Jan Želivský (1380 in

Humpolec Humpolec (; ) is a town in Pelhřimov District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 12,000 inhabitants. Administrative division Humpolec consists of 12 municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): ...

– 9 March 1422 in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

) was a prominent Czech priest during the

Hussite file:Hussitenkriege.tif, upright=1.2, Battle between Hussites (left) and Crusades#Campaigns against heretics and schismatics, Catholic crusaders in the 15th century file:The Bohemian Realm during the Hussite Wars.png, upright=1.2, The Lands of the ...

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

Life

Želivský preached at Church of Saint Mary Major. He was one of a few Utraquist priests in Prague at the time and he was strongly influential, owing to his sermons which were noted both for their eloquence and their apocalyptic descriptions. On 30 July 1419, Želivský led the Hussite procession through the streets of Prague, and past the New Town Hall. "The priest and his followers were, however, received with derision by the town-councillors, who appears at the windows, and stones were thrown at the procession. One of the stones struck Priest John �elivský.. and the infuriated people immediately attempted to storm the town hall." This event ended in the First Defenestration of Prague, which was one of the major triggering events for the Hussite Wars. After his defeat in the Battle of Brüx in 1421, Želivský was removed from command. On 9 March 1422, during the civil wars between the various Hussite factions, he was arrested by the town council of Prague and decapitated.

Legacy

Many streets in the Czech Republic are named after Jan Želivský, including a long street in Prague. The nearby Želivského metro station is named after him as well.

References

1380 births 1422 deaths People from Humpolec Hussite martyrs People of the Hussite Wars {{christian-clergy-stub