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“Warriors of God” and Their 
Perceptions during the Hussite Wars 
 
Chloe Hooker  
Salem College/Independent Scholar 

 
Abstract 
About a century before Martin Luther challenged Catholic church doctrine and catalyzed 
the Protestant Reformation, Jan Hus was burned at the stake for heresy due to his beliefs 
that countered traditional church ideas. Hus, a Czech preacher, gained many supporters 
during and after his death, and his execution sparked a fifteen-year-long military conflict 
between his followers, the Hussites, and the Catholic Church and Holy Roman Emperor. 
This paper proposes a distinctive perspective by emphasizing how perceptions can 
motivate actions and shape impacts. Both sentiments, either as heretical from the Catholic 
Church and Emperor’s perspective, or as “Warriors of God” from the Hussites’ perspective, 
affected the actions of the Hussites, and ultimately the outcome of the wars. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Article 
 

The Protestant Reformation posed one of the most significant challenges in the 
history of Christianity. It significantly created a European-wide split that still has 
implications today. However, reformers began to challenge the Catholic Church centuries 
before Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses on a church door in 1517 in Wittenberg. 
Advocating for a transformation of the Catholic Church, leaders such as John Wycliffe, Peter 
Payne, and Jan Hus challenged the Catholic religious and social order. In Bohemia, Jan Hus 
argued against many church doctrines and practices. After Jan Hus was executed for his 
revolutionary ideas, he gained a large following known as the Hussites. Because of threats 
looming from the king of Hungary, King Sigismund, the devout Catholic king who had 
ordered Hus’s execution, Hussites felt compelled to take up arms and defend themselves 
and their beliefs. Sigismund, now Holy Roman Emperor, and Pope Martin V called five 
crusades against the Hussites from July 1419 to May 1434, known as the Hussite Wars. The 
Hussites were victorious in five military conflicts, and their actions in the wars directly 
impacted how others perceived them. When the Council of Basel met in 1431 to solve what 
was perceived as a problem with the Hussites, the Hussites had already begun to split into 
two groups: the Taborites and the Utraquists. The central works used for primary sources 
are Thomas Fudge’s translated compilation of texts, The Crusade against the Heretics in 
Bohemia, 1418-1437, as well as letters, speeches, and sermons given by prominent Hussite 
figures, such as Jan Hus, Jan Želivský, and Jan Žižka. Thomas Fudge, Martin Pjecha, Howard 
Kaminsky, Matthew Spinka, Craig Atwood, and other scholars have significantly analyzed 
and written secondary works about the Hussite Wars,1 but this paper proposes a distinctive 
perspective by emphasizing how perceptions can motivate actions and shape impacts. 
Although the Hussites were deemed heretical by their opponents, the Hussites thought 
themselves to be “Warriors of God,”2 a name they had given themselves during a battle 
around 1420, and the impacts of the Hussite Wars transformed Central European society, 
both militarily and religiously. Social order was challenged, new military tactics were 
introduced, and the Catholic Church was forced to compromise with the Hussites on certain 
doctrines. 

The environment of late medieval Central Europe should be discussed to understand 
the Hussite movement. Figures from the Luxembourg dynasty of the fourteenth and 
fifteenth centuries ruled Bohemia and lands beyond and shaped Central European history, 
culture, and religion long before the Reformation movement ultimately divided Europe over 
Catholic-Protestant issues. Furthermore, events like the Papal Schism and dynastic rivalries 

2 Attributed to Jan Čapek (c. 1420) doc. no. 31 “Battle song of the Hussites.” found in The Crusade against Heretics 
in Bohemia, 1418-1437: Sources and Documents, ed. Fudge, 66-67. 

1 Thomas A. Fudge, The Crusade against Heretics in Bohemia, 1418-1437 : Sources and Documents for the Hussite 
Crusades. (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2002); Martin Pjecha, Theo-Politics of the Hussite Movement: From Reform to 
Revolution. (Leiden: Brill, 2024); Howard Kaminsky, A History of the Hussite Revolution. (Berkeley: University of 
California Press, 1967); Jan Hus, The Letters of John Hus. Translated by Matthew Spinka. (Manchester. Manchester 
University Press; Rowman and Littlefield, 1972); Craig D. Atwood, The Theology of the Czech Brethren from Hus 
to Comenius. (University Park, Pa.: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2009). 

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contributed to the creation of a Central Europe that was already plagued by turmoil 
decades before Jan Hus came onto the scene of conflict.  

The Luxembourg dynasty lasted from 1310 to 1437 and wore the “crown of Saint 
Wenceslaus” for those one-hundred and twenty-seven years, ruling the Kingdom of 
Bohemia.3 Established by John of Luxembourg (r. 1310-1346), the son of Holy Roman 
Emperor Henry VII, the Luxembourg dynasty shaped Bohemian history in several ways. 
After John of Luxembourg ruled, his son, Charles, ascended to the throne. Charles I 
(1316-1378) of Bohemia established Bohemian lands within Europe, which included 
Bohemia, Moravia, the Duchy of Silesia, and other small principalities.4 In 1346, Charles was 
crowned King Charles I of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV. He controlled the 
crownlands of Bohemia and the broader Holy Roman Empire, typically described as 
modern-day Germany and Austria, as well as some areas beyond, such as Bohemia. He was 
incredibly influential in Bohemian history, not only for instituting borders but also for 
scholarship and politics. In 1348, Charles IV established the University of Prague, making it 
the oldest university in Eastern Europe. This made Prague a famous imperial city and the 
capital of the Holy Roman Empire from 1355 to Charles’s death in 1378. Because of this, the 
“Golden Age of Bohemia” peaked under him.5 Also under Charles IV was the creation of the 
Golden Bull of 1356. The Golden Bull served similar to a constitution for the Holy Roman 
Empire and set boundaries for clerical authority. It solidified a firm election process for the 
Holy Roman Emperor, wherein seven electors met to choose a Holy Roman Emperor. These 
seven electors consisted of three ecclesiastical figures: the archbishops of Mainz, Trier, and 
Cologne, and four secular figures: the Count Palatine, King of Bohemia, Margrave of 
Brandenburg, and Duke of Saxony.6 

