The Hussite Wars: the Reformation before it was cool. Guns before it was cool. And wagons before... well, wagons aren't so cool, but they've got wagons. ♪ Ahoj, vítejte v Feature History, where on top of butchering the Czech language, I'll be featuring the Hussite Wars. A series of wars that sought to answer the question: Who would win? The entirety of Catholic Europe, or some wagon boys? Well to spoil the answer to a dead meme, it was neither, really. But hey, don't let me be the final arbiter. Instead, join me on this tale and decide for yourself. Might as well, you've already been here for over 30 seconds. Medieval Europe, as we all recall, is this large land of chivalry, peasantry, diseasery, deathery, and so on. But in my gross generalization, I've missed one big aspect: Catholicism. It was everywhere. Except where it wasn't. In one notable place that sought the loyalty of the church was the Holy Roman Empire. Except when it didn't. Since the 14th century, the kingdom of Bohemia had been an elector inside the Empire. The Bohemians, or as we call them today, the Czech, had been in the overwhelmingly German empire for a long time. And had mostly been ignored as just that place that didn't speak German. It was in the 14th century that it was ushered into a golden age by King Charles IV who even became Holy Roman Emperor. The golden age promptly ended with the 15th century, as the kingdom became subject to civil war, political disarray, and feeling quite hungry. Due credit was Charles' sons, Wenceslaus IV and Sigismund of Hungary. And also the electors, diets, mercenaries, and other HRA faff. It was in this time the Czech priest Jan Hus rose to prominence in his home of Prague, preaching a popular and not-so-popular message. Jan Hus as a man was not just a Catholic priest, but a scholar, and so he read and was inspired by the writings of John Wycliffe. That man had preached against the immorality of the church, the immense corruption and wealth of the clergy, and how they'd strayed from the principles of Christ and his apostles. Pretty standard stuff these days. Hus found these criticisms evermore applicable in Bohemia, with the ongoing western schism and the standing of two opposing popes, both papacies used the name of Christ to reap more wealth, power, and control. To Hus' annoyance, they'd even bring indulgences to his home. So Hus preached, and his preachings were popular with the people of Prague and beyond. Wycliffe's sought reforms had always been controversial with the church, and as Hus quoted and even translated the man, the clergy became incensed. By 1411, the drama between Wenceslaus and Sigismund had settled. Wenceslaus remained king of Bohemia, but Sigismund sort of nicked his king of Germany title. Now, king of Germany is basically Holy Roman Emperor. But to be emperor required you to be coronated by the pope. And there was still two popes. Sigismund decided he'd sort out all religious buggery and convene the Council of Costance in 1414, ending the western schism and seeing Pope Martin V the one and only pope elected. That council would also address the preachings of reform, calling Jan Hus to appear. Hus arrived with confidence in the protection Sigismund had granted him. Confidence that was badly placed, as both his and Wycliff's works and followers were deemed heretical and Hus burned at the stake in July, 1415. Many had loved Jan Hus, and many hated the fact he was now dead. There was, understandably, backlash. The nobles of Bohemia issued a letter to Sigismund, condemning this action in what Wikipedia puts as the "strongest language." Sigsmund responded even less tactly, promising to drown all heretics of Bohemia. The newly-found heretics weren't too keen on that, and so would rise up. Or descend into disorder. Riots, lynching, and exodus was to be passed onto loyal Catholics. The pope had seemed to underestimate how many heretics there actually were. Sigismund had lit this fire and it was Wenceslaus' job to put it out. But the king's loyalty only saw the Hussites turn against him. In July 1419, Hussite priest Jan Želivsky led his followers to attack the town hall of Prague and throw the king's representatives and others out the window. The first Defenestration of Prague. Yes, only the first. Just a month after, the king died, and his widow Sophia of Bavaria became regent. She'd crack down harder and funnel mercenaries into Prague, only turning the city to a war zone. In November, the Bohemian nobility attempted to mediate the unrest. Prague Hussites began to make concessions to the Bohemian crown in the name of peace, but this only led to the Hussite movement fragmenting, a schism between moderates and radicals. The followers of the main Hussite branch Utrakvismus remained in Prague. But their radical counterparts would leave in protest under the leadership of veteran general Jan Žižka. The radicals wanted more than a reform, they