Huss, or more properly Hus, JOHN, Bohemian reformer and martyr, was born in (probably) 1369, the son of a Bohemian peasant, at Husinec (of which Hus is a contraction), NW. of Budweis. Two years after taking (1396) his master's degree at the university of Prague he began to lecture there on theological subjects. He had at this time already come under the influence of Wyclif's writings, in all probability through Anne of Bohemia's retinue, and he is believed to have made them the basis of his teaching. In 1402 he was appointed rector of the university, and began to preach at the Bethlehem chapel in the city of Prague. It was not, however, until the year 1408 that he came into conflict with the Roman Catholic Church. In that year certain of his pulpit utterances against clerical abuses were laid hold upon by the clergy of the diocese and city of Prague, and made the ground of a formal complaint against him to the archbishop, Slynko. In consequence of this Huss was forbidden to exercise priestly functions within the diocese. Early in the following year the element of political feeling was infused into the quarrel, all the strong interests of the awakening national consciousness ranging themselves in support of the reformer, who by his preaching had completely won the hearts of the common people. Although Huss was again elected rector of the university in October 1409, the archbishop commissioned an inquisitor to investigate the charges of heretical teaching which had been alleged against him. And it was undoubtedly in connection with this proceeding that in December the pope (Alexander V.) promulgated a bull in condemnation of Wyclif's teaching, and ordered all his writings to be publicly burned, and at the same time forbade preaching in any except collegiate, parish, and monastery churches. This, however, not being sufficient to prevent Huss from continuing his preaching, he was in the following July excommunicated by the Archbishop of Prague. Popular riots followed in the city, and Huss, backed by the people, still maintained his position; nor did he yield one jot even after the entire city was laid under a papal interdict in 1411. But by the last month of the following year matters had greatly changed, in consequence of Huss having spoken out yet more boldly against the church; hence some of his more influential supporters, including the university, had fallen away from him, so that he was constrained to yield to the desire of the king of Bohemia, Wenceslaus, that he should absent himself from Prague. He found refuge at the castles of certain of his supporters, for nearly the whole body of the nobles were with him. This enforced leisure he employed chiefly in the composition of his principal work, De Ecclesia. This book, together with many of Huss's minor writings, contains numerous passages taken almost verbatim from Wyclif's works; and the authorities of the Roman Catholic Church must have looked upon Huss as the expounder and propagator of Wyclif's views. About this time a general council was summoned to meet at Constance, and Huss was called upon to present himself before it, in order to have his case adjudicated upon. Provided with a 'safe conduct' from the Emperor Sigismund, he arrived at Constance on 3d November 1414. Three weeks later, in violation of his safe-conduct, he was seized and thrown into prison. No precise charge had been lodged against him; but he had resumed preaching after his arrival in Constance. An ill augury for Huss was the condemnation of Wyclif's writings by the council in May 1415. His own trial began on 5th June following; but he was not permitted to speak freely in his own defence, nor allowed to have a defender to speak in his behalf. Called upon to recant unconditionally, to make full submission to the council, and to pledge himself not to preach or teach the doctrines that were put in accusation against him, Huss categorically refused, and was forthwith led to the stake, and burned to ashes, on 6th July.
HUSSITES.—The news of the imprisonment and death of John Huss roused popular feeling in Bohemia to the highest pitch of wrath and indignation. Whilst the masses gave way to rioting and murdered Roman Catholic ecclesiastics, 452 nobles, in a diet which had been hastily summoned at Prague in September 1415, solemnly attested their confidence in Huss, and their admiration of his personal character, and three days later formed themselves into a league for the maintenance of liberty of preaching in Bohemia, and for upholding their belief in the Word of God as the ultimate lawgiver of the church. For this they were excommunicated by the council. Both parties now prepared for war. Yet it soon became apparent that the Hussites were not all of one mind; for, as in all great popular movements of this kind, there was an extreme party who were desirous of carrying things to the greatest lengths. The more moderate section formulated their demands in four articles, preaching of the gospel in the Bohemian language, the right of the laity to receive the communion in both kinds, reform of clerical abuses, and the prohibition of the clergy to hold secular property and exercise secular jurisdiction; these were called Praguers, but more frequently Calixtines (calix = a chalice) or Utraquists (from their claiming communion sub utraque specie). The extreme party, headed by Ziska (q.v.), and called Taborites, from their headquarters being at Mount Tabor, some 24 miles N.E. of Pisek, went beyond the Utraquists in their condemnation of purgatory, the worship of saints, of images, and of relics, and the practice of penance, and in their assertion of the right of the laity, even of women, to preach, and that in any building they pleased. At this period too King Wenceslaus died, and the throne of
Bohemia was claimed by his brother, the Emperor Sigismund. Nevertheless, both parties united in offering a stubborn resistance to the emperor, and his forces were defeated at Ziskaberg in 1420, at Deutsch-Brod in 1422, at Aussig in 1426, and at Taus in 1431. Under the two brothers Procopius the Hussites invaded Silesia, Saxony, and Franconia; they were said to have taken and destroyed more than 100 towns and 1500 villages; according to a doubtful legend, Naumburg was saved by the intercession of the school-children. After the battle of Taus negotiations were begun, which ended, two years later, in the Calixtines securing their ends by the 'Compactata of Prague,' which was signed by the delegate of the Council of Basel on 30th November. This pacification the Taborites refused to accept, and in the contest that then ensued between them and the Calixtines, they were worsted at Lipan near Kolín and at Hrib near Böhmisch-Brod in 1434, and from that time rapidly disappear from history. Two years later the Emperor Sigismund, after ratifying the 'Compactata' with his signature, was accepted by the Bohemians as their king. The Utraquists finally became merged in the Moravian Brethren (q.v.).
See Documenta Johannis Hus vitam, doctrinam, causam illustrantia (ed. by Palacky, 1869), and monographs by Becker (1858), Krummel (1863), Berger (1872), Wratislaw (in English, 1882), and Loserth (1884; Eng. trans. 1884); Denis, Huss et la Guerre des Hussites (1878); Palacky, Urkundliche Beiträge zur Geschichte des Hussitenkriegs (1872-73); Krummel, Geschichte der Böhmischen Reformation (1866); Bezold, Sigmund und die Reichskriege gegen die Hussiten (1872-77), and Zur Geschichte des Hussitenhums (1874); Wratislaw, John Hus (1882); Leger, History of Austro-Hungary (Eng. trans. 1890); Lechler, Johannes Huss, ein Lebensbild (1890); the articles BOHEMIA ('Literature'), ZISKA, PODIEBRAD, CONSTANCE, WYCLIF, &c.