The Papal Schism (1378-1415) was a period when the two Popes in Rome and 
Avignon excommunicated each other. It created distrust and disrespect from Catholics, and 
many regarded the papacy as flippant, confused, and corrupt. Because of this, the church 
was already facing difficulties before Hus. At the same time as the Papal Schism, the 
half-brother of King Sigismund of Hungary, Wenceslaus IV (Václav IV), rose to power in 
Bohemia upon their father’s death. However, Sigismund had Wenceslaus arrested and 
imprisoned him and his supporters in Bratislava in March 1402. From there, Wenceslaus 
could do nothing to keep his half-brother out of Bohemia. Sigismund became king of 
Bohemia upon Wenceslaus’s death in 1419, and his seizure of the Bohemian throne created 
multiple concerns for Bohemians, especially on the eve of the Hussite Revolution.7  

Jan Hus was born in Husinec, a small village in southern Bohemia, in 1372/73. His parents 
were poor, but his mother vowed a life of priesthood for her son. He moved to Prague in 
1386 to attend the University of Prague, where he studied theology, graduated in three 
years with a B.A., and spent three more years getting an M.A. In 1398, he became a faculty 

7 Fudge, The Magnificent Ride: The First Reformation in Hussite Bohemia. 9-11. 

6 Selected Historical Documents of the Middle Ages, translated and edited by Ernest F. Henderson, (London/New 
York 1892, 220-261): The Golden Bull of the Emperor Charles IV, 1356 A.D.  

5 Fudge, The Magnificent Ride: The First Reformation in Hussite Bohemia. 7.  
4 Fudge, The Magnificent Ride: The First Reformation in Hussite Bohemia. 7.  

3 Thomas A. Fudge, The Magnificent Ride: The First Reformation in Hussite Bohemia. (Aldershot: Ashgate, 1998): 
5.  

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member and the Dean of the College for the winter semester from 1401 to 1402. In June 
1400, he was ordained into the clergy and appointed a priest at Bethlehem Chapel in 
Prague on March 14, 1402. Hus was a popular preacher who preached in Czech and 
advocated for more Czech positions at the German-dominated University of Prague. 
Because of his radical religious views that will be discussed, Hus was called to the Council 
of Constance by Emperor Sigismund, found guilty of heresy, and burned at the stake on July 
6, 1415.8  

Before Jan Hus challenged the clergy and promoted a Czech translation of the Bible, 
John Wycliffe (c.1330-1384) spoke out against the immorality of the Church in England. He 
criticized the papacy, argued the Bible had more authority than the clergy, rejected sales of 
indulgences on commission, and worked to translate the Bible into the vernacular; for him, 
it was English. These were pillars of the Catholic faith, and Wycliffe ran a significant risk of 
arguing against them. Wycliffe’s ideas circulated into Bohemia, mainly thanks to Peter 
Payne, an English scholar and follower of Wycliffe, and influenced Jan Hus’s argument.9  

Like Wycliffe, Hus vehemently disagreed with the practice of indulgences because 
they took advantage of impoverished Christians. He argued that Christ was the head of the 
church, not any clergyman or pope in Rome.10 Hus also believed the Bible and God had 
more authority than the Church, as he wrote,“...the faithful ought not to believe in the 
church, for she is not God, but the house of God.”11 Therefore, he worked toward translating 
the Bible into his vernacular, Czech, so that all Czech speakers could read and interpret the 
Bible for themselves. Like Wycliffe, Hus also criticized the clergy, as he protested, “I cannot, 
however, engage in controversy as to [who between the two popes deserves] the greater 
praise, for the Savior prohibited it to His disciples in Luke 12.”12 Hus observed clerical 
abuses in his work about the church, De Ecclesia, writing that “many priests abandon the 
imitation of Christ” and “but whatever calls for the imitation of Christ, as poverty, 
gentleness, humility, endurance, chastity, toil or patience — these passages they suppress 
or gloss over at their pleasure or expressly set aside as not about salvation.”13 

Emperor Sigismund called the Council of Constance (1414-1418) to settle the issue 
of the Papal Schism. Both popes in Rome and in Avignon were deposed and replaced with 
Martin V, an Italian who permanently resided in Rome. Also present at the Council of 
Constance were Sigismund’s concerns about Hus, and Sigismund invited him to the council, 
offering a safe passage for Hus. However, Sigismund’s terms of a safe passage only applied if 
Hus did not preach on his way to Constance. Hus preached to the public anyway; therefore, 
he was arrested and sent to prison.14 

14 Hus, “Public notice displayed by Hus during the Journey to Constance,” “To his Friends in Bohemia.” The Letters 
of John Hus. 124-125. 

13 Hus, “The Abuse of Scripture in the Interest of Clerical Power.” De Ecclesia, The Church. 111-112.  
12 Jan Hus, “To a Nobleman concerning the Death Duties.” The Letters of John Hus. 14. 
11 Hus, “The Unity of the Church,” De Ecclesia, The Church. 6-7.  

10 Jan Hus. “All Christians are not Members of the Church,” “The Pope Not the Head of the Church but Christ’s 
Vicar,” De Ecclesia, The Church. Translated by David S. Schaff. (New York: C. Scribner’s Sons, 1915): 18-19, 125. 

9 William R. Cook, “John Wyclif and Hussite Theology 1415-1436.” Church History 42, no. 3 (1973): 335. 
https://doi.org/10.2307/3164390.  

8 Matthew Spinka, John Hus: Concept of the Church. (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1966): 7-8. 

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While Hus was in prison, he described in letters that God continued to visit him and 

assured Hus he would be saved.15 At the council though, Hus and the Hussites, and Wycliffe 
and his followers, the Lollards, were deemed heretical by Emperor Sigismund and Pope 
Martin V. They were to be “apprehended…and burned to death”.16 Jan Hus was sentenced to 
death and burned at the stake on July 6, 1415, for heresy. However, Hus’s beliefs did not die 
out, as the Hussite movement was incipient. The Hussites’ worries grew once Wenceslaus 
IV of Bohemia died and Sigismund of Hungary took his title of King of Bohemia in 1419. The 
man who had just sentenced their leader to death was now contesting for rule over them. 
Reports that Sigismund intended to suppress heretics spread rapidly throughout Czech 
lands.17 

