere of influence at the time.
and since i mentioned the turul, i think it's possible for it to also be an attempt to visually connect janosh to the turul, without directly using the specific (and possibly politically charged?) turul bird itself.
^ there is also a distinctly hungarian item on janosh's person; a fokos or a 'hungarian axe'/shepherds axe'. while it is an item present in cultures that appear in the area of the carpathian basin, it is traditionally more commonly known as a hungarian item. however, in some places it was popularized by juraj jánošík! man, this is getting tiring.
image credit: telafel
my personal conclusion is that there was a clear goal of a depiction of a hungarian character of magyar descent, reinforced by the character's own self-identification in-game supported by the cultural connotations behind his name and motif based influence, with the slovak part of his character being more of a result of his actor's nationality and some folklore.
disclaimer: this post is a continuation of my previous KCD3 posts on speculation of the events and lore that i'd like to see explored in the next installment(s) of the KCD story. these are only speculations born of my own biased narrative and hopeful bastardizations of real events. this is not representative of ALL the real historical persons and events as there is either info missing on them, they were altered by WH for the sake of the game or i'm plain wrong. PS: i am not a historian. i just like history.
PART: 1 2 3 4 5
_____________________
the part i've been looking forward to the most!
in this post, i'll be going over the most likely locations that will appear in KCD3 according to the real historical timeline and i'll be supporting these speculations with things that were hinted at in KCD2. and we'll be using some real historical maps!
the who:
the main antagonists i believe we will be seeing in KCD3 are the following:
Heinrich III von Rosenberg
Sigismund of Luxembourg (again)
Albrecht IV of Austria (?)
Erik
the new allies we might meet are the following:
Jan Sokol of Lamberg
Matěj Vůdce (Matthew the Leader)
King Wenceslaus IV
the where
the main locations i believe were most hinted at in KCD2 were the following:
Podiebrad
Kolin
Znojmo (Znojmo castle)
Prague (partial?)
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
so let's start with the who!
so far in the story, king Wenceslaus IV has merely been a name without a face, unlike Sigismund who not only got screen time in KCD1 & KCD2, but also a significant role in the main quest (and in the credits). meanwhile, Wenceslaus has been pushed off screen as we fight for the very same king. which, i guess, was an authentic experience for the people of Bohemia at the time as well.
however, it was in november of 1403 that king Wenceslaus was freed from Vienna with help from none other than our John II of Liechtenstein. i believe that this might be a cutscene we will be seeing likely in the prologue of KCD3 rather than a playable quest due to the fact that Vienna is so far. i believe that if they choose to make this a non-playable cutscene then it would allow the game to advance onto 1404. and its relevant events.
now, i fully believe that we will be seeing Dry Devil, aka Hynek of Kunštát again if the game will indeed be playable in 1404 the reason for that is that there is a relevant event that occurs in the town of Znojmo, or more precisely, Znojmo castle. in 1404 king Sigismund along with Albrecht IV of Austria lead a siege against Hynek and Jan Sokol of Lamberg in Znojmo castle, during which Albrecht was allegedly poisoned and died of dysentery which spread throughout the camp, and even Sigismund was apparently at the death's door.
anyone else see a perfect chance for the involvement of our professional bastard meddler? not only that, but the geography of the area looks very fun. i also believe this would be a convenient event to cover in the game as it's historically pretty vague which would allow WH to have more liberty while writing it.
the next person on our list is Heinrich III von Rosenberg. yes, those Rosenbergs. that name has been present ever since KCD1, if you remember the knight Ulrich of Passau sent to investigate the forging of silver coins in Sasau monastery on behalf of the Rosenbergs.
in the next installment, in KCD2 Rosenbergs get mentioned again. they were the most powerful members of the League of Lords (and one of the founders) and the biggest opposition to then king Wenceslaus IV.
in fact, there is a Sigismund affiliated person in his camp called Ditrich Katz who is wearing prominently designed couters bearing the coat of arms of what i believe are Rosenbergs. i also couldn't find a real person bearing that name anywhere, so it is likely that he was created by WH as an original character, who is perhaps representing Rosenberg's interests within the army (which wouldn't be far-fetched at all considering Heinrich's position as the royal military burgrave of Prague).
i believe the Rosenberg crest is etched into the inner elbow of Ditrich's* couters. there is a possibility that the design bears similarities to that of the lords of Hradec, but i believe this one to be more likely Rosenberg related due to Katz's distinctly red colour scheme. source: KDC2
so why is he so important to the sequel(s)?
besides the fact that he was one of king Wenceslaus' biggest enemies, we can also see his banner flying among Sigismund's army during the sacking of Skalitz.
i very kindly circled the banners for you. source: KCD1
you'd honestly think Henry would have a bigger incentive to go after this guy rather than Von Bergow.
there is also an unconfirmed but still very interesting theory that Jan Žižka served Rosenbergs under a false name during a brief period, which makes his efforts of destroying Rosenberg assets starting in 1406* very funny. i say 1406 only because that was the first time he started appearing in the Rosenberg's black book (acta negra maleficorum) of the Rosenberg estate as an accused bandit. this means his hostilities against Rosenbergs could have started as early as 1404 for the sake of the narrative convenience (wink wink nudge nudge WH?). jokes aside, the lands surrounding Trocnov, Žižka's home, were often under pressure from Rosenberg estates, so i could see his incentives against Rosenbergs easily starting before 1406 because of that regardless of the convenience of the narrative.
whew!
and if you recall the scene where Istvan Toth is sending Erik on his merry way to Malešov, you can hear him mentioning Senitz (Senice).
source: KCD2
i was briefly debating which Senitz/Senice he was talking about, but i took the liberty of visualizing the route from Trosky to Malešov for your viewing pleasure and found one Senice along the route.
