Did you know the Nazi war machine was (briefly) held up by a medieval knight?

Nazi Germany had its eyes on Czechoslovakia after the Anschluss, the unification with Austria. The Munich Agreement of September 30, 1938 gave Hitler what he wanted: Britain and France, still eager to avoid war by appeasing the Führer, agreed to stand by and let Germany occupy a part of Czechoslovakia called the Sudetenland. Over the following months, that initial land grab turned into a complete occupation and dismantling of the country. While the Great Powers of Europe just watched, a single eccentric man stood up to Nazi aggression, however briefly.

Little is known about the life of Josef Menčík, “the Knight of Strakonice.” In 1911, he bought Dobrš, an originally medieval fortress that had been damaged by storms and a fire, refurbished it, and filled it with antiques and curiosities which he was happy to show to visitors amid history lessons. He himself tried to live like a medieval knight: he eschewed cars and electricity, lit his castle with candles and torches, and showed up to local markets and fairs dressed in a medieval French-style suit of armor (which some speculate he acquired through smuggling).

When German columns crossed the border in the early days of October 1938, Menčík rode out on a thoroughbred to meet them, clad in armor and armed with a sword and a halberd. No written record exists of their meeting, but, amazingly, Menčík was not gunned down the moment he stood in front of the approaching force. After a brief delay, the tanks moved on with Menčík standing by the road, unable to do anything about it. Some soldiers allegedly patted him on the helmet condescendingly, assuming he was crazy.

The Knight of Strakonice never suffered any retorsion for his brief resistance. In late 1945, after the liberation of Czechoslovakia and a Communist takeover, the new regime took away his beloved castle. He died a few days later in his son’s home; he was speculated to be in his seventies.

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