The
Taborites (Czech
Táborité, singular
Táborita) were members of a religious community considered heretical by the Catholic Church. The Taborites were centered on the
BohemiaBohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands, currently the Czech Republic...
n city of
TáborTábor is a city of the Czech Republic, in the South Bohemian Region. It is named after Mount Tabor, which is believed by many to be the place of the Transfiguration of Christ; however, the name became popular and nowadays translates to "camp" or "encampment" in the Czech language.The town was...
during the
Hussite WarsThe Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars involved the military actions against and amongst the followers of Jan Hus in Bohemia in the period 1420 to circa 1434. The Hussite Wars were arguably the first European war in which hand-held gunpowder weapons such as hand cannons made a decisive...
in the 15th century. The religious reform movement in Bohemia splintered into various religious sects. Beginning with the most radical, the various sects that existed were the:
AdamitesThe Adamites, or Adamians, were adherents of an early Christian sect that flourished in North Africa in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th centuries, but knew later revivals.-Ancient Adamites:...
, Taborites, Orebites (Orphans), Utraquists and Praguers.
The
Taborites (Czech
Táborité, singular
Táborita) were members of a religious community considered heretical by the Catholic Church. The Taborites were centered on the
BohemiaBohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands, currently the Czech Republic...
n city of
TáborTábor is a city of the Czech Republic, in the South Bohemian Region. It is named after Mount Tabor, which is believed by many to be the place of the Transfiguration of Christ; however, the name became popular and nowadays translates to "camp" or "encampment" in the Czech language.The town was...
during the
Hussite WarsThe Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars involved the military actions against and amongst the followers of Jan Hus in Bohemia in the period 1420 to circa 1434. The Hussite Wars were arguably the first European war in which hand-held gunpowder weapons such as hand cannons made a decisive...
in the 15th century. The religious reform movement in Bohemia splintered into various religious sects. Beginning with the most radical, the various sects that existed were the:
AdamitesThe Adamites, or Adamians, were adherents of an early Christian sect that flourished in North Africa in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th centuries, but knew later revivals.-Ancient Adamites:...
, Taborites, Orebites (Orphans), Utraquists and Praguers. Because the revolution's impetus came from the burning of
Jan HusJan Hus aka Jan Huss, John Hus, John Huss , often referred to in English as John Huss or variations thereof, was a Czech Catholic priest, philosopher, reformer, and master at Charles University in Prague.He is famed for having been burned at the stake for what the Roman Catholic Church considered...
, for the purpose of simplicity, many writers have put most of these sects under one umbrella term calling them the "
HussiteThe Hussites were a Christian movement following the teachings of Czech reformer Jan Huss , who became one of the forerunners of the Protestant Reformation...
s".
Economically supported by Tabor's control of local
goldGold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. It has been a highly sought-after precious metal for coinage, jewelry, and other arts since the beginning of recorded history. The metal occurs as nuggets or grains in rocks, in veins and in alluvial deposits. Gold is...
mines, the citizens joined local peasants to develop a communist-like society. Taborites announced the
MillenniumA millennium is a period of time equal to one thousand years...
of
ChristChrist is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed". It is a translation of the Hebrew . The term "Christ" was a title rather than a proper name. In the four gospels in the New Testament, the word "Christ" is nearly always preceded by the definite article...
and declared there would be no more servants and masters. They promised people would return to a state of pristine
innocenceInnocence is a term used to indicate a general lack of guilt, with respect to any kind of crime, sin, or wrongdoing. In a legal context, innocence refers to the lack of legal guilt of an individual, with respect to a crime....
.
Taborite
theologyThe term "theology" literally means the study of God, deriving from the Greek word theos, meaning 'God', and the suffix -ology from the Greek word logos meaning "discourse", "theory", or "reasoning"...
represented one of the most radical departures from that of the hierarchical medieval church. They rejected the outer veneer of the corrupted church and insisted on the normativeness of biblical authority. Even though Taborite theologians were versed in
scholastic theologyScholasticism is derived from the Latin word scholasticus , which means "that [which] belongs to the school," and was a method of learning taught by the academics of medieval universities circa 1100–1500...
, they were among the first intellectuals to break free from centuries-old scholastic methods.
The Taborites were particularly zealous in their religious practices and, like other such sects, some believed it was their duty to slay all heretics,
i.e., non-Taborites.
