See also: Hus

Jan Hus or Jean Huss is a theologist, an academic and a Czech religious reformer. Its Excommunication, in 1411, its judgment by the Church for Heresy, then its death on the To rough-hew, in 1415, at the time of the Council of Constancy, engage a process which leads to the creation of the Église hussite then with the Croisades against the hussites. The Protestantisme sees in him a precursor.

The Czech language owes him its Diacritique (the Háček). The Czechs made of him the Allégorie of their nation vis-a-vis catholic, imperial and German oppression: it is a National hero commemorated, each July 6th, day of its death on roughing-hew it, by a Bank holiday.

Bohemia and Christendom with the hinge of XIVe and XVe centuries

See also: Great Schism of Occident

August 15th, 1373, Charles IV, obtains for his/her son the Margraviat de Brandebourg, and with him, the title of Prince-Voter attached to this possession. In 1376, it obtains Prince-Voters the election of his son as a King of the Romans, future emperor of the Holy roman Empire. The authority of Charles is sufficient to establish a dynastic succession, extremely rare fact hitherto in the elections with the imperial title.

Venceslas succeeds his father on November 29th, 1378. Within the framework of the heritage, the Margraviat de Brandebourg goes to his/her younger brother Sigismond, his other brother, Jean obtains the Marche of Lusace; the Moravie goes to his/her cousin Jobst and Procope.

1378 is the fateful year of the beginning of the Great Schism of Occident, the Church passes through a moral, ethical and financial crisis without precedent. This same year, with regard to Bohemia, Jean de Jenstein becomes archbishop of Prague and it enters quickly in open conflict with the emperor and king de Bohême Venceslas on the question of the Investiture S. This conflict leads, in 1393, to the setting with died of Jean Népomucène, too faithful support of the archbishop of Bohemia, by men-at-arms of the king. The node of the conflict was the nomination of the abbot of the rich person monastery of Kladruby that the king reserved for one protected.

The death of Jean de Nepomuk involves the Union seigneuriale, a rebellion of noble Czech, which lasts of 1394 with 1402. The noble leagued gipsies make imprison their king in 1394 and name his/her cousin Jobst de Moravie, regent of the kingdom. Thanks to the intervention of his brother Sigismond, it is released and goes up on the throne (in exchange of what, Venceslas, without child, recognizes Sigismond like his heir).

But because of the problems in Bohemia, Venceslas forsakes the businesses of the Empire, a crowd in anger faces him at the time of the Diet of Nuremberg (1397) and at the time of that of Frankfurt (1398). One reproaches him his drunken binges, his incompetence and especially nothing to make to put a term at the Great Schism: it, is made extremely rare, dislocated of its imperial title in August 1400 by the Prince-Voters, in favor of Robert Ier whose Venceslas refuses to recognize legitimacy.

Of 1402 to the autumn 1403, Venceslas is found again in prison in Vienna, this time on decision of its youngest child, Sigismond and always with the support of the Czech nobility. It is released from it thanks to Johann von Liechtenstein, accompanied by an armed band.

It is within this turbid framework, as well at the political level as religious, than Jan Hus studies then sermon and sign.

The academic

Jan Hus studies with the Université of Prague where it obtains its license in 1393 and in Liberal arts in controls it 1396. In 1400, it is named professor at the university, is ordered priest and it starts to preach with the church of Saint-Michel. In 1401, it becomes Doyen of the faculty of philosophy and, one year later, Recteur of the university of Prague.

A sparing linguist

In Linguistic, in Of spelled bohemica ( Orthographe of the Czech ), Jan Hus invents orthography using of the diacritic S as the Point superscribed, become then the háček to note what the Slavic languages grammatically regard as soft consonants. he recommends the use of the accent (instead of the redoubling of the vowels) to note the long vowels. At the time, paper or the parchment is an luxury item and to save space at the time of the writing constitutes an invaluable economy. will
Comparez sch and š - tsch and č .

This diacritic, adopted by the Croatian , the Slovak and the Slovenien , are perfectly adapted to Slavic, with its grammar, its inflections. All in all, it corresponds, in the Latin alphabet, with the modifications made by Cyrille and Méthode to the Greek when he create the glagolitic Alphabet with which main Hus could be familiarized with the Cloître of Emmaüs of Prague, founded on November 21st, 1347, which is then an important center of the culture and liturgy in Slavic Vieux.

