On this Day, in 1419: the First Defenestration of Prague

Six hundred years ago, an angry crowd stormed Prague’s New Town Hall and threw several royal councillors from its windows. The attack, known as the First Defenestration of Prague, took place on July 30, 1419, and is widely regarded as the event that ignited the Hussite Wars—a conflict that transformed medieval Bohemia and left a lasting mark on Czech history. Yet the violence that unfolded that summer day had been years in the making. Its roots lay in the teachings of Jan Hus, a Czech theologian, university lecturer, and religious reformer who became one of the most influential figures of the late Middle Ages. Hus openly criticized corruption within the Catholic Church, particularly the sale of indulgences and the growing power of the church hierarchy. Rather than viewing the Church as an institution led by the pope and bishops, he argued that the true Church was the community of faithful believers. Summoned before the Council of Constance in 1415 to defend his beliefs, Hus was arrested despite receiving a promise of safe conduct. After refusing to renounce his teachings, he was convicted of heresy and burned at the stake. His execution outraged many across Bohemia. While members of the nobility...

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