Because Jan Hus was a theologian, not a militant man, he never referred to his 
followers as warriors. Rather, they began to call themselves that during the Hussite Wars. 
Because of Sigismund’s aggression, the Hussites had no choice but to militarize and defend 
themselves. They saw themselves as not only protecting themselves, but also God’s word. In 
1404, Jan Hus wrote to a Silesian German, “You declared recently that Wyclif is a heretic, for 
the reason he had written heresy in his books. That does not seem to be a sufficient 
reason…”18 In another letter, “To His Friends in Bohemia,” Hus called on his supporters to 
“remember that they burned the prophecies of Saint Jeremiah, which God had commanded 
to be written….” 19 These affirmations gave his followers hope and confidence that their 
beliefs were to be stood by and they were right. Because of these beliefs and attitudes from 
Hus, it is doubtful that the Hussites ever viewed themselves as heretics. Instead, they called 
themselves “Warriors of God,” which eventually was popularized in a Hussite battle song 
during the second crusade: “You who are warriors of God/And the Law of God/Pray that 
God will help you/Believe in God/and with God you shall ever triumph.”20 The Hussites 
created several songs and poems that emphasized the glorification of fighting for God. The 
Hussites engaged in five crusades from 1419 to 1434 to defend “the truth of the gospel.”21 

Even though the Hussites saw themselves as God’s warriors, they indeed were not 
perceived this way by others. As aforementioned, Sigismund declared the Hussites as 
heretics and ordered that they be  “exterminate[d].”22 Czech author Karel Brušák writes that 
because Hus had challenged so much of Sigismund and his supporters’ authority, “...the 
rejection of Sigismund was triggered rather by hatred of a particular person than by 

22 (May 18, 1421) doc. no. 61“Crusade commander orders death to all heretics.” found in The Crusade against 
Heretics in Bohemia, 1418-1437, ed. Fudge, 114-115.  

21 Prokop Holý (February 2, 1430) doc. no. 147 “Prokop replies to German town requesting peace.” found in The 
Crusade against Heretics in Bohemia, 1418-1437, ed. Fudge, 281-282.  

20 Attributed to Jan Čapek (c. 1420) doc. no. 31 “Battle song of the Hussites.” found in The Crusade against 
Heretics in Bohemia, 1418-1437: Sources and Documents, ed. Fudge, 66-67.  

19 Hus, The Letters of John Hus. Translated by Matthew Spinka. 188. 
18 Hus, The Letters of John Hus. Translated by Matthew Spinka. 3.  

17 (April 22, 1418) doc. no. 5 “Report that Sigismund intends to suppress heretics.” found in The Crusade against 
Heretics in Bohemia, 1418-1437: Sources and Documents for the Hussite Crusades, ed. Thomas Fudge, 20. 

16 (April 22, 1418) doc. no. 5 “Report that Sigismund intends to suppress heretics.” found in The Crusade against 
Heretics in Bohemia, 1418-1437: Sources and Documents for the Hussite Crusades, ed. Thomas Fudge, 20. 

15 Hus, “To the Faithful Friends in Bohemia,” “To His Friends in Constance.” The Letters of John Hus. 143, 152.  

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Wyclif ’s ideas on rulers.”23 This makes one wonder if the Hussite Wars were declared over 
doctrinal differences or merely a personal disdain for Hus. Aeneas Sylvius, later Pope Pius 
II, thought of the Hussites as the “legions of hell unleashed upon the earth.”24 He also 
described them to have “eyes…like those of an eagle, their hair wild and stood on end, their 
beards long and their stature prodigiously tall. Their bodies were hairy and their skin so 
hard that it appeared able to resist iron as though it were a piece of armour.”25 Aeneas 
Sylvius’s illustration provided an understanding of why the Hussites’ opponents often fled, 
allowing them to continue successful attacks.  

However, the Hussites did gain multiple opponents, including the archbishops of 
Mainz, Trier, and Cologne. These three figures, arguably some of the most powerful in 
Europe at the time, served as three out of seven electors for the Holy Roman Empire. In 
April 1421, the three archbishops, along with the Count Palatine, a fourth elector, organized 
a union and issued a statement declaring their disdain for the Hussites. Their statement 
read: “...all four of us electors of the Holy Roman Empire, declare and publicly announce 
with this letter to all those who learn of its content…that, with regard to the matter of 
heresy and infidelity, which unfortunately have arisen in the Kingdom of Bohemia, and with 
regard to which it has to be feared that if we do not counteract them in good time, that they 
will also occur in other lands…”26 Due to Sigismund’s frequent absence in the Reichstag, or 
the Imperial diet, the bishops often took over crusading powers. Thus, they further called 
for an end to Hussite activity in a strategy outline for anti-heresy: 

First, we shall and will resist such infidelity and destroy it wherever it may 
develop or arise, and we shall also firmly help and support each other against 
all those who deliberately support or help the same infidels, with our knights, 
cities, castles, lands and people and with our subjects and with all our might 
without any reservations. Furthermore, we shall and will in each and every 
one of our cities, castles, markets, villages, lands, and areas earnestly and 
strongly decree to our officials, servants, and our people…where one 
becomes aware of such heretics and infidels or if such persons who are  
suspected of this, be it men or women, clerics or secular persons, that  
one shall stop and apprehend them and hand them over to us or a  senior 
official…27 

 

Jan Hus gained a large following after his death. Figures such as Peter Payne, Jerome 
of Prague, Jan Želivský, and Jan Žižka spread the Hussite cause and movement. Peter Payne, 
an English Lollard from Oxford, traveled to Bohemia in 1415 and became a leading figure in 

27 (April 23, 1421) doc. no. 55 “Bishops outline anti-hersey strategy” found in The Crusade against Heretics in 
Bohemia, 1418-1437: Sources and Documents for the Hussite Crusades, ed. Fudge, 106-107. 

26 (April 23, 1421) doc. no. 54 “Union of German bishops” found in The Crusade against Heretics in Bohemia, 
1418-1437: Sources and Documents for the Hussite Crusades, ed. Fudge, 105-106. 

25 Doc. no. 111 “Description of Hussite warriors.” found in The Crusade against Heretics in Bohemia, 1418-1437: 
Sources and Documents for the Hussite Crusades, ed. Fudge, 195. 

24 Thomas A. Fudge, “Žižka’s Drum: The Political Uses of Popular Religion.” Central European History 36, no. 4 
(2003): 555. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4547353.  