Some of the most outstanding Taborite theologians were Mikuláš Biskupec of
PelhřimovPelhřimov is a town in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has around 16,500 inhabitants. There is Museum of Records and Curiosities. In the middle of the town there is an ancient square with a lot of old, mostly Renaissance or Baroque buildings. The centre is partly surrounded by...
and
Prokop VelikýProkop or Prokop the Great was one of the most prominent Hussite generals of the Hussite Wars...
(who died in the
Battle of LipanyThe Battle of Lipany or Lipan, also called the Battle of Česky Brod, was fought at Lipany 40 km east of Prague on May 30, 1434 and virtually ended the Hussite Wars...
). The early radical theological ideas of Taborites were represented by Petr Kanis and Martin Huska.
Tabor's army was led by
Jan ŽižkaJan Žižka z Trocnova a Kalicha , Czech general and Hussite leader, follower of Jan Hus, was born at Trocnov in Bohemia, into a gentried family. He took part in the civil wars in Bohemia in the reign of Wenceslaus IV...
, the
BohemiaBohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands, currently the Czech Republic...
n general who commanded his rag-tag army in defense of Bohemia against the crusading Imperial Army under Emperor Sigismund. Žižka did not believe that all heretics should be slain and often showed clemency to those he defeated. After one battle when his army disobeyed him and killed many prisoners, Žižka ordered the army to pray for forgiveness. This experience partly inspired him to write a famous military code of conduct - "Žižkův vojenský řád" - a document partly inspired by the biblical book of Deuteronomy. Žižka eventually left Tabor because that community became too radical for his beliefs and took over the leadership of the more moderate Orebites in
Hradec KrálovéHradec Králové is a city of the Czech Republic, in the Hradec Králové Region of Bohemia. The city's economy is based on food-processing technology, photochemical, and electronics manufacture. Traditional industries include musical instrument manufacturing - the best known being PETROF pianos...
. Due to the numerous crusades, the Taborites and Orebites often set aside their religious differences and cooperated militarily to defeat crusades launched against Bohemia.
Once the external threat was removed by Hussite victories, the various Hussite factions turned on each other. Finally, the power of the Taborites was broken, after twenty years, with the
Battle of LipanyThe Battle of Lipany or Lipan, also called the Battle of Česky Brod, was fought at Lipany 40 km east of Prague on May 30, 1434 and virtually ended the Hussite Wars...
on May 30 1434. 13,000 of the 18,000-strong army were killed. In 1437 they signed a treaty with Czech king
SigismundSigismund was one of the longest ruling Kings of Hungary, reigning for fifty years from 1387 to 1437, and was also Holy Roman Emperor for four years from 1433 until 1437, and the last Emperor of the House of Luxemburg. He was also King of Bohemia from 1419, of Lombardia from 1431, and of Germany...
.
Even though the Taborites ceased to play an important political role, their theological thinking strongly influenced the foundation and rise of the
Unity of the BrethrenThe Unity of the Brethren is a Christian denomination whose roots are in the pre-reformation work of Jan Hus, who was martyred in 1415....
(
Unitas FratrumThis article is about the coordinating body of the Moravian Church worldwide. For the Christian denomination based in Texas see Unity of the Brethren....
) in 1457 today in English called the Moravian Church.
External links
- Joan of Arc's Letter to the Hussites (23 March 1430) — In 1430, Joan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc is a national heroine of France and a Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, claiming divine guidance, and was indirectly responsible for the coronation of Charles VII...
dictated a letter threatening to lead a crusading army against the Hussites unless they returned to "the Catholic Faith and the original Light". This link contains a translation of the letter plus notes and commentary.
- The Hussite Wars
- The Bohemian War (1420–1434)
- "The Hussite Wars (1419–36)", Stephen Turnbull, Osprey Publishing (ISBN 1-84176-665-8)
See also
- Hussite Wars
The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars involved the military actions against and amongst the followers of Jan Hus in Bohemia in the period 1420 to circa 1434. The Hussite Wars were arguably the first European war in which hand-held gunpowder weapons such as hand cannons made a decisive...
- Wars of Religion
The name Wars of Religion has been given to a series of European wars of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries, following the onset of the Protestant Reformation...
- Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands, currently the Czech Republic...
- List of Holy Roman Emperors
- Jan Hus
Jan Hus aka Jan Huss, John Hus, John Huss , often referred to in English as John Huss or variations thereof, was a Czech Catholic priest, philosopher, reformer, and master at Charles University in Prague.He is famed for having been burned at the stake for what the Roman Catholic Church considered...