During the reign of King Vladislav II, there was great disorder in the land. The king resided in Hungary and rarely visited Bohemia, so everyone resolved disputes in their own way: sometimes by force, sometimes by cunning, because justice was not forthcoming. At that time, the Ploskovice fortress near Litoměřice was ruled by the knight Sir Adam Ploskovský, widely known for his cruelty. He oppressed his subjects for so long that the poor wretches rebelled, marched on his castle, stormed it by force and captured Sir Adam. Under threat of death, they forced him to sign a statement that he was releasing them from his estate and would not take revenge on them. Then they withdrew and voluntarily became vassals to the neighbouring knight, Sir Dalibor of Kozojedy, who was known for his just and gentle nature. However, it is also said that Dalibor had his eye on his neighbour’s estate and incited the rebellion against Lord Adam, as he ultimately benefited from it the most. But who knows today how it all was back then! What is certain, however, is that when news of the whole incident reached the lords of the land, they sent the royal army to Ploskovice, returned the property to Sir Adam, and imprisoned Sir Dalibor in Prague Castle. Dalibor suffered greatly in the tower’s bleak dungeon. To keep himself occupied and take his mind off his misfortune, he asked the jailer to get him a musical instrument. A few days later, the jailer brought him a violin. From that day on, the knight tried from morning till night to run his bow across the strings in various ways, tilting the violin first to one side, then to the other, and coaxing sounds from it resembling caterwauling. Within a few days, however, he was able to produce clear, long notes, and his playing improved rapidly. After some time, Dalibor had improved so substantially that when he picked up his instrument, even the hardened jailers and guards listened to the sound of his violin. Soon, word spread about him, and many Prague residents would come to the tower every evening to listen to him play. They would put a little extra food in the basket he lowered from his cell window, sometimes even a little money or warm clothing. Some young maidens in particular came regularly, listened to the lament of Dalibor’s violin, sighed, wiped away their tears and pitied the young prisoner. Prague Castle | Source: Prague City Tourism One day, the crowd gathered beneath the tower in vain; there was silence. When Dalibor’s violin remained silent on the second and third days, people asked the jailer what had happened. He just shook his head sadly and confirmed their unfortunate premonition. Fearing that the rebellion of the Ploskovice subjects could set an example for others, the lords imposed the most severe punishment on Dalibor. They had him executed early in the morning, while everyone was still asleep. The people of Prague mourned their favourite prisoner, and the tower was named after him. And what happened to Dalibor of Kozojedy’s violin? In reality, the knight could not have played a violin in prison, because the first violins did not arrive in Bohemia until about a hundred years after Dalibor’s execution. The saying that gave rise to the legend that “necessity taught Dalibor to sing” probably means that his suffering on the rack forced him to confess. Based on the book 77 pražských legend by Alena Ježková (77 Prague Legends).