Vice-chancellor of a divided university

Prague is capital Saint Germanic Roman Empire and its university, truly international, is divided into sections (also called “nations”) Bavarois E, Czech, saxonne and Polish E. Each nation has a voice at the time of the decisive votes on the administration of the university.

In 1407, the archbishop of Prague is charged by the pope Gregoire XII with prohibiting the diffusion of the theses heretics of John Wyclif. The university (the education system is then monk and dominated by the Église) condemns like heretics the theories of Wyclif, which one knows that they were introduced in Bohemia a score of years before: in 1381 its opinion on the eucharistie is discussed by Mikuláš Biskupec and, in 1393, it is the archbishop of Prague, Jean de Jenstein, which preached against the ideas wycliffiennes in comparison of the richness (or rather with the poverty necessary) of the Church.

Jan Hus had translated the Trialogus of Wyclif into Czech. It wavers between its allegiance towards the Church and its ideal wycliffien: May 14th, 1408, the Czech nation of the university of Prague (under the crook of Hus) rejects the articles of Wyclif publicly but stresses that, correctly interpreted in their context, these articles are not completely heretics. The archbishop of Prague, benoitement, written to the pope Gregoire XII that there is no heart wandering in Bohemia.

The other nations decide to firmly line up near Gregoire XII but Hus uses, to defend its ideal, the opposition of king Venceslas to Gregoire XII and obtains, in 1409, that the Czech nation had three votes at the time of the decisive votes on the administration of the university, the other nations by profiting only from one vote each one. This decision, also called Decree of Kutná Hora, causes the departure of the German professors who contribute to the foundation of the Université of Leipzig in May 1409.

The university of Prague then loses the majority of its students and his faculty and declines to become an establishment with at most national radiation. During a few decades, no title is distributed. It is necessary to await the emperor Sigismond then especially Rodolphe II who remakes of Prague his capital, to see the university reappearing of its ashes.

The theologist

Influenced by the English John Wyclif, he wonders about the practical consequences of obedience to the Christ, pronounces sermons, in particular within the Chapelle of Bethlehem, in Prague, against what he calls the errors of the Catholicisme and devotes itself to the reform of the Église.

He is soon with the head of a national movement of reform and publicly takes the defense of the writings of John Wyclif condemned by a pontifical Bulle dated December 20th, 1409 which orders the destruction of the works of Wyclif and prohibition to preach its doctrines. Jan Hus calls upon the “pope of Pisa” Alexandre V but in vain.

Indulgences

Alexandre V dies in 1410, Jean XXIII succeeds to him and undertakes, in 1411, a Croisade against the king Ladislas Ier of Naples, guard of the “pope of Rome” Gregoire XII (Ladislas had especially invades Rome and is the ally of Colonna). This crusade must be financed and the Indulgence S are a practical means for papacy for raising funds.

Hus protests against this “traffic” in its address Quaestio magistri Johannis Hus of indulgentiis , almost a certified copy of the final chapter of the De Ecclesia of Wyclif. The lampoon hussite declares that no priest, that no bishop, no monk can take the sword in the name of Christ; they must request for the enemies of Christ and bless those which fight it. The repentance of the man passes by humility, not the money neither the weapons nor the capacity. Remarkable speaker, it causes the riot of the people of Prague which is repressed hard. June 24th, 1412, a procession of student led by the disciple of Hus, Jerome of Prague, will nail with the pilori the bubble of the pope and burns then it. Three students, which stopped a priest while he preached the purchase of indulgence, are carried out with the axe.

The doctors of the faculty of theology answer against Hus.

Excommunication

Excommunicated on February 21st, 1411 by Gregoire XII, Hus calls some with the judgment of Christ, unknown authority of the canonical Droit. It does not limit to only the ecclesiastical authorities its diatribes. Hus enters, this year, in conflict with the king of Bohemia Venceslas IV, which had authorized envoys of the pope to sell Indulgence S for the organization of a crusade against the king of Naples. Persona non grata in Prague, Jan Hus is withdrawn with the castle of Kozí Hradek, in the south of Bohemia, in order to write its work there ecclesia and a Explication of the Saints Gospels (1413).

