War in the Czech Republic of the period 1419-1435. went down in history under the name "Hussite". They were held with the participation of followers of the ideological preacher, philosopher and reformer Jan Hus. What are the reasons for the beginning of those events? What results have been achieved? Read the article briefly about the Hussite wars.
How did it all start?
The main idea of the Hussite wars in the Czech Republic is an uprising against the German emperor and the Catholic Church. During his teaching years, Jan Hus repeatedly stated that the church was so “rotten” that it turned into a commercial monastery rather than a spiritual one. For such speeches and literature written in the same spirit, Jan Hus was removed from the church and declared enemy No. 1.
Dr. Gus was sure that faith should not be imposed, but should come only from the will of each believer. In 1414 he was summoned to the cathedral in Constance and decided to judge. Sigismund, the reigning emperor, presented the heretic with a safe conduct. But the meeting came to an agreement that the reformer was guilty on all counts of the prescription. He was sentencedto death by burning at the stake.
Ideological followers
The Emperor missed one point: Hus had many associates, students and followers. These people were not only in Bohemia (Czech Republic), but also in other European countries. Unrest was noted even in the most remote state corners. In 1419, a real uprising against Sigismund began, led by the then popular knight Jan Zizka.
At the time of the uprising, he was noted not only as a hero, but also as an excellent commander. What are the battles under his leadership at Agincourt with the British and the campaign against the Teutonic Order in Grunwald. When Yang joined the reform movement, this was considered the beginning of the Hussite wars.
Separation
The Hussite movement from the very beginning was divided into two branches: Chashniki and Taborites. The former inhabited the northern regions of the Czech Republic, the latter - the southern. The nobles and burghers of the northern part of the Czech Republic sponsored and supported in every possible way the Chashniki. The Taborites were helped by the southern representatives of the nobility. There were also a large number of peasants here. Taborites are of great importance in the history of Christianity. It is believed that they became the founders of the Christian faith. These reformers organized congregations where property was shared and sermons proclaimed that all are equal before God.
History knows one interesting fact: the Taborites had a formidable weapon called "threshing". It was a long iron chainweighted with accessories. The thresher was capable of knocking down a horse with a knight with one blow. During the hostilities, the Hussites widely used hand-held firearms: bombards and arquebuses. They regularly resorted to the help of wagons (wagens), in which 10 people fit. Each of them had their own weapon and their own task during the battle.
First crusade against the Hussites
No one expected that the Hussite rebellion would gain such momentum and reach significant proportions. The main reasons for the Hussite wars were the venality of the church and laws that were written exclusively in favor of officials. This could not continue, so the country was in great need of reforms and reorganization. In the town of Kutna Hora, a stronghold and the remnants of the Catholic Church gathered, later Habsburg supporters joined them. They asked for support from the Pope, and he agreed.
Emperor Sigismund began to raise an army, while not sparing money for uniforms and weapons. At the end of April 1420, he moved to Prague. The knight Jan Zizka found out about this and also hurried to Prague in order to lead the Hussite army. During the fighting, Sigismund managed to capture Tabor. In July of the same year, a decisive battle took place between the Hussites and the Crusaders. The emperor's army was defeated and forced to retreat.
Second Crusade
Since the autumn of 1421, contradictions have escalated between the Chashniki and the Taborites. The once united Hussite army has now broken up into several parts. Sigismund found out about this and decided to take advantage of thiscircumstance. However, Zizka managed to repulse the emperor's attack.
The Czech ruler did not stop there, but only decided to strengthen his position. He collects a serious army of knights and mercenaries, while not sparing money for provisions, weapons and baggage. Decisive battles were fought again in the vicinity of Kutna Hora. The emperor came close to the Hussite army. Zizka had already managed to become completely blind after numerous injuries, but continued to give commands. It was here that he decided to use the artillery field maneuver he invented. It was decided to quickly reorganize the wagons and deploy them in the direction of the advancing troops. The order to fire was given, and with one volley the Hussites managed to break through the emperor's advance.