23 Karel Brušák, “Reflections of Heresy in Czech Fourteenth- and Fifteenth-Century Rhymed Compositions.” The 
Slavonic and East European Review 76, no. 2 (1998): 246. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4212622.  

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the Hussite movement as he spread Wycliffe’s and Hus’s teachings in Bohemia.28 Another 
ardent supporter of Jan Hus was Jerome of Prague. However, Jerome of Prague was not just 
a supporter of Hus; the two shared an “intellectual relationship,”29 and he is considered a 
leader of the Hussite movement due to his contributions to spreading Wycliffe’s ideas and 
arguing for church reform. Like Hus, Jerome of Prague was present at the Council of 
Constance to defend his friend. Once he arrived in Constance, however, he was arrested, 
imprisoned, questioned, found guilty of heresy, and forced to recant his beliefs. He affirmed 
his views and rejected the clergymen who abused their power. On May 30, 1416, Jerome of 
Prague met the same fate as Hus, being burnt at the stake. His narrative, as Thomas Fudge 
writes, is not studied as intensively as Hus’s due to the lack of translated material from 
Czech.30 Still, his influence remains vital to the Hussite story.  

Perhaps the two most significant Hussites for ushering in the Hussite Revolution 
were Jan Želivský and Jan Žižka, the two military leaders of the Hussite factions. On July 30, 
1419, Czech priest Jan Želivský led an insurrection in the town hall of Prague. Author 
Martin Pjecha suggests that Želivský’s “charisma must have been impressive,” noting that 
“in the face of continual persecution, he was able to not only mobilize popular defiance and 
open protests against authorities, but even inspire civil upheaval.”31  Želivský and other 
Hussite radicals were protesting King Wenceslaus IV and his officials for taking 
“anti-Hussite action” by ordering “all of Prague’s parish churches restored to their 
legitimate Catholic priests.”32  

Jan Žižka (the “One-Eyed”) was a Czech general during the Hussite Wars. His radical 
views led him to spread the Four Articles of Prague, which laid out what reforms Žižka and 
other Hussites desired.33 These Four Articles helped establish Hussite doctrine and 
theology. Žižka essentially called for God’s word to be preached, the Communion in both 
kinds, to weaken the power of the clergy, and for all sin to be driven out. Žižka declared in 
1420,  

First, that God’s word be preached everywhere throughout Christendom 
…Second,that the true body and holy blood of our Lord be given to all 
authentic Christians, both young and old. Third, that the power of priests 
from the highest level, even the papacy, to the lowest not be tolerated. 
Neither may they own estates or collect tithes…Fourth, that all clear sin be 

33 Brušák, “Reflections of Heresy in Czech Fourteenth- and Fifteenth-Century Rhymed Compositions.” 246. 
http://www.jstor.org/stable/4212622.  

32 Howard Kaminsky, “The Prague Insurrection of 30 July, 1419” Mediaevalia et Humanistica 17. (1966): 108-111. 
31 Pjecha, Theo-Politics of the Hussite Movement: From Reform to Revolution.196. 
30 Fudge, Jerome of Prague and the Foundations of the Hussite Movement. 172-213, 234-253.  

29 Thomas Fudge, Jerome of Prague and the Foundations of the Hussite Movement. (Oxford: Oxford University 
Press, 2016): 8-9. 

28 Luigi Campi, “Determinism between Oxford and Prague: The Late Wyclif’s Retractions and their Defense 
Ascribed to Peter Payne.” In Europe After Wyclif, edited by J. Patrick Hornbeck and Michael van Dussen, 121-122. 
(Fordham University Press, 2017). http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1f114xz.8.  

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driven out whether by kings or lords, squires or priests, or ecclesiastical or 
secular people. 34 

The offering of Communion in both kinds to the laity, or nonclergy members, became the 
main goal for the Hussites, as they felt it necessary to decentralize clerical power and make 
Christ available to all Christians.  

These Four Articles were the crux of Hussite doctrine. The main issue Hussites 
focused on was Communion in both kinds, meaning the laity had access to bread and wine. 
On October 28, 1414, Czech priest Jakoubek of Stříbro allowed the laity to drink from the 
chalice for the first time.35 As author Craig Atwood argues, this event could be considered 
the beginning of the Hussite Revolution. From there, the chalice became the symbol of the 
Hussites, as it appeared on their flags during the wars. The Hussites were split into two 
main factions: the Taborites and the Utraquists. The Taborites, with a settlement in Tabor 
founded by Žižka, were more radical in their beliefs and, therefore, more feared. They 
embraced the Four Articles of Prague and rejected many churches, taxes, and private land 
ownership. At the end of the Hussite Wars, the Taborites faded out due to a lack of support 
from the Utraquists. The Utraquists, led by Želivský, held more in common with the Catholic 
Church. They upheld communion in both kinds to be given to infants, but they still believed 
in purgatory and agreed that images could be kept in churches.36 Because of this, they were 
welcomed back into the church after the Council of Basel (1431-1449) ended the Hussite 
wars.  

The Hussite Wars had many long-term causes, including the Papal Schism, 
aggressions from Sigismund, and the expansion of Wycliffe’s and Hus’s teachings. The 
immediate cause, however, other than the executions of Jerome of Prague and Jan Hus, was 
the storming of the town hall in Prague and the defenestration of the kings’ officials, in an 
event known as the First Defenestration of Prague. In July 1419, Jan Želivský gave a speech 
in the Church of Our Lady of the Snows in Prague that encouraged a violent insurrection. 
This example of “radical Hussite preaching during the crusade period, ” as Fudge describes 
it, later led to opponents calling a crusade against the Hussites.37 Soon after, Jan Želivský 
proclaimed, “ Oh, if only the city of Prague would now, in this time, become an example for 
all the faithful, not only in Moravia, but also in Hungary, Poland, Austria, and elsewhere. And 
that the word of God would be spread to the entire world!”38 In response to the 
defenestration, a surprise attack in Živohošť in Central Bohemia led by Lord Petr of 
Šternberk against Žižka and the Hussites ensued, making it the first military engagement of 
the Hussite Wars.39 The Utraquists appealed to Catholic forces and proposed a truce; 
however, Sigismund persuaded Pope Martin V to call a crusade against the Hussites. On 

39 Doc. no. 9 “First military action: Surprise attack at Živohošť.” found in The Crusade against Heretics in Bohemia, 
1418-1437, ed. Fudge, 29-32.  