wanted revolution. They rejected the church, servitude, taxation, and even private land. Overly-ambition, perhaps. But they definitely had the commitment. They'd be pursued as they left Prague by Catholic knights. It was here on the 25th of March, 1420, Žižka could show his innovative tactics. Wagons full of men with crossbows, pikes, flails, and a plethora of early-age firearms encircled defensive positions. The terrain all around would be churned up as to make approach impossible. Primitive howitzers would barrage the enemy cavalry and coax them into attack, and then the wagon fort would repel them. And from inside the fort, Hussite infantry and cavalry could counter-attack the dismounted and confused knights. It was brutally efficient and efficiently brutal. These Wagenburg tactics and the adoption of gunpowder weaponry became a staple of both Žižka and the Hussite as a whole. So in this battle, the Battle of Sudoměř, Hussites were outnumbered 5 to 1, and yet both sides took heavy casualties, and Žižka's men made their escape, losing the pursuers. They'd then encamp at their soon-to-be home town, Tábor. And from here they'd take their name, the Táborité. Sigismund at this time now claimed inheritance to the kingdom of Bohemia. And a claim is all that was. To assist him just days before the Battle of Sudoměř, Pope Martin would declare a crusade against the heretics of the kingdom. Certain thousands of crusaders seeking power, pillage, or penance, gathered before Prague under the banner of Sigismund. The Utrakvisté in Prague would agree to negotiate, however, issuing their terms in the Four Articles of Prague. They demanded that the word of God be preached free of the restrictions of the church, that the Eucharist be administered in bread and wine to all faithful Christians, that the clergy relinquish its excess of riches and return to an apostolic life, and that all mortal sins be punished equally no matter the status of the sinner. These articles, the essence of the Hussite reformation, would be rejected by Sigismund. So in that it would be final. It would be war. Now with the entire empire striking down on Bohemia, the Hussites' differences were dismissed. Táborité and Utrakvisté would stand together to defend Prague. Žižka took a warpath to reach the city, and when he arrived in May, he'd take up the task of defending the pivotal Vitkov Hill. 7,000 knights would storm the fortification in June. Žižka's garrison was just over 100 strong. Using both the terrain and their tactics, the Hussites would hold off the crusaders. And when relief arrived, they'd attack the knights at night, causing a rout amongst enemy forces and cementing this battle as Žižka's most legendary victory. By the end of 1420, the Hussites were stronger than ever. The crusaders were pushed from Bohemia, and the entirety of the kingdom laid in Hussite hands. However, without the common enemy, the Hussites were once again plagued by dissention. Bohemia was secure, but the reformation ended at the border. A second crusade would end very much like the first. Once again, Hussites united against the enemy, but remained without unity after. Power struggles erupted. Žižka was suppressing Táborité inner factions, the priest Želivsky was rallying up the peasants of Prague. The nobility hated it. Generals and priests were not sovereigns. Hussites needed a king. Bohemia needed a king. Žižka would arrange to offer the crown to the king of Poland, Władysław II. Knowing the implications of such a deal however, he'd pass it on to his cousin, Grand Duke of Lithuania, Vytautas. He'd accept on the condition the Hussites reunite with the Catholic church. Not a great condition. But for the meantime, Prince Sigismund Korybut would take his place as regent. The new authority was greatly appreciated by the nobility and most Hussites. However, he'd leave as fast as he arrived, as Władysław and Vytautas, looking to appease King Sigsmund, called back Korybut. Upon the departure, civil war would consume Bohemia as Táborité and Utrakvisté clashed. Žižka, however, looked to bring the fight from Bohemia to King Sigismund himself and invaded Hungary. Hungary's power would be too overwhelming for even the Táborité. And back home, Bohemia was in disarray. The church chose now to strike and called a third crusade. But alas, it wasn't to be. The Germans had their own affairs and Poles weren't going to attack Bohemia. So nothing happened. For Žižka though, he'd unceremoniously pass away in October 1424 from the plague. No man had been able to slay this general, and disease decided to ruin it. In positive news however, Sigismund Korybut returned to Bohemia in defiance of his masters. Leading 1,500 troops, he'd brokered peace between the sides. Now the men of Bohemia would stand together. At least, that was the idea. 1426, a fourth crusade would be called. Korybut and the new Táborité general, Prokop the Great, would