The Czech Hussite movement appeared at the beginning of the 15th century. Its members wanted to reform the Christian church. The main instigator of change was the Czech theologian Jan Hus, whose tragic fate led to an uprising and a two-decade-long war.
Teachings of Jan Hus
Jan Hus was born in the south of Bohemia in 1369. He graduated and became a professor at the University of Prague. He also accepted the priesthood and became rector of the Bethlehem chapel in the capital of the Czech Republic. Jan Hus very quickly became a popular preacher among his fellow citizens. This was due to the fact that he communicated with people in Czech, while the entire Roman Catholic Church used Latin, which the common masses did not know.
The Hussite movement was formed around the theses that Jan Hus put forward, arguing with the papal throne about what is befitting a Christian priest. The Czech reformer believed that positions and indulgences should not be sold for money. Another controversial statement of the preacher was his idea that the Church is not infallible and should be criticized if there are vices hidden within it. By topicsat times these were very bold words, because no Christian could argue with the pope and the priests. Such people were automatically recognized as heretics.
However, Gus happily avoided violence for some time due to his popularity among the people. The church reformer was also an educator. He suggested changing the Czech alphabet to make it easier for people to read and write.
The death of Gus
In 1414, Jan Hus was summoned to the Cathedral of Constance, which was held in the German city on the shores of Lake Constance. Formally, the purpose of this meeting was to discuss the crisis in the Catholic Church, in which the Great Western Schism occurred. For nearly forty years there have been two popes at once. One was in Rome, the other in France. At the same time, half of the Catholic countries supported one, and the other half - the second.
Jan Hus already had a conflict with the Church, they tried to isolate him from the flock, banned his activities, but thanks to the intercession of the Czech secular authorities, the popular priest continued his sermon. Departing for Konstanz, he demanded guarantees that he would not be touched. Promises have been made. But when Gus was at the cathedral, he was arrested.
The Pope motivated this by the fact that he personally did not make any promises (and only Emperor Sigismund made them). Hus was required to renounce his views. He refused. While he was being held in custody, the Czech nobility sent dispatches to Germany demanding the release of their national hero. These exhortations were notno effect. On July 6, 1415, Jan Hus was burned as a heretic. This was the main reason for the start of the war in the Czech Republic.
The beginning of the uprising in the Czech Republic
The reformist Hussite movement swept the whole country. Nobles (gentry), city dwellers and knights did not like the violence of the Catholic Church on their national self-consciousness. There were also differences in adherence to some Christian rites.
After the execution of Hus, the goals of the Hussite movement were finally formed: to rid the Czech Republic of Catholics and Germans. For some time the conflict was local in nature. However, the Pope, not wanting to yield to the heretics, announced a crusade to Moravia. Such military campaigns were the norm for that time. The first crusades were organized in order to win Palestine from the Muslims and protect it. When the Middle East was lost to Europeans, the church's eyes turned towards regions where various heretics or pagans were active. The most successful was the campaign in the B altics, where two military monastic orders were created with their own territory. Now it's the Czech Republic's turn to survive the invasion of the knights with a cross on their banners.
Sigismund and Jan Zizka
At the first stage of the war, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund became commander-in-chief of the crusader army. He had already compromised himself in the eyes of the Czechs by not defending Hus when he was tried at the Council of Constance. Now the emperor has become even more hated by the Slavic inhabitants.
The Hussite movement also received its military leader. They became Jan Zizka. It was a Czech nobleman who was already over 60 years old. Despite this, he was full of energy. This knight was known for his brilliant career in the courts of various kings. In 1410, as a volunteer, he joined the Polish-Lithuanian army, which defeated the German crusaders of the Teutonic Order in the Battle of Grunwald. In battle, he lost his left eye.
Already in the Czech Republic, during the war against Sigismund, Zizka became completely blind, but remained the leader of the Hussites. He instilled fear in his enemies with his appearance and cruelty. In 1420, the commander, along with an 8,000-strong army, came to the aid of the inhabitants of Prague, driving out the crusaders, among whom a split occurred. After this event, for some time the whole of the Czech Republic was under the rule of the Hussites.