38 Pjecha, Theo-Politics of the Hussite Movement: From Reform to Revolution. 197.  

37 Jan Želivský (July 30, 1419) doc. no. 6 “Sermon of Priest Želivský.” found in The Crusade against Heretics in 
Bohemia, 1418-1437, ed. Fudge, 21-25.  

36 Atwood, The Theology of the Czech Brethren from Hus to Comenius. 84-87. 
35 Atwood, The Theology of the Czech Brethren from Hus to Comenius. 76-84. 

34 (November 25, 1420) doc. no. 47 “Žižka and Táborite leaders address Czech people.” found in The Crusade 
against Heretics in Bohemia, 1418-1437, ed. Fudge, 99-100.  

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February 22, 1418, Martin V issued an anti-Hussite bull, calling for all supporters of the 
Catholic faith to “rise up firmly and with courage against such heretics and their goods…”40 
As author Howard Kaminsky contends, “Sigismund himself well understood the danger of 
such a crusade for the independence and integrity of the realm, and it is hard to imagine 
how he could have possibly persuaded himself that his new policy was the right one.”41 
Issuing a crusade meant a definite reunification of the Hussites, one that Sigismund and 
Pope Martin V severely underestimated. On the eve of war in 1419, the city council of Kutná 
Hora “offered rewards to anyone who turned Hussites in…” and “these people of Kutná 
Hora, who were German, cruelly persecuted the Czechs, especially those who loved the 
teaching of Christ.”42 It is clear that the Hussites continued to be viewed as heretics even 
after Jan Hus’s death. 

The first battle fought was the Battle of Sudoměř on March 25, 1420, with about four 
hundred Hussites fighting against over two thousand Catholic Crusaders. Hussite leaders 
published the Hussite Manifesto in Prague and encouraged their followers with these 
words: “dearest and faithful friends in the Kingdom of Bohemia, we appeal to your wisdom 
and consistent defense of our language, with love and justice that you might be prepared to 
stand up to resist all of our enemies and we admonish you and encourage you with our 
whole heart…” 43  

The Hussites also gained support from the Bohemian nobility, including Čeněk of 
Vartenberk, the Lord High Burgrave, who separated himself from Sigismund’s crusading 
policies, and Oldřich Rožmberk, a Czech baron from southern Bohemia.44 By the end of April 
1420, perhaps hundreds of barons and knights in Bohemia had announced their support 
for the Hussites. Čeněk of Vartenberk, in particular, along with other nobles gathered and 
issued a proclamation in defense of the Hussites: “Therefore, dear friends, you must under 
from this, therefore, that His Majesty has no other intention but to shamefully and brutally 
wreak destruction upon, and cruelly exterminate, the Czech kingdom and crown as well as 
and particularly the Bohemian language.”45 These nobles also publicly supported the Four 
Articles of Prague, as they stated,  

…Furthermore, we wish for you to know that we stand for nothing other 
than these articles which follow. First, that the common people might receive 
the body properly and freely proclaimed. Second, that the word of God might 
be properly and freely proclaimed. Third, the priests might live lives of 

45 Fudge, “Bohemian nobility side with the heretics.” found in The Crusade against Heretics in Bohemia, 
1418-1437, ed. Fudge, 60-61.  

44 John Klassen, The Nobility and the Making of the Hussite Revolution. (New York: Columbia University Press, 
1978): 128-129. 

43 (April 3, 1420) doc. no. 26 “Hussite manifesto from Prague.” found in The Crusade against Heretics in Bohemia, 
1418-1437, ed. Fudge, 58-60.  

42 Doc. no. 15 “Pre-crusade suppression of Hussite heretics.” found in The Crusade against Heretics in Bohemia, 
1418-1437, ed. Fudge, 40-41.  

41 Howard Kaminsky, A History of the Hussite Revolution. Berkeley: (University of California Press, 1967): 365.  

40 Martin V (February 22, 1418) doc. no. 18 “The anti-Hussite bull ‘Inter Cunctus’ of Martin V;” (March 1, 1420) 
doc. no. 19 “Proclamation of the crusading bull,” found in The Crusade against Heretics in Bohemia, 1418-1437, ed. 
Fudge, 45-52.  

11 



             

 
exemplary conduct in the manner which our Lord Christ commanded along 
with the apostles and in the institutions of the holy father thereafter. Fourth, 
that the Czech language and kingdom be cleansed from all harmful rumors 
and slander for the common benefits of our kingdom and language of 
Bohemia…46  

Additionally, women fought alongside men during the first crusade at the battle of Týn 
Horšův in 1422. A letter from the Duke of Bavaria to the Margrave of Meißen reveals that 
some Hussite warriors who were captured as prisoners by Hungarian soldiers were 
“women who had fixed their hair like men and had girded themselves with swords, with 
stones in their hands, wearing boots. Among these were some high-born.” 47 Other 
noblewomen, such as Agnes Štíné, who stayed in Prague and defended Hussite teachings, 
and Queen Sophie of Bavaria, the wife of Wenceslaus IV, who was an “enthusiastic reader of 
Czech literature,” aided in protecting the Hussite movement.48 On July 14, 1420, the Battle 
of Víkov Hill was won by Jan Žižka and the Taborites, and the hill was renamed “Žižka’s 
Hill,” where they celebrated with songs of triumph and victory.49 

The second crusade was fought in Žatec in 1421. In February of 1421, the Taborites 
established a “new Tábor” in the region around the lower Morava River, spreading Hussite 
influence further, while the Utraquists remained in Prague.50 Armies on both sides 
continued to grow, with bishops and other clerical members supporting one another. Also, 
the Hussites developed new warfare tactics in the second crusading phase. Žižka’s 
innovation of the Wagenburg, or wagon fort, involved a “quadrangle or circle” tied “wheel to 
wheel” to form a defense. Between the wagons was space for artillery to fire out from the 
inside of the encircled wagons.51 The Wagenburg allowed the Hussites to gain another 
success at the end of the second crusade.52 Also during the second crusade was the 
“strongest point of anti-Hussite sentiment in the country.”53 In attempts to combat this 
sentiment, Žižka and other Hussites gave a manifesto in defense of their values and their 
belief that they were gaining assistance from God. Žižka declared, “We…true Czech people 
bringing hope in God, warn all of you by the death of our Lord, specially you knights and 
squires, both people in the cities and peasants belong to the Plzeň Landfríd to cease 
opposing the Lord God and God’s holy law as well as the worthy Four Articles. It is for these 

53 (February 1421) doc. no. 49 “Manifesto to the Plzeň Alliance,” found in The Crusade against Heretics in 
Bohemia, 1418-1437, ed. Fudge, 100-101. 

