Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Hussites (as the followers of Jan Hus were known) assumed control of Prague
after the death of Holy Roman Emperor Wenceslas IV in 1419. The move sparked the
first anti-Hussite crusade, launched in 1420 by Emperor Sigismund, with the support
of many pro-Catholic rulers around Europe. Hussite commander Jan Žižka success-
fully defended the city in the Battle of Vítkov Hill, but the religious strife spilled into
the countryside. The Hussites themselves were torn into factions of those wanting to
make peace with the emperor and others wanting to fight to the end. The more radical
Hussites, the Taborites, were ultimately defeated in battle at Lipany, east of Prague, in
1434.
THE HABSBURGS TAKE OVER
The weakening of the Bohemian state left the region open to
foreign intervention. Austria's Habsburg empire, ruled from
Vienna, was able to take advantage and eventually came to
dominate both Bohemia and Moravia. At first, in the
mid-16th century, the Habsburgs were invited in by a weary
Czech nobility weakened by constant warfare. Decades
later, in 1620, the Austrians were able to cement their con-
trol over the region with a decisive victory over Czech
forces at Bílá Hora, near Prague. The Austrians would con-
tinue to rule the Czechs for another 300 years, until the
emergence of independent Czechoslovakia at the end of
WWI.
Top Hussite
Sights in
Prague
Jan Hus Statue (Staré
Město)
Bethlehem Chapel
(Staré Město)
Týn Church (Staré
Město)
Though the Austrians are generally knocked in Czech his-
tory books, it must be admitted that their leadership established some much-needed
stability in the region. Indeed, the latter part of the 16th century under Habsburg Em-
peror Rudolf II (r 1576‒1612) is considered a second 'golden age' in Czech history,
comparable to Charles IV's rule in the 14th century. Eccentric Rudolf preferred
Prague to his family's ancestral home in Vienna and moved the seat of the Habsburg
empire to the Czech capital for the duration of his reign.
Rudolf is typically viewed by historians as something of a kook. He had a soft spot
for esoteric pursuits such as soothsaying and alchemy, and populated his court with
wags and conjurers from around Europe. The English mathematician and occultist
John Dee and his less-esteemed countryman Edward Kelly were just two of the noted
mystics Rudolf kept at the castle in an eternal quest to turn base metals into gold. It's
also true, though, that Rudolf's tutelage led to real advances in science, particularly
astronomy.