Radicals and moderates
However, another split soon occurred, which had already divided the Hussite movement. The reasons for the movement were the rejection of Catholicism and German rule over the Czech Republic. Soon a radical wing emerged, headed by Zizka. His supporters plundered Catholic monasteries, cracked down on objectionable priests. These people organized their own camp on Mount Tabor, which is why they were soon called Taborites.
At the same time, there was a moderate movement among the Hussites. Its members were ready to compromise with the Catholic Church in exchange for some concessions. Due to disagreement between the rebels, the unified power in the Czech Republic soon ceased to exist. Emperor Sigismund tried to take advantage of this, who began to organize the second Crusadeagainst heretics.
Crusade against the Hussites
In 1421, the imperial army, which also included detachments of Hungarian and Polish knights, returned to the Czech Republic. The goal of Sigismund was the city of Zatec, which was located near the German province of Saxony. An army of Taborites came to the aid of the besieged fortress, led by Jan Zizka. The city was defended and from that day the war went on with varying success for both sides.
Soon the members of the Hussite movement received support from an unexpected ally in the person of the Orthodox troops, who came from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In this country, there was an intense internal struggle for the preservation of the old faith and the rejection of the Catholic influence that came from Poland. For several years, the Lithuanians, as well as their Russian subjects, helped the Hussites in their war against the emperor.
In 1423, Zizka's short-term success allowed him, along with the army, to completely clear his country and even begin an intervention in neighboring Hungary. The Hussites reached the banks of the Danube, where the local royal army was waiting for them. Zizka did not dare to join the battle and turned back to his homeland.
The failure in Hungary led to the fact that the contradictions that split the Hussite movement flared up again. The reasons for the movement were forgotten, and the Taborites went to war against the moderates (who were also called Chashniki or Utraquists). The radicals managed to win an important victory in June 1424, after which unity was briefly restored. However, already in the same autumn, Jan Zizka died of the plague. Journey to memorable placesThe Hussite movement must necessarily include the city of Přibislav, where the famous Hussite leader died. Today Zizka is a national hero of the Czechs. A large number of monuments have been erected to him.
Continuation of the war
Zizka's place as leader of the Taborites was taken by Prokop Naked. He was a priest and came from an influential Prague family. At first, Prokop was a chasnik, but over time he became close to the radicals. In addition, he proved to be a good general.
In 1426, Prokop led an army, consisting of the Taborites and the Prague militia, to the walls of the city of Usti nad Labem, which was captured by the Saxon invaders. The Hussite leader led 25 thousand people, which was an extremely serious force.
Strategy and tactics of the rebels
In the battle of Usti nad Labem, Prokop successfully used tactics that appeared in the days of Jan Zizka. The beginning of the Hussite movement was distinguished by the fact that the new combat detachments of the militias were untrained and unsuitable for combat with the professional army of the emperor. Over time, this shortcoming was corrected due to the influx of knights to the protesting Czechs.
Wagenburg became an important innovation of the Hussites. This was the name of the fortification, which was built from wagons in order to defend a strategically important place on the battlefield. It was during the Czech War that firearms began to be used in Europe, but they were still in a rather primitive state and could not greatly affect the outcome of the battle. The key role was played by the cavalry, for which the Wagenburgs turned out to beheavy obstacle.
On such a cart, guns were installed that shot the enemy and prevented him from breaking through the fortifications. Wagenburgs were built in a rectangular shape. Often there were cases when a moat was dug around the wagons, which became an additional advantage for the Hussites. Up to 20 people could fit in one wagenburg, half of which were riflemen who hit the approaching cavalry from a distance.
Thanks to tactical tricks, the army of Prokop the Naked once again expelled the Germans. After the Battle of Ústí nad Labem, Czech militias invaded Austria and Saxony several times over the course of three years, and even besieged Vienna and Nuremberg, but without success.
It is interesting that at that time the representatives of the Polish nobility, as well as knights from this country, began to actively support the Hussites, contrary to their authorities. There is a simple explanation for these relationships. The Poles, like the Czechs, being Slavs, were afraid of the strengthening of German influence on their land. Therefore, the Hussite movement, in short, was not only religious, but also received a national coloring.