52 Doc. no. 74 “Crusade armies thwarted again at Žatec.” found in The Crusade against Heretics in Bohemia, 
1418-1437, ed. Fudge, 129-132.  

51 Szymon Górski and Ewelina Wilczynska. “Jan Žižka’s Wagons of War: How the Hussite Wars Changed the 
Medieval Battlefield.” Medieval Warfare 2, no. 3 (2012): 27–34. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48578020. 

50 Doc. no. 51 “A Moravian Tábor” found in The Crusade against Heretics in Bohemia, 1418-1437, ed. Fudge, 
102-103.  

49 Kaminsky, A History of the Hussite Revolution. 375.  

48 Thomas Alfred, Anne’s Bohemia: Czech Literature and Society, 1310-1420. (Minneapolis: University of 
Minnesota Press, 1998): 45-46.  

47 Doc. no. 34 “Women among Hussite armies.” found in The Crusade against Heretics in Bohemia, 1418-1437, ed. 
Fudge, 73.  

46 Fudge, “Bohemian nobility side with the heretics.” found in The Crusade against Heretics in Bohemia, 
1418-1437, ed. Fudge, 60-63.  

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matters that we fight with the help of God.”54 Furthermore, Žižka counter-criticized anyone 
who did not support the Hussite cause, as he accused Hussite enemies of being heretical: 
“You wish that we would not destroy your land and burn your houses down. Why have you 
not given liberty to God’s word and to the worthy Four Articles noted above when you were 
among the first to hear them? Is it not true that you told us you were willing to grant 
freedom to these articles and agreed that this was right and proper? But you were speaking 
lies to us and in the face of God.”55  

The third crusade from Kutná Hora to Sázava lasted from 1421 to 1422. Žižka and 
his warriors arrived in Kutná Hora on December 9, 1421, with Sigismund and his Catholic 
forces arriving a few weeks later. The battle of Kutná Hora was fought for just two days, 
from December 21 to 22, 1421. An account from the battle discusses the Hussites with 
admiration: “...God always provides support and never lets his warriors down but granted to 
all who fought for the truth and bravery. Being fearless of the strength of the armies they 
[Hussites] entered the battlefield and enclosed themselves within the wagons on all 
sides.”56 Although the Hussites, using the Wagenburg, were able to secure victory once 
more, they were beginning to run low on supplies, and the winter temperatures continued 
to worsen.57 On the other hand, Sigismund and his army were severely defeated and ready 
to give up. Thus, he fled and did not set foot in Bohemia for another fourteen years. 
However, Pope Martin V wrote to Sigismund, the King of Poland, the Grand Duke of 
Lithuania, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, the Duke of Austria, and many more, 
pressing for more military action to suppress the Hussites. Pope Martin V claimed, “We 
wish to encourage you by letting you know through this letter that this matter is most 
urgent in our hearts. To be sure, we are convinced that if you, together with the faithful 
princes and German people who this heresy threatens with grievous injury as well as God 
and the church, take this matter into consideration and provide a remedy this summer by 
coordinating an army to enter Bohemia it would be easy to put down and exterminate the 
heretics, these rebels against yourself and God.”58  

More soldiers and supporters joined both sides, and more battles ensued. On 
September 14, 1424, Žižka gave a speech in Prague to his “Warriors of God” before they 
entered into war. Shortly after this speech was given, Žižka died on October 11 of that year 
after contracting a sickness on his way to battle in Moravia. His followers took up the name 
“Orphans” as they felt they had lost their own father, and Žižka was buried in the Church of 
the Holy Ghost in Hradec Králové. A story circulated that Žižka requested his “body flayed 

58 Doc. no. 82 “Crusade failures in the winter of 1421-2,” Martin V (before July 1422) doc. no. 87 “Pope Martin V 
presses for military solution.” found in The Crusade against Heretics in Bohemia, 1418-1437, ed. Fudge, 145, 
151-153. 

57 (December 1421) doc. no. 78 “Battle for Kuntá Hora,” found in The Crusade against Heretics in Bohemia, 
1418-1437, ed. Fudge, 137-141. 

56 (December 1421) doc. no. 78 “Battle for Kuntá Hora,” found in The Crusade against Heretics in Bohemia, 
1418-1437, ed. Fudge, 140. 

55 (February 1421) doc. no. 49 “Manifesto to the Plzeň Alliance,” found in The Crusade against Heretics in 
Bohemia, 1418-1437, ed. Fudge, 100-101. 

54 (February 1421) doc. no. 49 “Manifesto to the Plzeň Alliance,” found in The Crusade against Heretics in 
Bohemia, 1418-1437, ed. Fudge, 100-101. 

13 



             

 
and his skin stretched onto a drum.”59 The “Žižka’s Drum” fictitious tale was fabricated and 
told mainly by Catholic “temporal and ecclesiastical authorities [as] a standard response to 
the perceived threat of the ‘Other’ in late medieval Europe”60 in order to spread propaganda 
about the Hussites and demonize Žižka. It is no surprise that Catholic enemies spread this 
story; Žižka was half-blind (and fully blind toward the end of his life), ruthless, led 
terrorizing armies, burned his enemies, attacked innocent cities, never lost a single battle 
as a commander, and was one of the greatest military strategists and leaders in history. His 
image easily allowed others to associate him and the Hussites with evil.61 