After the main attack, it was easier for the fighters to shoot the enemy one by one with hand weapons. While the mercenaries began to flee, the Taborites met them and literally finished them off. After some time, troops from the Principality of Lithuania came to the aid of the Taborites. In 1423 they tried to capture Hungary and Moravia, but were forced to retreat. The forces were unequal, after this confrontation between the Chashniks and the Taborites became even tougher.
Civil war cannot be avoided…
The unfortunate events of the Hussite wars led to the fact that the once close allies began to quarrel with each other. Near the small town of Matesov, two warring factions converged. Žižka, saw that a civil war could ruin the reform movement, so he decided to unite the Hussite army again. He succeeded very well, becausethat he possessed a truly magnetic power of persuasion. Unsanitary conditions and poor nutrition led to an outbreak of plague, as a result of which Žižka died. Prokop the Great became his follower. The new leader banned hostilities and further campaigns until the epidemic recedes.
B altic campaign
Jagiello, the Polish king, asked for help from the Hussites. He intended to defeat the Teutonic Order. Together they went on a campaign that lasted 4 months. Since many Polish provinces were devastated after the plague and constant raids, a peace agreement was signed.
Other Crusades
In 1425, the third campaign against the Hussites was organized, led by Duke Albrecht. But, without calculating the forces, the army was defeated and retreated to the territory of Austria. Prokop the Great managed to gather an impressive army (approximately 25 thousand people), which consisted of Taborites and Czech militias. At this time, the Hussites killed a lot of representatives of the nobility (14 princes and barons, minor nobles and nobility).
In 1427 the fourth crusade against the Hussites took place. The forces were unequal, the reformers won again. Prokop the Great, together with Prokop the Small, decided to strengthen their positions and even went to the German princes. For this, a campaign was organized against Saxony, numbering 45 thousand people. Emperor Sigismund sees that resistance cannot be destroyed by anything, therefore he decides to take a cardinal step - to meet at the Basel Cathedral. However, the teapots were pessimistic, despite this, the negotiations were neutral.
Peace Agreement
What are the consequences of the Hussite wars? The events of those times led to the fact that constant hostility and misunderstanding flourished between the Chashniki and the Taborites. The last straw was that the teapots still tried to come to terms with the Catholic world. They formed the Bohemian League, which included moderate Hussites and Catholics from Bohemia. The final battle in May 1434 ended the Hussite movement. The year 1436 was marked by the signing of a peace agreement, and the state of Bohemia submitted to the conditions of Emperor Sigismund.
All modern historians unanimously say that the success of the Hussites for a long time was due to their unity and one goal. The opponents were divided among themselves and still adhered to their lands and spiritual values. As a result, the Hussite wars did not bring any change in regards to the church. And for decades, Central Europe has been heavily devastated.
Interesting facts
During the Hussite wars (start date - 1419, end - in 1934) there were many interesting facts that went down in history and became the basis of epics, fairy tales and mythical stories. Consider the most entertaining of them:
- Once Prokop Bolshoy wanted to capture a small Czech town. The locals, knowing that they were brutally cracking down on the nobility, decided to resort to one trick: they dressed up small children in white robes, gave themlit candles in their hands and put them around the perimeter of the place. The head of the army, seeing such beauty, could not resist emotion and retreated. It is known that he thanked the children with a large number of ripe cherries. Since then, the Czechs celebrate the holiday in July.
- Joan of Arc at that time was tormented by visions, she constantly heard strange voices. It happened in 1430: a girl dictated a letter, the content of which was to make crusades until the Hussites themselves offer reconciliation.
- There is a version that the Hussites often won, because they enlisted the support of many associates. For example, troops under the command of Fyodor Ostrozhsky and Zhigimont Dmitrievich adjoined Zizka. These soldiers were the ancestors of modern Belarusians, Ukrainians and Russians.
- It turns out that the teaching of Jan Hus was actually a return to original Orthodoxy. In the first millennium, the Czech people recognized this particular religion. Catholicism was deliberately imposed by corrupt echelons of power.
Many historians claim that the mere mention of the Hussite movement terrified the army of the Holy Roman Empire. There were cases when the battle ended with the complete surrender of the knights.
