The First Defenestration of Prague

Look up at the New Town Hall. July 30, 1419. A massive crowd filled this square, demanding the release of Hussite prisoners held inside. They were followers of Jan Hus, a reformer burned at the stake 4 years earlier for challenging the Catholic Church. Someone inside threw a stone at the crowd. That was the spark. Led by priest Jan Želivský and military commander Jan Žižka, the mob stormed the building. They found the judge, the burgomaster, and 5 town councilors. One by one, they threw them out of those windows. The men fell onto spears and pikes held by the crowd below. All 7 died. King Wenceslaus IV heard the news at his castle outside the city. 16 days later, he was dead. Some chroniclers claim he died of shock. Others say stroke or heart attack. Either way, his death left Bohemia without a king. This single act of violence triggered the Hussite Wars, 15 years of brutal religious conflict that spread across Central Europe. The Pope declared a crusade. 5 separate armies invaded Bohemia. All were defeated by Hussite forces using revolutionary military tactics.