Negotiations with Catholics
In 1431, Pope Martin V called the Council of Basel (named after the meeting place) to resolve the conflict with the Czechs through diplomacy. This proposal was used by the participants and leaders of the Hussite movement. A delegation was formed and went to Basel. It was headed by Prokop the Naked. The negotiations he had with the Catholics ended in failure. The parties to the conflictwere able to reach a compromise. The Hussite embassy returned to their homeland.
The failure of the delegation led to another split among the rebels. Most of the Czech nobility decided to try again to negotiate with the Catholics, but no longer paying attention to the interests of the Taborites. This was the last and fateful break that destroyed the Hussite movement. The table shows the main events associated with the Czech uprising, led by the Chasniks and Taborites.
| Date | Event |
| 1415 | Execution of Jan Hus |
| 1419 | Beginning of the Hussite wars |
| 1424 | The death of Jan Zizka |
| 1426 | Battle of Usti nad Labem |
| 1434 | Basel Council talks |
| 1434 | Battle of Lipan |
The final split of the Hussites
When the Taborites became aware that the moderate Hussites were again trying to find a compromise with the Catholics, they went to Pilsen, where they defeated the Catholic quarter. This episode was the last straw for most of the Czech lords, who finally came to an agreement with the Pope. The aristocrats were tired of the war that had been going on for fifteen years. The Czech Republic lay in ruins, and its economy, on which the well-being of the lords depended, could not be restored until peace came.
As a rule, each feudal lord had his own small army, consisting of a detachment of knights. When the union of pans unitedtheir forces, which were also joined by Catholics, as well as the militia of Prague, the new army turned out to be 13 thousand well-armed professionals. The feudal lord Divish Borzhek stood at the head of the Utrakvist army. Also, the future Czech king Jiří from Poděbrady joined the army.
Battle of Lipan
The Taborites were supported by 16 Czech cities, including Tabor itself, as well as Zatec, Nymburk, etc. The army of radicals was still led by Prokop Naked, whose right hand was another commander, Prokop Maly. On the eve of the battle with the enemy, the Taborites managed to take a convenient position for defense on a mountain slope. Prokop hoped for the success of his classic tactics, which included the use of Wagenburgs, as well as wearing down the enemy and a decisive counterattack.
May 30, 1434, two enemy armies clashed in the last battle at Lipan. Prokop's plan was implemented successfully until the episode with the counterattack, when the Taborites realized that the Utraquists had launched a feigned retreat in order to take them out of convenient positions.
The pans had left a reserve heavily armed cavalry in the rear on the eve of the battle. This cavalry waited for the signal of a surprise attack until the Taborites were in a defenseless position. Finally, fresh and full of strength, the knights hit the enemy, and the radicals rushed back to their original camp. Soon the Wagenburgs also fell. During the defense of these fortifications, the leaders of the Taborites, Prokop the Naked and Prokop the Small, died. The Utraquists won a decisive victory that ended the Hussite wars.
The meaning of the Hussiteteachings
After the defeat in the battle of Lipan, the radical wing was finally defeated. The Taborites still remained, but after 1434 they were never able to organize an uprising similar in scale to the previous war. In the Czech Republic, a compromise coexistence of Catholics and Chashniki was established. The Utraquists were distinguished by slight changes in the rites during worship, as well as a respectful memory of Jan Hus.
For the most part, Czech society has returned to the status it had before the uprising. Therefore, the Hussite wars did not lead to any radical changes in the life of the country. At the same time, the Crusades against heretics caused enormous damage to the Czech economy. Central Europe spent several decades healing the wounds of the war.
Further results of the Hussite movement became clear much later, when already in the 16th century the process of the Reformation began throughout Europe. Lutheranism and Calvinism emerged. After the Thirty Years' War in 1618-1648. most of Europe came to freedom of religion. In achieving this success was the significance of the Hussite movement, which became the prelude to the Reformation.
In the Czech Republic, the uprising is considered one of the symbols of national pride. Throughout the country, you can get on excursions that will allow tourists to visit memorable places of the Hussite movement. The Czech Republic carefully preserves the memory of him and his heroes.
