The Second Defenestration of Prague

The Second Defenestration of Prague refers to an event that took place on May 23, 1618, in Prague, which played a significant role in triggering the Thirty Years’ War. This event involved the forcible ejection, or defenestration, of several representatives of the Habsburg emperor from a window of Prague Castle.

At the time, the Kingdom of Bohemia was under the rule of the Habsburg dynasty, and tensions had been brewing between the Protestant Bohemian estates and the Catholic Habsburgs. The Bohemian estates, which consisted of nobles and representatives of various Protestant groups, were dissatisfied with the increasing centralization of power by the Habsburgs and the erosion of their religious freedoms.

In an attempt to address their grievances, a group of Protestant nobles, led by Count Jindřich Matyáš Thurn, gathered at Prague Castle to meet with the Catholic regents appointed by the Habsburg emperor. The nobles presented a list of demands known as the “Letter of Majesty,” which included the restoration of their religious rights.

However, the negotiations quickly turned confrontational and heated. Frustrated with the perceived disregard for their demands, and potentially influenced by the rhetoric of the time, the nobles resorted to drastic action. As the situation escalated, they grabbed the Habsburg regents, along with their secretary, and threw them out of a castle window.

Remarkably, the three men survived the fall, allegedly due to landing on a dung heap, but this event became symbolic of the defiance and resistance of the Protestant nobles against the Habsburg rule. The act of defenestration itself was seen as a grave insult and a challenge to the emperor’s authority.

The Second Defenestration of Prague served as a catalyst for the Bohemian Revolt, which ignited the larger conflict known as the Thirty Years’ War. This war engulfed much of Europe and lasted from 1618 to 1648, involving various European powers and causing immense devastation.

The conflict had far-reaching consequences, not only in terms of religious and political realignments but also for the balance of power in Europe. The Second Defenestration of Prague remains a significant event in Czech history, representing the resistance of the Bohemian estates against the Habsburg dominance and marking the beginning of a prolonged and devastating war.