Lecture by prof. Jiří Hasil “What were the Hussites fighting for?” on 16 October

On 16 October at 17:30 at the Latvian National Museum of History located in the Riga Castle a lecture by professor of the Charles University of Prague  Ph. D. Jiří Hasil will be held.

The Hussites are one of the key components of Czech identity. The history of the Hussites has been and remains a very popular topic in the Czech Republic. The Hussite movement, also known as the Hussite Revolution, was a religious movement in the late Middle Ages, though in a certain sense it was also driven by national, social, and political motivations.

In the early 15th century, Jan Hus, a master at the University of Prague and a preacher at the Bethlehem Chapel in Prague, became the movement’s most influential spiritual leader. A significant turning point in the movement’s development was the burning of Jan Hus at the Council of Constance in 1415—after this event, the movement became more radical and violent. One of the movement’s leaders was the military commander Jan Žižka. The movement suffered a defeat in the famous Battle of White Mountain in 1620. Jan Hus and the Hussites have been viewed in various ways throughout history, often with radically opposing perspectives.

In his lecture, Professor Hasil will draw on the evolution of views on the Hussites and the Hussite Revolution (or was it even a revolution?) to show how perceptions of the Hussite movement have evolved in Czech society over the centuries.

Free entry