The Council of Constancy

The Concile comes from Constancy, whose antipape Jean XXIII signed the convocation. Hus goes there, provided with a Sauf-conduit signed Sigismond Ier of the Holy roman Empire in order to defend its theses there.

Arrival with Constance and beginnings of the Council

To Constancy, in great pageantry, the representatives of the great catholic nations, all the prelates ran and the princes who account the Chrétienté, including the orthodoxe ones, Lithuanians, coptes. The first goal of the Council, joined together under the pressure of Sigismond, is not to judge it, but to put an end to this scandal which represents the Great Schism of Occident. Three “popes” dispute the throne of holy Pierre, Gregoire XII, “pope of Rome”, Jean XXIII, “pope of Pisa” and Benoît XIII, “pope of Avignon”.

Hus leaves on October 11th, 1414 and arrives on November 3rd, 1414 at Constance. The next day, a bulletin on the doors of the churches announces that Michal de Nemecky Brod will be the adverse one of Hus “the heretic”. It is first of all free of its movements but, of fear it of seeing to escape, on December 8th, 1414, it is locked up in a Dominican monastery of the city. The imperial safe conduct, apparently, does not apply (or more) legally to the heretics… Little before, on December 4th, 1414, Jean XXIII names three bishops to start the investigations against Hus.

Under the imperial pressure, the way of voting is changed: not a voice by cardinal (what favors Italy considerably) but a voice by nation (what brings a new solution to the national problems which tear the Church then). March 20th, 1415, understanding that it loses the imperial support, Jean XXIII flees. April 6th, 1415, the council adopts the decree Hæc sancta , affirming the superiority of the council on the pope. The institutional affairs on the way to be regulated, the lawsuit of Hus can begin again.

The lawsuit of Jan Hus

In the forefront of the critics of Jan Hus, in addition to the cardinal Pierre d' Ailly and his disciple Jean de Gerson, doctor christianissimus and chancellor of the University of Paris, are large the inquisiteurs, assisted by the most brilliant Roman canonists. The judges proceed to interrogations will ex-cathedra , Hus has only too seldom the word, despite everything it arrives at désarçonner its indicters. Little by little, debates though extremely confused, turn to the advantage of the reformer. With the dungeon, after weeks of ceaseless interrogations, Jan Hus does not weaken and speaks as the first Protestants will do it later: “God and my conscience are my only witnesses, never I did not preach nor taught the things that the witnesses call upon against me”. Condemned like heretic to be burned alive, he exclaims: “Lord Jesus-Christ, forgives with all my enemies”. The censure will screen its ultimate letters, written its cell, with his/her friends of Prague.

To rough-hew

July 6th, 1415, according to the judgment, Jan Hus must be “reduced at the laic state”: the torturer tears off clothing publicly to him. Capped of a miter of paperboard on which devils are painted, it is taken along towards roughing-hew it in the middle of a crowd divided between anger and is delirious: one binds it to the post, surrounded by wet straw and faggots, and fire is put at roughing-hew. While the flames go up, Jan Hus would have sung: “Christ, Wire of alive God, have pity of me”.

Lastly, roof of this martyrdom, the assistance-torturer reduces his bones flarings in dust which one will throw in water of the Rhine because according to the judgment: “of Jan Hus, it should nothing remain”. His/her friend Jerome of Prague, which had come to support it, will exclaim: “One could burn it, but one does not burn the truth”. Mow, it will undergo the same fate, on May 30th, 1416.

War hussites

See also: Crusades against Hussites

The Crusades against Hussites, event of first size in the European history, start: revolted people will organize themselves militarily to hold head 25 years lasting with the united European armies. The military and technical superiority of an army of volunteers electing their chiefs, Jan Žižka then Procope the Bald person, within the framework of an even communist ideology egalitarian, is the immediate precedent of European Protestantism, the example that all the Protestant chiefs meditated, fear whom all the chancelleries nourish and évêchés since this time.

Its contribution

Its disciples regard it as a patriot and a Martyr of the Czech nation and Christian faith. Precursor of the Reform, its death starts true a Révolution religious, political and social which shakes Bohemia and the Moravie during still of the decades.

Appendices

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