Middle East Information Resource
Religions/Belief Systems - Hussites
The Hussites are the followers of John Hus, one of the most famous disciples of John Wycliff. Hus was the rector at Prague University. He was condemned for heresy and burned at the stake in 1415. He had come under protection of an order of safe conduct from Emperor Sigismund of Hungary to Constance, but was later executed anyway on the grounds that agreements with heretics need not be kept.
The real reason for Hus` elimination was his open contempt for authority, both seculart and religious. After his death his followers became a significant force in Bohemia and Moravia. They were hostile to Germanism and the supremacy of the Catholic Church, and they took up arms to defend their faith. Their fight for religious reform led to the Hussite Wars, during which the movement split into several groups.