Wars 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 start of those events? How did you achieve results? Briefly about the Hussite wars read in the article.
How it all began?
The main idea of the Hussite wars in the Czech Republic is an uprising against the German emperor and the Catholic Church. During the years of teaching, Jan Hus repeatedly made a statement that the church was so "rotten" that it turned into a commercial monastery rather than a spiritual one. For similar speeches and literature written in the same spirit, Jan Hus was removed from the church and declared enemy No. 1.
Dr. Gus was convinced that faith should not be imposed, but should come only from the will of every believer. In 1414 he was summoned to the Cathedral in Constance and decided to judge. Sigismund, the reigning emperor, presented the heretic with a letter of protection. But the meeting agreed that the reformer was guilty of all points of the order. He was sentenced to 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 began against Sigismund, it was led by the then-popular knight Jan ižka.
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 Jan joined the reform movement, it was considered the beginning of the Hussite wars.
Separation
The Hussite movement from the very beginning was divided into two branches: cups and taborites. The former inhabited the northern regions of the Czech Republic, while the latter inhabited the southern. The noblemen and burghers of the northern part of the Czech Republic sponsored and strongly supported the cup-holders. Taborites were helped by the southern representatives of the nobility. There were also a large number of peasants. 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 communities where property was shared, and sermons said that everyone was equal before God.
History knows one entertaining fact: the taborites had a formidable weapon called “threshed”. It was a long iron chain, weighted by additional devices. The thresher was able to knock down a horse with a knight with one blow. During the war, the Hussites widely used hand-held firearms: bombards and arquebuses. Regularly resorted to the help of carts (wagens), which fit 10 people. Each of them had its own weapon and its 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 corruption 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 Kutnaya Gora , a stronghold and the remains of the Catholic Church gathered, later Habsburg supporters joined them. They asked the Pope for support, and he agreed.
Emperor Sigismund began to assemble an army, while not sparing money on uniforms and weapons. At the end of April 1420, he moved to Prague. Knight Jan ižka found out about this and also hastened to Prague in order to lead the Hussite army. During the fighting, Sigismund managed to capture Tabor. In July of that 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 fall of 1421, contradictions have intensified between cup bowls and taborites. The once united Hussite army now split into several parts. Sigismund found out about this and decided to take advantage of a similar circumstance. However, Zizka managed to repel the attack of the emperor.
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 convoys. Decisive battles were held again in the vicinity of Kutnaya Gora. The emperor came close to the army of the Hussites. Zizka already managed to completely blind after numerous wounds, but continued to give commands. It was here that he decided to use his field artillery maneuver. It was decided to quickly reform the wagons and deploy them towards the advancing troops. An order was given to shoot, and in one gulp the Hussites managed to break through the emperor's advance.
After the main attack, it was easier for the soldiers to shoot the enemy one by one out of hand weapons. During the time when the mercenaries began to flee, the camps met them and literally finished off. After some time, troops from the Principality of Lithuania came to the aid of the camps. In 1423, they tried to capture Hungary and Moravia, but were forced to retreat. The forces were unequal, after this confrontation between cup holders and taborites became even tougher.
Civil war cannot be avoided ...
The unsuccessful events of the Hussite wars led to the fact that once close allies began to quarrel among themselves. Near the small town of Mateshov two warring factions converged. Zizka, saw that the civil war could put an end to the reform movement, so he decided to unite the Hussite army again. He did very well, because he possessed a truly magnetic power of persuasion. Unsanitary conditions and poor nutrition led to an outbreak of plague, as a result of which Zizka died. His follower was Prokop the Great. The new leader banned enmity and further campaigns until the epidemic recedes.
Baltic hike
Jagiello, the Polish king, asked the Hussites for help. He intended to defeat the Teutonic Order. Together, they went on a hike 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, a third campaign against the Hussites was organized, led by the Duke of Albrecht. But, not calculating the strength, the army was defeated and retreated to Austria. Prokop the Great managed to assemble 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, small nobles and nobles).
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 to 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 Basel Cathedral. However, the cups were pessimistic, despite this, the negotiations were neutral.
Peaceful 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 cup holders and taborites. The last straw was that the cup-holders 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 put an end to the Hussite movement. The year 1436 was marked by the signing of a peace agreement, and the Czech Republic submitted to the conditions of the emperor Sigismund.
All modern historians unanimously reiterate that the success of the Hussites for a long time was due to their cohesion and one goal. Opponents were fragmented among themselves and still adhered to their lands and spiritual values. As a result, the Hussite wars did not bring any changes regarding the church. And for several decades, Central Europe was greatly 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 the Great 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 the little children in white robes, gave them lighted candles, and put up a small town around the perimeter. The head of the army, seeing such beauty, could not resist emotion and stepped back. It is known that he thanked the children with a lot 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. This happened in 1430: the girl dictated a letter, the content of which stated that she would 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 adjoined ižka under the command of Fedor Ostrogsky and Zhigimont Dmitrievich. These soldiers were the ancestors of modern Belarusians, Ukrainians and Russians.
- It turns out that the teachings of Jan Hus was actually a return to the original Orthodoxy. In the first millennium, the Czech people recognized this particular religion. Catholicism was specifically imposed by the 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 times when the battle ended with the complete surrender of the knights.