In 1414, a Czech theologian named Jan Hus was called before the Council of Constance for heresy against the Catholic Church and Pope. Jan Hus had preached about the need to reform the corruption within the Church, desiring to adhere more to a more communal Christianity that he believed the New Testament spoke of, and for that he had been excommunicated numerous times. His life up to this point set the groundwork for the eventual history of the Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire to change forever.
Radio Revolution
Jan Kotěra: Founder of Modern Czech Architecture
Karel Zeman: Czech Film Director and Animator
Jiřina Šiklová: Sociologist, Gender Studies Professor, and Dissident
The Bohemian Revolt: Battle and Execution
Czech Cottage Culture
Oldřich Kulhánek and the Czech Koruna
Czech Spa Cups
A History of Czech Feminism
The once egalitarian, agrarian society of Bohemia became ruled by the Hapsburg Dynasty, causing a regression in women’s rights until Christianity helped improve their lives. The National Revival brought the creation of Czechoslovakia and greater rights for women. When communism came, rights improved in some ways and did not in others. The change to a capitalistic democracy brought further changes.
The Bohemian Revolt: Defenestration and War
The decision in establishing an emperor’s successor would lead to a conflict that would spark the Thirty Years’ War. The Bohemian revolt initially started off in favor of the Bohemians, but it damaged diplomacy. Victory in this conflict for either side would hinge on the battle that would take place at White Mountain.
Houska Castle
LGBTQ+ Marriage In The Czech Republic and Slovakia
Czech Cubism (Cubo-Expressionism)
Rudolf II: The Intellectual yet Disastrous Emperor
Rudolf II desired to unify Christendom in the Empire and tried to take a tolerant stance on religious issues. Though he was an ineffectual ruler, he had a love for academics that helped spur the Scientific Revolution. He was known as “the greatest art patron in the world,” and philosophers, painters, alchemists, astronomers, architects, and mathematicians came to Prague to work under his patronage.