In 1427, a priest and an “intimate friend”62 of Žižka, Prokop Holý, emerged to fill the 
power vacuum Žižka left behind. Although he was documented to fight in only the Battle of 
Lipany in May 1432, Prokop strengthened Bohemian borders by commanding the invasion 
of neighboring countries hostile to the Hussite Czechs. Prokop successfully adopted Žižka’s 
battle tactics and led the Taborites until his death in 1434 as the Fourth Crusade of the 
Hussite Wars amplified.63 A fourth crusade was called against the heretics in July 1427. 
Catholic crusaders, supplied with spies, had attempted to utilize the Wagenburg at battles 
at Stříbro and Tachov, but fled when the Hussites approached.64 Pope Martin V issued his 
disdain at the crusading armies as the Hussites began to threaten lands beyond Central 
Europe. He wrote to Henry Beaufort, the papal legate for Germany, Hungary, and Bohemia, 
in 1427: “The pope has with grief” lamented “the disgraceful flight of the army of the 
faithful in Bohemia from the siege of Stříbro and Tachov.”65 He also condemned the 
archbishops of Mainz, Trier, and Cologne, criticizing, “For if they had joined those in 
Bohemia as they ought, and as had been arranged, the army would not have retreated with 
such disgrace.”66 

At a meeting in Bratislava in 1429, a provocative speech from Prokop and Peter 
Payne compelled Sigismund to call a fifth and final crusade against the Hussites, as the 
Hussites continued to “perpetuate more trouble and calamity on a daily basis…”67 On April 
18, 1429, Sigismund called for the crusade, urging Bavarian, Silesian, and Hungarian lords 

67 Sigismund I (April 10, 1429) doc. no. 139 “The empire strikes again,” found in The Crusade against Heretics in 
Bohemia, 1418-1437, ed. Fudge, 262-263. 

66 Martin V (October 2, 1427) doc. no. 128 “Pope Martin V expresses disgust at crusade failures,” found in The 
Crusade against Heretics in Bohemia, 1418-1437, ed. Fudge, 243. 

65 Martin V (October 2, 1427) doc. no. 128 “Pope Martin V expresses disgust at crusade failures;” (October 9, 1428) 
doc. no. 134 “Hussite heresy threatens distant lands.” found in The Crusade against Heretics in Bohemia, 
1418-1437, ed. Fudge, 243, 250-251.  

64 (July, 1427) doc. no. 124 “Crusaders and heretics clash at Stříbro and Tachov,” found in The Crusade against 
Heretics in Bohemia, 1418-1437, ed. Fudge, 230. 

63 Doc. no. 112 “Emergence of Prokop Holý,” found in The Crusade against Heretics in Bohemia, 1418-1437, ed. 
Fudge, 195-196. 

62 Doc. no. 112 “Emergence of Prokop Holý,” found in The Crusade against Heretics in Bohemia, 1418-1437, ed. 
Fudge, 196. 

61 Fudge, “Žižka’s Drum: The Political Uses of Popular Religion.” 546-555. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4547353.  
60 Fudge, “Žižka’s Drum: The Political Uses of Popular Religion.” 554. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4547353.  

59 (1424) docs. no. 105-106 “Death of Žižka,” “Žižka’s drum.” found in The Crusade against Heretics in Bohemia, 
1418-1437, ed. Fudge, 182-183. 

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to send more troops. 68 Sigismund gained English aid, and perhaps even support from Joan 
of Arc,69 but it was still not enough as Hussites attacked Silesia, Austria, and Lusatia 
between 1427 and 1434.70 In February 1430, Prokop wrote to German lords to “agree with 
the truths of the gospel” if they wished to save their lives.71 On February 20, 1431, Pope 
Martin V died. Exactly one month later, the fifth crusade was announced and began on July 
23 of that year in Domažlice.72 A Hussite account from the crusade proclaims, “...the Lord 
God who does not burden his faithful ones…is a ready and faithful helper to those who call 
upon him in need,” and the Hussites defeated the Catholic crusaders in August 1431.73  

Prokop stated during this crusade that the Hussites would cease fighting if their 
opponents agreed with their beliefs. He wrote,  

The will of the aforementioned armies and lords [the Táborites and Orphans] 
is that you return to the truth of the gospel. For these truths they have been 
leading a daily struggle up until the present time. If you agree to this, then the 
plunders will cease immediately and they will under no circumstances extort 
money from you…However, if you do not decide to agree to the truths of the 
gospel for which our forces contend…you may be assured that the will of the 
aforementioned armies and all of the lords who are of the Kingdom of 
Bohemia is this: if you desire to save your lives and your goods you are to 
provide them with a certain amount of money…74  

These perspectives demonstrate how the Hussites believed themselves to be chosen by God 
for a victory against the crusaders, and therefore motivated them to continue defending 
their beliefs and prove successful in battle.  

Sigismund called for the Council of Basel in March 1431 to find a solution to the 
Hussite problem. However, only one prelate appeared on the day it was set for due to more 
minor wars that made crossing the Alps into Basel difficult. Therefore, it was moved to July 

74 Prokop Holý (February 2, 1430) doc. no. 147 “Prokop replies to German town requesting peace.” found in The 
Crusade against Heretics in Bohemia, 1418-1437, ed. Fudge, 281-282.  

73 (August 15, 1431) doc. no. 167 “Hussite perspective on the campaign;” (August 17, 1431) doc. no. 169 
“Admission of crusader defeat and disaster,” “Hussite song of victory at Domažlice,” found in The Crusade against 
Heretics in Bohemia, 1418-1437, ed. Fudge, 318-321. 

72 (June 26, 1431) doc. no. 154 “Ceremonies for the fifth crusade;” (1431) doc. no. 165 “Account of the fifth crusade 
fought at Domažlice” found in The Crusade against Heretics in Bohemia, 1418-1437, ed. Fudge, 300, 314.  

71 Attributed to Prokop Holý (February 2, 1430) doc. no. 147 “Prokop replies to German town requesting peace.” 
found in The Crusade against Heretics in Bohemia, 1418-1437, ed. Fudge, 281-282.  

70 Henry Beaufort (1431) doc. no. 143 “England backs crusade against Czech heretics;”(1430) doc. no. 145 “Counter 
crusades;”(1430) doc. no. 146 “Hussite invasion of Lusatia;” found in The Crusade against Heretics in Bohemia, 
1418-1437, ed. Fudge, 277-285. 

69 Howard Kaminsky cautions that the authenticity of the letter from Joan of Arc threatening the Hussites has always 
been disputed. It may have been real, but also could have been forged by Catholics as an attempt to intimidate the 
Hussites. Either way, it demonstrated the lengths Catholics would endure to put an end to the Hussites. It is worth 
noting, Kaminsky writes, that Henry Beafort, the papal legate for the fourth crusade, was also one of Joan’s jailers; 
attributed to Joan of Arc (March 23, 1430) doc. no. 149 “Joan of Arc threatens the Hussites” found in The Crusade 
against Heretics in Bohemia, 1418-1437, ed. Fudge, 284. 

