The Defenestration of Prague was the catalyst that activated the worst war in European history, the Thirty Years’ War. [Clarification needed] King Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia, upon hearing this news, was st… Prague Castle: A spectacular view of Prague- try to find the window of The Defenestration of Prague (1618). More events of defenestration have occurred in Prague during its history, but they are not usually called defenestrations of Prague. The Defenestrations of Prague (Czech: Pražská defenestrace, German: Prager Fenstersturz, Latin: Defenestratio Pragensis) were three incidents in the history of Bohemia in which multiple people were defenestrated (thrown out of a window). Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). [11] However, it was widely believed he was murdered, either by the nascent Communist government in which he served as a non-partisan Foreign Minister, or by the Soviet secret services. Several months later, twenty-seven nobles and citizens were tortured and executed in the Old Town Square. The official report listed the death as a suicide. They were removed from the room; before leaving, Adam II von Sternberg made it clear that they "did not advise anything that was contrary to the Letter of Majesty". Supported by a peasantry that felt abused by both the Catholic Church and the nobility, Hus' followers grew in size, calling themselves Hussites, and began to represent a threat to the established order. The defenestration by Václav Brožík (1851-1901), c. 1889. In 1609, to strengthen his hold on Bohemia, Rudolf issued the Letter of Majesty, which granted Bohemia's largely Protestant estates the right to freely exercise their religion, essentially setting up a Protestant Bohemian state church controlled by the estates, "dominated by the towns and rural nobility". [1] This enraged the mob and they stormed the town hall. First Prague Defenestration. Defenestration of Prague of 1618 The Defenestration of Prague of 1618 (from the Latin word fenestra meaning window) refers to the ejection of two Catholic Imperial officials and their secretary out of the Prague Castle's window by the Bohemian Protestant nobles. Before the regents gave any answer, they requested that the Protestants give them the opportunity to confer with their superior, Adam von Waldstein, who was not present. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/event/Defenestration-of-Prague-1618, German History in Documents and Images - The War Begins – The Defenestration of Prague (May 1618). The Defenestration of Prague was unsuccessful in its immediate motives, but served to precipitate the Bohemian Revolt and the Thirty Years’ War. When the regents declared the meeting illegal, the Estates invaded the council chamber and threw two Catholic regents, together with…. Both helped to trigger… Defenestration of Prague “Defenestration” is the act of throwing something – but more notably someone – out of a window. Bohemian Protestants opposed the royal government as they interpreted the Letter of Majesty to extend not only to the land controlled by the nobility or self-governing towns but also to the King's own lands. [9], There was plundering and pillaging in Prague for weeks following the battle. [citation needed], Jan Želivský, a Hussite priest at the church of the Virgin Mary of the Snows, led his congregation on a procession through the streets of Prague to the New Town Hall (Novoměstská radnice) on Charles Square. The first occurred in 1419 and the second in 1618, although the term Defenestration of Prague more commonly refers to the latter incident. Written on May 19, 2017 by ER at 4:13 PM | 0 Czech Republic, ER, Northern Europe. The wars broke out shortly afterward and lasted until 1436. Shortly thereafter, the two Regents and their secretary were defenestrated, but they survived the 70-foot (21-metre) fall from the third floor. The Kingdom of Bohemia since 1526 had been governed by Habsburg kings, who did not force their Catholic religion on their largely Protestant subjects. The First Defenestration of Prague involved the killing of seven members of the city council by a crowd of Czech Hussites on 30 July 1419. Then to the crowd of Protestants, he continued "were we to keep these men alive, then we would lose the Letter of Majesty and our religion... for there can be no justice to be gained from or by them". On May 23, 1618, four Catholic Lords Regent, Count Jaroslav Borzita of Martinice, Count Vilem Slavata of Chlum, Adam II von Sternberg (who was the supreme burgrave) and Matthew Leopold Popel Lobcowitz (who was the grand prior), arrived at the Bohemian Chancellory at 8:30 am. The Defenestrations of Prague refers to either of two incidents with great repercussions in the history of Bohemia. In the early 15th century, Bohemia (the modern-day Czech Republic) was in something of a crisis. The next year Hussite peasant rebels, led by the great military leader Jan Žižka, joined forces with the Hussites of Prague to win a decisive victory over the Roman Catholic king (later emperor) Sigismund at nearby Vítkov Hill. Philip Fabricius was later ennobled by the emperor and granted the title Baron von Hohenfall (literally "Baron of Highfall").[7]. Defenestration of Prague is a complex interweaving of various perspectives and commentaries on the nature of being female in a world of patriarchal institutions. The first Prague Defenestration was a reaction to the arrest of several radical Hussites by Prague City Hall because they were preaching about Communion in Both Kinds. „The reconstruction of the First Defenestration of Prague provides a great opportunity to spend a nice evening in a historical atmosphere and festivities and see the building of the New Town Hall at the same time or learn a bit more about the actual plans and events organized by the municipal district Prague 2,“ says Jitka Slavíková, the Head of the Major´s office and PR departments. The word comes from the Latin de-(down or away from) and fenestra (window or opening).. History of the word. Updates? July 30th, 2010 Meaghan (Thanks to Meaghan Good of the Charley Project for the guest post. Image: National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. [14], The One-and-a-Half Defenestration of Prague. The first and third defenestration helped to trigger a prolonged religious conflict inside Bohemia (the Hussite Wars, 1st defenestration) or beyond (Thirty Years' War, 3rd defenestration), while the second helped establish a religious peace in the country for 31 years (Peace of Kutná Hora, 2nd defenestration). Immediately after the defenestration, the Protestant estates and Catholic Habsburgs started gathering allies for war. First Defenestration of Prague by Adolf Liebscher 600 years ago, an angry crowd stormed Prague’s New Town Hall and threw its councillors out of the window. If they were given the opportunity, the Protestants were to receive an official answer to their grievance by the next Friday (the encounter took place on the eve of Ascension Day, and they all had to observe the holy day). In the Middle Ages and early modern times, defenestration was not uncommon--the act carried elements of lynching and mob violence in the form of murder committed together. The First Defenestration of Prague involved the killing of seven members of the city council by a crowd of radical Czech Hussites on 30 July 1419. At the same time, the Bohemian estates deposed him as King of Bohemia and replaced him with Frederick V, Elector Palatine, a leading Calvinist and son-in-law of the Protestant James VI and I, King of Scotland, England and Ireland. For example, it has been used[10] to describe the death of Jan Masaryk, who was found below the bathroom window of the building of the Czechoslovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 10 March 1948. This was the Defenestration of Prague. Once inside the hall, the group defenestrated the judge, the burgomaster, and several members of the town council. 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