Following Jan Hus’s Trial and subsequent execution in 1415 at the Council of Constance, the Church believed that they had solved the problem of heresy in Bohemia. However, upon hearing news of the death of Jan Hus, the Bohemians erupted in protest against the Church. In May of 1416, another Czech Hussite known as Jeroným Pražský was also burned at Constance and the Hussites expelled Catholic Church officials from their lands and suppressed the monasteries in response. Prague University spoke out against the actions of the Council of Constance, and in 1417 they were ordered to close their doors indefinitely. However, thanks to the backing of Hussite nobles, Prague University continued its operations despite the order. In July 1419, Hussites seized the New Town Hall, and in an act later known as the “First Defenestration of Prague”, threw the city councilors who opposed them from the windows of the building. In the following two weeks, Bohemian King Wencelaus IV died of a heart attack, leaving the throne empty. It is said that the news of the Defenestration of Prague is what allegedly caused his heart attack and death.

As Bohemia descended into rebellion, factions within the Hussites began to form, with the two most prominent being the Utraquists and the Taborites. The Ultraquists consisted mostly of the nobility whose base of operations was Prague and the University. While believing that the Bible was the primary source of Church authority, they were more moderate on their views and still believed in the traditions of the Church as long they did not contradict those of the Bible. On the other hand, the Taborites consisted of more common folk and formed a powerful military force based out of the fortified town of Tábor, from which their name comes. The Taborites were more radical in that they exclusively believed that authority only came from the Bible. Despite their differences, both believed in communion for the laity and thus their symbol became that of the chalice.

When Wencelaus IV died, he left no heir behind to succeed him and so the crown of Bohemia fell to his brother, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund. However, the noble Estates of Bohemia refused to accept him as their king, as he had played a role in the death of Jan Hus. Emperor Sigismund tried to placate the more conservative members of the Hussite Estate to support him by giving them concessions, but it soon became clear that the rest would not budge as they wanted Sigismund to support church reformation and allow more religious liberty. Meanwhile, the Taborites outright refused to accept his authority. Believing the only alternative was force of arms, Emperor Sigismund decided to wage war with the Bohemians in 1420 for his right to rule. Following this, Pope Martin V declared a crusade against the heretical Hussites at Sigismund’s request and called upon the might of the Christian world to bear arms against them. In April of 1420, the Czech nobles came together to rally the people together in order to defend themselves.

Battle of Vítkov Hill by 19th century artist Adolf Liebscher

Emperor Sigismund marched his Imperial army, along with the crusaders into Bohemia and took control of Hradčany. The Bohemians responded by sending their own forces to engage in battle with the Emperor’s army. What arrived on the field of battle was an army of Hussite peasants from Tabor. What at first would seem like an easy battle to win for the imperial crusaders quickly took a shocking turn. Led by the soon to be legendary figure Jan Žižka, the Bohemians thoroughly defeated the Imperial army and crusaders at Vítkov Hill. While this was all going on, Emperor Sigismund had taken to opportunity to have himself officially crowned as King of Bohemia in Saint Vitus Cathedral, but the Bohemian nobles refused to accept him as king because they had not elected him and with that, Emperor Sigismund’s army was once again defeated at Pankrác, forcing him to retreat from Bohemia.

Despite his defeat, Sigismund and the crusading forces would return for a second crusade against Bohemia in 1421, laying siege to the town of Žatec. The siege ultimately failed due to Sigismund’s delayed march, and in 1422 his army was once again devastated by Jan Žižka and the Hussites, who made use of armored wagons as mobile fortifications.

Armored wagons used as mobile fortifications by the Hussites

Following the failed second crusade, a third crusade was called against Bohemia, but no one was able to effectively participate in it due to internal conflicts and conflict of interests. Without the fear of external threats, the conflict turned inwards to the growing Hussite factional conflict. With no singular ruler, unity was becoming difficult as power diverted to more local rulers. As a result, the crown of Bohemia was offered to the Lithuanians, and Prince Sigismund Korybut of Lithuania was made regent in the place of Grand Duke Vytautus of Lithuania. While the Utraquists and moderate Taborites recognized his authority, there were many other factions who rejected him and infighting ensued. In 1423, Emperor Sigismund signed the Treaty of Melno with Lithuania and Poland, causing Korybut to be recalled back to Lithuania. Civil war broke out between the Taborites and the Utraquists, with Jan Žižka defeating the Utraquist in Prague and later defeating them in Hradec Králové. Prince Korybut returned to Bohemian with his own forces and helped to broker peace between the Hussite factions in September 1424. The following month, Jan Žižka died of disease and a Taborite priest named Prokop the Great took control of the Taborites in his place, along with Prince Korybut.

Battle between Hussites and Catholic Crusaders, jena Codex (15th Century)

With Jan Žižka dead, Pope Martin V and Emperor Sigismund continued to call two more crusades against the Bohemians. However, both times they were defeated by the Hussite forces of Prokop and Korybut, culminating in the devastating battle of Domažlice in 1431 in which the crusaders were completely routed and defeated. Emperor Sigismund finally realized the folly of his attempt to force the Bohemians to kneel to him and decided to take a diplomatic approach. Going before Pope Martin V, Sigismund asked him to call a council to settle the religious differences of the Church and the Hussites once and for all. At the Council of Basel, the Church and Hussites negotiated and came to a compromise. While the Utraquist were happy with this compromise, the Taborites were not. The factional conflict between the Utraquist and Taborites would come to a head, as the Utraquist had finally grown tired of their radical brethren.

Aligning themselves with the Catholics, the Utraquist and Taborites fought one last battle against each other in 1434 at Lipany. In the ensuing battle, many of the Taborite leaders such as Prokop the Great fell and with the Taborite opposition effectively defeated, the road to peace was paved. The Church accepted Utraquism into itself and Emperor Sigismund was given his place as King of Bohemia. However, while the Bohemians and Hussites had succeeded in carving out their own place in the Church, many centuries later they would find themselves having to once again defend their religious liberties in the 1600s.

Written by James Travis

Sources:

Monroe, Will S. Bohemia and the Cechs the History, People, Institutions, and the Geography of the Kingdom, together with Accounts of Moravia and Silesia. Boston, MA: L. C. Page and Company, 1910. Republished by Forgotten Books, 2012.

Mortimer, Geoff. The Origins of the Thirty Years War and the Revolt in Bohemia, 1618. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015.

Panek, Jaroslav, Oldrich Tuma, et. al. A History of the Czech Lands. 2nd ed. Prague: Charles University Karolinum Press, 2023.

Sayer, Derek. The Coasts of Bohemia: A Czech History. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1998.