68 (April 18, 1429) doc. no. 141 “A call for renewed crusade,” found in The Crusade against Heretics in Bohemia, 
1418-1437, ed. Fudge, 266-267. 

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23.75 The Council of Basel followed expectations of conciliarism set by the previous 
generation of clergymen at the Council of Constance. The Conciliar Movement, as historian 
Matthew Spinka argues, was one of the “most significant eras in the history of Christianity” 
because it gave more power to church councils, rather than the pope holding too much 
influence.76 The four Hussite leaders attending the Council of Basel and defending their 
movement were John of Rokycany, Ulric of Znojmo, Nicholas of Pelhřimov, and Peter Payne. 
These men urged the council to accept the Four Articles of Prague and especially to allow 
the laity to participate fully in Communion.77 

The Council of Basel ended in 1449, with the two Hussite groups officially split. The 
Taborites phased out over time as the Utraquists were accepted back into the Catholic 
Church with the hope that the Utraquists’ beliefs would also fade. On the other hand, the 
Utraquists hoped to influence other Catholics further. Furthermore, they accepted King 
Sigismund as the King of Bohemia before he died in 1437. In return for papal recognition, 
the Utraquists were promised Communion in both kinds.78  

The effects of the Hussite wars were present throughout Europe and later the 
Transatlantic world. The wars further decentralized the papacy and weakened the Catholic 
Church. Jan Hus also helped to facilitate the rise of Czech proto-nationalism in Bohemian 
lands, and he is still revered today. Wycliffe and Hus are known to be the forerunners of the 
Protestant Reformation. In October of 1527, reformer Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five 
Theses on the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg, calling for many of the same changes 
Wycliffe and Hus did. The Protestant Reformation led to the creation of Lutheranism, 
Calvinism, Zwinglianism, Anabaptism, Anglicanism, and many more branches of the 
Protestant Church. In turn, however, the Catholic Church also sought reform as evident with 
the Council of Trent from 1545 to 1563 that instituted a reform of the clergy, indulgences, 
and the Catholic Church. This also led to the Counter-Reformation, a movement specifically 
targeted to suppress Protestants. Further wars, such as the Schmalkaldic Wars 
(1537-1555) and the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648), ensued. 

As for the Hussites, the Utraquist faction was absorbed into the Catholic Church 
following the Council of Basel and would later be reformed to the Unitas Fratrum, also 
known as the Unity of the Brethren, or the Bohemian Brethren. The Unity of the Brethren 
follows many of Hus’s ideas and is primarily known as the Moravian Church in North 
America today. One prominent figure from Hussite and Moravian history is Jan Amos 
Komensky (Comenius, 1592-1670). Comenius was another follower of Hus, who would 
later be prominent for his role in promoting education. Comenius was a Czech philosopher 
born in Moravia and a bishop among the Bohemian Brethren. During the Thirty Years’ War 
(1618-1648), Comenius was exiled due to his Protestant views that challenged Holy Roman 
Emperor Ferdinand II’s attempts to re-establish Catholicism back into Bohemia. While 

78 Decaluwe, Michiel, Thomas M. Izbicki, and Gerald Christianson, eds. A Companion to the Council of Basel. 280. 

77 Otakar Odlozilik, “From Revolution to Restoration,” The Hussite King: Bohemia in European Affairs, 1440-1471. 
(New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1965): 4-18. 

76 Petr z Mladenovic,“The Conciliar Movement and the Council of Constance,” John Hus at the Council of 
Constance. Translated by Matthew Spinka. (New York: Columbia University Press, 1966): 3-22.  

75 Michiel Decaluwe, Thomas M. Izbicki, and Gerald Christianson, eds. A Companion to the Council of Basel. 
(Leiden: Brill, 2017): 12-13. 

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living in exile in Polish Leszno after 1648, Comenius was able to gain international support 
throughout Europe. He and other members of the Brethren successfully advocated for 
financial support from leaders in Poland-Lithuania, the Swiss Confederation, and the Dutch 
church in London, for students, elderly persons, and others living without a substantial 
income.79 Comenius promoted universal education and is known as the “father of modern 
education.”80 Comenius is known as the “father of modern education” as he argued that 
education should be accessible and enjoyable to many people, including women. As a result, 
the Bohemian Brethren, later known as the Moravians, established schools for girls in the 
colonies of Pennsylvania and North Carolina in the mid-eighteenth century. The Moravians 
have also held missions around the world, where they continue to spread Hus’s teachings. 
Moravians, as an ethnic group, still live in Prague and parts of south Czechia, formerly 
Bohemia. The Czechoslovak Hussite Church in Czechia was refounded in 1920, after World 
War I, and is still in practice today. It “professes to the old Christian tradition, Cyril and 
Methodius tradition, follows the teachings of Master John Huss, the reform efforts, the 
legacy of Jan Amos Comenius, the modernist movement and the spiritual.”81 

The “Warriors of God” shaped Bohemian and Christian history in several ways that 
can still be demonstrated worldwide today. The Protestant Reformation and the contrasting 
forms of Protestantism that resulted from it were significantly influenced by the Hussite 
Wars and their aftermath. Hussites were feared, hated, respected, and revered by many 
Christians, Czech and beyond, from the lower to upper classes, and these perceptions about 
them influenced the actions of the Hussites and their opponents during the Hussite Wars. 
The Hussite Wars challenged society, introduced new military tactics, powerfully 
challenged Catholic authority, and facilitated new religious movements.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

81 “Czechoslovak Hussite Church Reminds 100th Anniversary of Its Birth | Communion of Protestant Churches in 
Europe CPCE.” (2020). 
https://www.leuenberg.eu/czechoslovak-hussite-church-reminds-100th-anniversary-of-its-birth/. 

80 Atwood, The Theology of the Czech Brethren from Hus to Comenius. 366-376.  

79 Vladimír Urbánek, “Comenius, the Unity of Brethren, and Correspondence Networks.” Journal of Moravian 
History 14, no. 1 (2014): 30–50. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5325/jmorahist.14.1.0030.   

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