Bedřich Smetana, then in charge of the company, returned the work to Dvořák, claiming that it was unperformable.
The Provisional Theatre, under different artistic leadership after the departure of Smetana, gave the première on 24 November 1874.
Dvořák made another substantial revision in 1887, with modifications to the libretto by Václav Juda Novotný.
One of the main characters – the charcoal burner Matěj – was taken by Lobeský from the puppet theatre play Feast Day in Hudlice (based on the same theme).
Lobeský also replaced the Přemyslid king with the Habsburg Emperor Matthias (and thus shifted the action from the 11th to the 17th century).
As Matěj is the familiar form of Matthias in Czech, Dvořák gained two characters with the same names – one poor, one rich.
Act 1 (original version) During a hunt, the burgrave Jindřich arrives and asks about the king, who has not yet returned.
Other coal miners then escort to Matějs hut an unknown nobleman lost in the forest.
The royal hunting party, led by Jindřich, arrives, and recognises the king, who forbids them to reveal his identity.
Matyáš invites them to a feast, but Matěj asks for acknowledgement directly from the "host", a request with which the queen will comply.
Jeník, now a military officer with exemplary war service, is present, but does not take part in the dance, troubled by memories of Liduška.
The king joins the company and prepares those present for a prank, where he has the coal miner and his family arrested and charged with treason.
The "court" accuses Matěj and Anna of a conspiracy against a foreigner who barely escaped an armed attack during his stay at the coal mine.
Liduška remains silent, until the court declares Jeník the main culprit and condemns him to death in absentia, after which she speaks in his defence.
Matěj, Liduška and Anna admire the beauty of the feast, and the king invites them to dance and then to the table.
(King Matyáš) Bořek Rujan, (Matěj) Karel Kalaš, (Anna) Ludmila Hanzalíková, (Jindřich) Oldřich Kovář, (Liduška) Štefa Petrová, (Jeník) Antonín Votava, (1st Knight) Bohuš Holubář, (2nd Knight) Jan Soumar.
(King Matyáš) Jindřich Jindrák, (Matěj) Eduard Haken, (Anna) Ivana Mixová, (Jindřich) Milan Karpíšek, (Liduška) Libuše Domanínská, (Jeník) Oldřich Spisar, (1st Knight) Jiří Joran, (2nd Knight) Rudolf Vonásek.
(King Matyáš) Dalibor Jenis, (Matěj) Peter Mikuláš, (Liduška) Lívia Ághová, (Anna) Michelle Breedt, (Jeník) Michal Lehotsky, (Jindřich) Markus Schäfer.
(King Matyáš) René Tuček, (Matěj) Dalibor Jedlička, (Anna) Drahomíra Drobková, (Jindřich) Viktor Kočí, (Liduška) Jitka Svobodová, (Jeník) Miroslav Kopp, (1st Knight) Štěpán Buršík, (2nd Knight) Jaroslav Prodělal.