(Prague links)

1348

The University of Prague was founded.

1364

Jan Milic of Kromeriz became a poor preacher of repentance. His base was the parish church of St. Giles. Jan adopted an ascetic lifestyle: he refused meat and wine, slept on the ground, and engaged in marathon prayer sessions. He was obsessed with the idea of the coming Antichrist, and he took a particular interest in the conversion of prostitutes. Eventually he was able to take over a tract of 29 houses in Prague's "red-light district", which he renamed Jerusalem, and devoted his life to the cause of reclaiming prostitutes.

1389

Anti-Jewish prejudice resulted in the massacre of 3,000 Jews; their houses were burned and their cemetery desecrated.

1390

Jan Hus arrived here as a poor student to attend the University of Prague.

1393

Jan Hus received his bachelor's degree from the University of Prague.

1394

After 3 years of construction, Bethlehem Chapel opened as a venue for sermons preached in the Czech language. It accommodated around 3,000 people.

1396

Jan Hus received his master's degree from the University of Prague.

1399

An apostate Jew accused members of the Jewish community of denigrating Christianity. As a result, 80 Jews were put to death.

1400

As a result of anti-Jewish riots, 77 Jews were killed.

1401

Jan Hus was ordained a priest and appointed dean of the philosophy department of the University of Prague.

1402

14 March 1402

Jan Hus was appointed preacher and administrator of Bethlehem Chapel.

1408

Jan Hus received his bachelor of divinity degree from the University of Prague.

1409

Jan Hus was elected rector of the University of Prague.

1410

July 1410

Archbishop Zbynek ordered that all of John Wyclif's books be burned. Jan Hus protested and ignored the order, and later organized a scholar's conference on Wyclif.

1412

May 1412

Wenzel Tiem, a special envoy of Pope John XXIII, arrived here and began setting up an elaborate indulgence-selling network. He also had large coffers placed in 3 main churches (St. Vitus, Tyn & St. Jakob) for the protection of incoming funds. These actions were condemned and resisted by the general populace, led by Jan Hus.

10 July 1412

Three young Czechs, named Jan, Martin & Stasek, interrupted mass services at 3 main churches (St. Vitus, Tyn & St. Jakob) and denounced the sale of indulgences. They were arrested and taken to the Old Town prison.

11 July 1412

A crowd gathered at the Old Town prison in support of Jan, Martin & Stasek, the young men arrested the day before. Jan Hus joined the crowd and actually took responsibility for the prisoners' actions. The town councillor assured Hus that the prisoners would be well treated. But as soon as Hus left, the 3 men were removed from the prison and beheaded. They became the first martyrs of the Hussite movement.

2 October 1412

A band of armed men disrupted the service at Bethlehem Chapel and tried to seize Jan Hus while he was preaching. But the congregants protected Hus and drove the invaders from the church.

1415

2 September 1415

In the wake of Hus's execution, 58 Hussite barons met here to compose and sign a strongly worded document in defense of Hus and sent it to Constance.

1418

Jan Zelivsky arrived here around this time and became a radical preacher based at St. Stephen's Church in the New Town section.

1419

Jan Zelivsky lost his position at St. Stephen's Church early this year, but soon began preaching at St. Mary of the Snows, a large church made up of artisans and poor people.

30 July 1419

After preaching from the book of Revelation at the Church of St. Mary of the Snows, Jan Zelivsky led some armed followers along the Horse Market (now Wenceslas Square), then onto Sepandska Ulice, to his old church, St. Stephen's. Once there they broke down the doors, chased away the priests, and nearly tore down the building. They proceeded to hold their own service. Zelivsky and his group then walked to City Hall (Novomestska radnice) in New Town where they demanded the release of some imprisoned colleagues. Their demand was turned down. At that point the angry crowd stormed the Hall and threw about a dozen of the King's men out of the windows into the street below. Those who did not die from the fall were killed. This action became known as Prague's "First Defenestration."

October-November 1419

Taborites from all over Bohemia assembled in Prague where their leaders tried to gain the support of the Hussite magistrates for their platform. Their goal was to initiate a total break with the Catholic Church, wherein the Waldensian idea of apostolic poverty and moral purity would be upheld. They failed to gain the support they sought, and soon found themselves facing strong opposition, and finally persecution aimed at their extermination.

1420

January 1420

Martin Huska and a few fellow ex-priests began preaching about the imminent end of the world and the need to abolish all evil in preparation for the Millennium. They predicted that between 10 & 14 February 1420 every town and village would be destroyed by fire, and the only survivors would be those who fled to the 5 Bohemian towns that had become Taborite strongholds: Pilsen, Saaz, Louny, Slany and Klatovy. Poor people from far and near responded by selling their possessions and moving with their families to these towns.

1429

Jakoubek of Stribo died. After Hus's execution in 1415, Jakoubek had been the leader of the Hussite reform movement for a brief time.

1521

21 June 1521

Thomas Muntzer arrived for his first visit, in search of remnants of the Hussite movement that might be sympathetic to his revolutionary cause.

23 June 1521

Thomas Muntzer preached in German in Bethlehem Chapel.

1 November 1521

Thomas Muntzer posted his Prague Manifesto, handwritten in German, in a centrally located church.

December 1521

Thomas Muntzer left town.

1630

The city's Jews were forced to attend Christian sermons that were intended to convert them.

1689

A fire destroyed 300 Jewish houses and 11 synagogues.