Jan Hus: Czech Reformer And Bohemian Religious Leader Was Burned At Stake For Heresy

A. Sutherland  – AncientPages.com – Jan Hus (1372 – 1415) was a controversial Czech thinker and reformer who took part in the Roman Catholic Council of Constance (1414–18). He was convicted of heresy and burned at stake.

Unfortunately, he was not the only one. The medieval Church struggled violently against rebels who criticized the doctrines of the Catholic Church. This institution had control over the state and the people, regardless of their status.

Jan Hus at the Council of Constance, 19th-century painting by Karl Friedrich Lessing. Public Domain

Jan Hus was among those Christians who – not only theoretically – but openly and publicly disagreed with the Church’s teachings. He was a Czech farmer, who studied in Prague, became a master, dean, and finally rector at the University of Prague and the Bethlehem church.

See also:

Prince Wenceslaus Of Bohemia Murdered On Order Of His Own Brother

Saint George: Knight Warrior Who Refused To Denounce His Faith And Died A Martyrs Death

Anne Askew: Woman Of Great Courage, Strong Beliefs And Principles Who Was Arrested For Heresy, Imprisoned, Tortured And Burnt At The Stake

Strongly influenced by the writings of an English scholastic philosopher and thinker, John Wycliffe (c.1329-1384), Hus attacked the priesthood of the world and the riches of the church. As his preaching was in the Czech language, it enjoyed great popularity, and he had many listeners and active supporters.

Hus was a brave man who did not hesitate to criticize the Church’s different actions and abuses committed by the clergy, especially in the matter of granting indulgences (selling of indulgences).

Unlike the vast majority of preachers at the time, Hus was an advocate for women and feminism.

Hus stated that “Women were made in the image of God and should fear no man.” He allowed women to preach and serve in battle. Later, since women were allowed to fight they played a critical role in the Hussite Wars.

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