Jan Mydlár (executioner)
Encyclopedia
Jan Mydlář was a 17th century Prague
executioner
. He is mostly known for his performance of the 1621 execution of 27 Bohemian
rebel
leaders.
The executed men were primarily Protestants; one man was a Catholic
. They had organized an uprising against the Habsburg
Emperor Matthias and later Ferdinand II
. On June 21, 1621, between 5AM and 9AM, 27 men were executed. Twelve were beheaded and fifteen were hanged. The beheaded ones had their heads displayed on the Prague Old Town
Bridge Tower. The execution was unprecedented, not only in its magnitude, but because the condemned were men of high importance, representing various ranks of the Czech society and professions—noblemen, scholars, burghers
, businessmen, etc. The execution was followed by reprisals against Protestants in Bohemia.
Mydlář is the central character of a 19th century novel
by Josef Svátek. According to this story, young Mydlář became an executioner because of a disappointment in love, just before graduating from a medical school.
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
executioner
Executioner
A judicial executioner is a person who carries out a death sentence ordered by the state or other legal authority, which was known in feudal terminology as high justice.-Scope and job:...
. He is mostly known for his performance of the 1621 execution of 27 Bohemian
Bohemian
A Bohemian is a resident of the former Kingdom of Bohemia, either in a narrow sense as the region of Bohemia proper or in a wider meaning as the whole country, now known as the Czech Republic. The word "Bohemian" was used to denote the Czech people as well as the Czech language before the word...
rebel
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
leaders.
The executed men were primarily Protestants; one man was a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
. They had organized an uprising against the Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
Emperor Matthias and later Ferdinand II
Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand II , a member of the House of Habsburg, was Holy Roman Emperor , King of Bohemia , and King of Hungary . His rule coincided with the Thirty Years' War.- Life :...
. On June 21, 1621, between 5AM and 9AM, 27 men were executed. Twelve were beheaded and fifteen were hanged. The beheaded ones had their heads displayed on the Prague Old Town
Old Town, Prague
Old Town is a medieval settlement of Prague, Czech Republic. It was separated from the outside by a semi-circular moat and wall, connected to the Vltava at both of its ends. The moat is now covered up by the streets Revolučni, na Příkopě, and Národni—which remain the official boundary of the...
Bridge Tower. The execution was unprecedented, not only in its magnitude, but because the condemned were men of high importance, representing various ranks of the Czech society and professions—noblemen, scholars, burghers
Bourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...
, businessmen, etc. The execution was followed by reprisals against Protestants in Bohemia.
Mydlář is the central character of a 19th century novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Josef Svátek. According to this story, young Mydlář became an executioner because of a disappointment in love, just before graduating from a medical school.