(note: this is a modern route using modern roads as per google maps info because i do not have access to a more detailed map of 1400s central Bohemia. it is only an approximate of Erik's route at the time but i think it still gives you a good sense of his path. 90km/56mi.)
so that was another Rosenberg mention. i think it's safe to say that we will be encountering Heinrich III von Rosenberg in the next game.
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
and now the allies!
i believe Dry Devil and John II of Liechstenstein will be making an appearance again, and alongside them most likely Jan Sokol of Lamberg.
there hasn't been much proof that suggests we will be seeing him in a sequel, but i don't believe his KCD codex entry mentioning Znojmo in 1404 is a coincidence.
and again, there is the mention of Rosenbergs. i believe that KCD3 will either include the events of 1404 OR it will contain the events of 1404 and timeskip into 1409 because that was when Jan Sokol of Lamberg, Matěj Vůdce and Racek Kobyla waged a guerilla campaign against the Rosenberg family on behalf of king Wenceslaus IV. two pretty relevant periods, i'd say.
as for Matěj Vůdce, aka Matthew the Leader; people have been speculating that the Matthew we encounter as Henry while recruiting Dry Devil's old band is the Matthew. or just another Matthew. i couldn't find the exact year when Jan Žižka met Matthew before the more commonly cited 1409. so i can't say for sure. (however, i'd like to think that a figure that important wouldn't be an easily killable NPC.)
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
and now let's go into the where's!
i promise this section will be shorter and more illustrated than the previous one. reminder of the locations i listed;
Podiebrad
Kolín
Znojmo (Znojmo castle)
Prague (partial?)
i obviously listed Podiebrad (Poděbrady) as that is the location mentioned multiple times in KCD2. Rosa Ruthard mentions her and her family (Ruthards) travelling there at the end of KCD2, and i believe this is where Hans Capon's wedding will be held as well considering Podiebrad was an estate given to the Kunstadts (by Charles IV, Wenceslaus' father), and considering the fact that Botschek and of course Jitka are of Kunstadt, it makes sense.
i also believe Kolín will be there, probably less important but as a potential place where we will be able to meet Samuel again. historically, Sigismund did indeed order an attack on Jews of Kuttenberg and they did settle in Kolin.
the distance between Podiebrad and Kolin is also quite short.
as for Znojmo, it is located some 170km (105mi) away from Rattay which might seem like too far, but here's a reminder on how far Trosky is from Rattay in comparison!
the distance between Rattay and Trosky is 103km (64 mi)
and finally, here is the distance between Rattay and Podiebrad + Kolin.
when you compare it to Trosky and its surrounding area, Podiebrad and Kolin are a lot closer in comparison. i even speculate that Hans' wedding might happen on his way back from Trosky to Rattay, hence why Hanush was so insistent on hurrying Hans up and why Hans was so insistent on staying in the Devil's Den longer with Henry.
and lastly; Prague.
i am still very much on the fence about Prague, mainly because trying to recreate a city of that size in-game would be a Herculean task. not impossible, but very hard. i mention Prague because after stopping in Kuttenberg, that is where king Wenceslaus IV returns to once he escapes Vienna in 1403.
and there could be a lot said about Kuttenberg and that arc in itself (like Hans, Henry and co. meeting the king in Kuttenberg while they're still chilling in the Devil's Den) but i thought i'd rather talk about Prague.
Prague, even in 1403/1404 was already approx. 5-6 times bigger than Kuttenberg. which is a Lot. I've already linked this map in a previous post, but here's a reminder on what a reconstructed map of Prague in 1419 looks like;
my frankenprague map. source from this lovely website!
on the other hand it's an insane project that would be lauded for decades if executed successfully because who the hell wouldn't want a walkable map of 1419 Prague
thus i believe that Prague might also become only a cutscene or only a very small part of it would be playable for reasons yet unknown to me.
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
okay, that's all for now. i had to cut this post down in size, can you believe it. but i really wanted to make a sort of an Everything post for the possible directions KCD3 might take because i was seeing way, way too many people guessing that the next KCD game will be set in 1419 my brothers and sisters in christ, there are so many important events to cover just from 1404 to 1416, i cannot imagine going straight into the Hussite wars without establishing Henry as a radical on the side of the people through various banditry related events and addressing the collective harem of Bohemian revolutionaries accumulated throughout both of the game's story first. i know a lot of you are here for the tragedy of Hansry in 1419, but i promise you there are many happy years between now and then in the meantime. enjoy them! (and learn more about 15th century Bohemia)
