Jan Hus

Jan Hus (circa 1371 – 1415) was a theologian and rector of Charles University in Prague, a driving force behind the religious movement of the Hussites. Due to his ideas, he was excommunicated by the Catholic Church in 1411 and condemned to be burned at the stake for heresy.

Jan Hus is recognized as a precursor of the Protestant Reformation, anticipating figures like Luther and Calvin by approximately a century. After his death, the Hussites rebelled against the corruption and crimes of the Catholic Church, resisting five crusades launched against them. A century later, the overwhelming majority of the inhabitants of the Czech Lands joined the Protestant Reformation or joined the Unity of the Bohemian Brethren, who were the direct successors of the Hussite movement.