BOHEMIA AND THE CZECHS 



167 



A GODSEND TO HIS COUNTRY 



The next Bohemian ruler of some note 

 is John of Luxembourg, married to Eliza- 

 beth, the last princess of the Premysl 

 house, and killed, fighting for France, at 

 the battle of Crecy, on the Somme 

 (1346). The knightly John does little 

 for Bohemia, but he gives it Karel 

 (Charles IV), his and Elizabeth's son, 

 who proved a god-send to the country. 



In Bohemian history he is known as 

 "the father of his country." Under his 

 long, wholesome, patriotic, and peace- 

 ful reign (1347-1378) the whole nation 

 revives and strengthens. Independence 

 of the country, except for the honorable 

 connection with the Roman Empire, is 

 fully reestablished. Education, art, and 

 architecture thrive. The University of 

 Prague is founded (1348) on the basis 

 of the high seat of learning established a 

 century before by Otakar. The medicinal 

 waters of Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad) are 

 discovered and the city of the same name 

 rises on the site ; and Prague, as well as 

 other cities, are beautified. 



Charles is elected Emperor of the Ro- 

 mans in 1348, and Bohemia stands "first 

 in the world in power, wealth, progress, 

 and liberty." The excellent relations of 

 the country with England culminate in 

 1382 in the marriage of Richard II with 

 Anne of Bohemia. 



THE MARTYRDOM OF JOHN HUSS 



But Charles is succeeded by a weak 

 son, and it is not long before Bohemia 

 suffers again from its old enemies. 



A great national and religious leader 

 arises in the person of John Huss. But 

 Rome excommunicates John Huss and 

 accuses him of heresy. He is called to 

 report to the Council at Constance and 

 leaves with a written guarantee of safe 

 conduct from Sigismund, the king and 

 emperor, which, however, proves a "scrap 

 of paper." Huss is not permitted to ade- 

 quately defend the truth, nor to return ; 

 he is thrown in prison ; his teachings are 

 condemned; and July 6, 141 5, he is mar- 

 tyred by being burnt at the stake. The 

 very ashes are ordered collected and cast 

 into the Rhine, lest even they become 

 dangerous. 



The shock of the death of Huss and of 

 his fellow-reformer, Jeronym, burnt a 

 little later, fire Bohemia with religious 

 and patriotic zeal and lead to one of the 

 most wonderful chapters in its and the 

 world's history, the Hussite Wars. A 

 military genius arises in Jan Zizka, and 

 after him another in Prokop Holy ; a new 

 system of warfare is developed, includ- 

 ing the use of some frightful weapons 

 and of movable fortifications formed of 

 armored cars ; and for fifteen years wave 

 after wave of armies and crusaders from 

 all Europe, operating under the direction 

 of Rome, Germany, Austria, and Hun- 

 gary, are broken and destroyed, until re- 

 ligious and national freedom seem more 

 secure. 



As an eventual result and after many 

 serious internal difficulties of religious 

 nature, another glorious period follows 

 for Bohemia, both politically and cultur- 

 ally, under the king George Podiebrad 

 (1458-1471). One of their enemies of 

 this period, Pope Pius II (/Eneas Syl- 

 vius) cannot help but say of them: "The 

 Bohemians have in our times by them- 

 selves gained more victories than many 

 other nations have been able to win in all 

 their history." And their many other 

 enemies find but little more against 

 them. 



No Inquisition, no evil of humanity, 

 has ever originated in Bohemia. The ut- 

 most reproach they receive, outside of 

 the honorable "heretic," is "the hard 

 heads" and "peasants." Few nations can 

 boast of as clean a record. 



Bohemia's fateful, hour 



The fateful period for Bohemia comes 

 in the sixteenth century. The people are 

 weakened by wars, by internal religious 

 strifes. A fearful new danger threatens 

 central Europe — the Turks. In 1526 the 

 Bohemian king, Ludvik, is killed in a bat- 

 tle with the Turks, assisting Hungary; 

 and as there is no male descendant, the 

 elective diet at Prague is influenced to 

 offer the crown of Bohemia, under strict 

 guarantees of all its rights, to the hus- 

 band of Eudvik's daughter, Ferdinand of 

 Habsburg, archduke of Austria. 



Hungary, too, joins the union, and the 

 beginning of the eventual empire of 