take a decisive victory at the Battle of Aussig, and the crusade would go very much the same way. Prokop would lead the Táborité to raid their enemies, attacking Silesia, Saxony, Lausitz, Meissen, and more. The Hussites called these "beautiful rides," and riding they were, indeed. Riding high. As the world entered the 1430s, the pope would make a threat of a Polish crusade at Korybut, forcing the man and his men to abandon the Hussites. Still, without the prince, the Hussites continued to be a fierce enemy. And subduing them by force was unrealistic at best. At this point, almost everyone wanted peace. The wars had been raging for over 10 years, and so the question was, peace at what cost? Pope Martin had no wish to negotiate with heretics and so the fifth and final crusade would be called. The Hussite banners and hymns by this point were almost enough to just scare away crusaders. The crusade failed and Pope Martin passed away. With a new pope, Eugene IV, came a new approach. The Hussites were to be formally invited to the Council of Basel in October 1431. To negotiate would require compromise, but Prokop was unwilling. Žižka and the Táborité would not have died for nothing; not on his watch. However, Prokop would not break negotiations. Not for the Utrakvisté. The two sides came to war in 1434, not for the first time, of course. But now the Utrakvisté allied with Catholics. They outnumbered the Táborité at the Battle of Lipany, and knowing Hussite tactics, would use it against them. Draw them out from their wagon fort, and cut them down. Casualties were heavy. Prokop would be slain, and the Hussite reformation that he fought for, that he believed, was destroyed in a battle that turned to massacre. The Utrakvisté would reissue the Four Articles of Prague as the Compacts. It'd be a watered-down version of their original demands, but these ones would be formally accepted in July 1436, ending the Hussite Wars. After everything, the Utrakvistmus Creed became the church of Bohemia. It had been a reformation before the Reformation. And, well, after the Reformation, the Hussites would be stomped out, but that's a story for another time. The Hussites soldiers would go on to become mercenaries, mostly. The soldiers, their tactics, and doctrine had gone from the scourge of Europe to one of their most valuable assets. And while the outcome had required much sacrifice and compromise, even handing the Bohemian crown to Emperor Sigismund, it had sent a very powerful message to the church and all Europe. The Bohemians, the Czech, with their own people who could make their own stand, they had an almost nationalistic pride for this, which is an impressive feat to accomplish before the concept of nationhood. Was it worth the death of thousands? Well probably not, but hey, it's what they've got. A thank you to all the patrons and a more czech děkuji to Thomas Kerley, Anal_Scrubs, Scott Smith, Ermia Rez, and Skylar Haigler. For those curious about the side videos inquiring fittings, they're still being made, it just needed more production time, A.K.A money. So still wait for those. Pledging it to the Patreon would be even better. And before you go, I just wanted to tell everyone... [speaks foreign language]
thank you for sharing this!
King Charles the 4th, king of Bohemia and holy roman emperor.
Can they finish the game before you guys start talking about a sequel please?
Did they end KCD on a bit of cliff hanger putting out there might be a sequel?
Yep, you could make ten sequels from the amount of historical material from the hussite era.
By the way, the video uses improper terminology.
All hussites were "utraquists", which is a term from the Latin phrase "sub utraque specie", meaning "both ways", which referred to hussite rite during the holy mass when all participants, not just the priest, consumed both the wine and the holy communion (Christ's blood and body).
The proper name for the faction that wanted peace and negotiations with the Catholics was "Panská Jednota", which translate roughly as "Union of Nobles" - those were nobles and richer hussites that wanted to stop the constant wars and capitalize on their victories - nobles wanted to rule, merchants trade, etc.
Against them stood either the true religious zealots that saw the papal Rome as the "seat of the Satan", and wanted to fight "to the end", poor hussites, or those who just took the whole religion thing seriously. This faction was called "Táborité", because they resided in the main hussite stronghold of Tábor (Czech word for "camp").
I hear there going to make more DLC/sequels on the Prague Reformation, and Hussite wars, they all read talk about Jan Hus a few times sooo
Oh boy this is going to go well with catholics
Wait a sequel? I definitely need to take some time off and finish the main story sometimes
But.. I don't want it to end..
more like a sequel trilogy... Henry Capon of Pirkstein was born 1404.