Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Thursday, January 26
    Trending
    • Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through January 26th, 2023)
    • This Day in History on January 26th
    • History Short: Who is the Octomom?
    • This Day in History on January 25th
    • History Short: The Rise and Fall of Sir Walter Raleigh
    • Headline: The Doomsday Clock Has Moved Closer to Midnight Than Ever Before!
    • Headlines: 2023 Oscar Nominations Released!
    • This Day in History on January 24th
    History and Headlines
    • Arts & Entertainment
      • Cinema & TV
      • Games
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Sports
      • Video Games
    • Bizarre Bulletin
      • Misconceptions
      • The Bizarre
      • The Paranormal
      • The Unexplained
    • Lifestyle
      • Animals/Pets
      • Fashion
      • Food
      • Health/Medicine
      • Home Improvement
      • Horoscopes
      • Travel
    • Science & Tech
      • Inventions
      • Nature
      • Vehicles
    • Society
      • Business and Economics
      • Crime
      • Military
      • Politics
      • Religion
      • Society
    • About
      • Welcome to Our Site!
      • This Day in History
      • Table of Contents: A History of the World
      • Online History Textbooks
      • A Guide to Some of Our Favorite Scholars and Educators
      • Advance Screenings and Movie Reviews Archive
      • Schedule of Video Adaptations of Our Articles
    • Friends
      • Armchair History TV
      • Fact Fiend
      • RealClearHistory
      • Simply Charly
      • TopTenz
      • ​Unique Interpretations
    History and Headlines
    You are at:Home»Society»Crime»What the Heck is Defenestration?
    Crime

    What the Heck is Defenestration?

    Major DanBy Major DanJuly 30, 2019Updated:May 1, 2020No Comments6 Mins Read
    Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Tumblr Twitter VKontakte WhatsApp
    Defenestration

    A Brief History

    On July 30, 1419, The First Defenestration of Prague took place, which of course, means there was a second Defenestration!  Prague, the capital in what was then called Bohemia and today the capital of the Czech Republic, is a vibrant city as the seat of government today, just as it was back in 1419.  Why would such a beautiful city be the scene of violence?

    Digging Deeper

    First of all, we must let you know what “defenestration” means.  Not a word you hear every day although the action described by it is not all that unusual.  (Drum roll, please….)  Simply put, it means throwing someone or some thing out of a window.  Have you ever actually used this word in a sentence?  To be honest, neither did this author until writing this article!  Why do we even need a special word for such action, when we could just say, “threw him out the window?”  Should a police officer writing a littering citation state that the offender “defenestrated a fast food wrapper from his car onto the roadside?”  If I had been familiar with this term while serving as a police officer, you better believe I would have found a way to use the word!

    The defenestration of the Biblical Queen Jezebel at Jezreel, by Gustave Doré

    Getting back to Prague, the events of 1419 that led to 9 people being chucked out the upper floor windows of City Hall (known as New Town Hall) to their deaths were related to the arrests and confinement of Hussites, members of a religious sect founded by Czech Pre-Protestant theologian Jan Hus (sometimes anglicized to “Huss”).  Those in charge, typically not wanting to upset the status quo provided by the Catholic Church, did not take kindly to these followers of Hus with their contrary ideas.  When the town council refused to release the prisoners, a mass protest took place with Hussites marching on City Hall, led by Jan Želivský, a Hussite friendly Catholic priest.  Some person allegedly defenestrated a rock from an upper floor window at City Hall, supposedly striking Father Jan.  His congregation became incensed and stormed City Hall, whence they chucked 7 members of the City Council along with a judge and the burgomeister (mayor) out the windows, killing those men.  King Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia was said to be so upset by the event that his health failed, and he died shortly afterwards.  (Note: This man is not the “Good King Wenceslaus” of Christmas song, that was Wenceslaus I.)

    Fueled by discontent about the inequality of the distribution of wealth, with the peasants and lower classes being denied the spoils enjoyed by the nobility and the Church prelates, the Hussite movement was galvanized by the First Defenestration of Prague and the Hussite Wars (also known as the Bohemian Wars or Bohemian Revolution or Hussite Revolution) broke out, lasting until 1436, the end result being one faction of Hussites defeating another faction of Hussites and making peace with the national government. (A greatly simplified account, to be sure…)

    Evolution of the Hussite movement in the Lands of the Bohemian Crown from 1419 to 1620, superimposed on modern borders.  Map by Ernio48.

    After the infamy of having the leaders of the city thrown out the windows, Prague experienced yet another Defenestration, this time known as (drum roll please…) The Second Defenestration of Prague!  This particular time, May 23, 1618, the occasion was a meeting at the Bohemian Chancellory between 4 Catholic Lords Regent with 3 of the main Protestant Lords that represented the 3 main Protestant Estates over a dispute concerning the Protestants being maltreated by the Holy Roman Emperor’s representatives (the Catholic Regents), denied their proper positions, rights and the dissolution of the Protestant Assembly.  The meeting, kind of a trial of the Catholic Regents, became heated, and the Protestants, led by Count von Thurn, told 2 of the Catholic Regents, Count Vilem Slavata of Chlum and Count Jaroslav Bořita of Martinice that,  “you are enemies of us and of our religion, have desired to deprive us of our Letter of Majesty, have horribly plagued your Protestant subjects… and have tried to force them to adopt your religion against their wills or have had them expelled for this reason.”  Explaining to the crowd of Protestants in the area that to allow these Catholic oppressors to live would be a mistake (words to the effect), the Protestants proceeded to throw the 2 Catholic Regents and their secretary out the window!  Positioned a whopping 70 feet above the pavement below (other sources claim more like 90 feet), one would expect a fatal outcome, but this time all 3 victims survived their harrowing experience.  The secretary, or scribe, Phillip Fabricius, was later enobled by the Emperor and given the title “von Hohenfall” (literally meaning “of Highfall”)!

    The surprising survival of the Catholic victims was hailed by Catholics as proof of Divine intervention on their behalf, perhaps by the Virgin Mary.  Protestants reported the survival was due to the victims falling into a large heap of dung.  No matter what the reason these victims survived, the incident was a precipitating factor in starting the 30 Years War.

    A later woodcut of the defenestration in 1618.  Woodcut by Johann Philipp Abelinus.

    Apparently, Prague has experienced other incidents of people being thrown from windows, but only these 2 major incidents are commemorated by being called “The Defenestrations of Prague.”  For some reason other cities that have had folks thrown from windows have not been given the distinction of having their own “Defenestration” named in their “honor.”  Surely there must be numerous incidents of people being thrown out windows! At least now you know what to call it.

    Question for students (and subscribers): What incident of someone being thrown from a window would you consider historically important or infamous?  Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

    Giorgio Vasari’s impression of the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For more information, please see…

    Howe, Susan. Defenestration of Prague.  Kulchur Foundation, 1983.

    Quik eBooks. Historic Events : The Defenestration of Prague – Religion and rebellion. QUIK eBooks, 2011.

    Wilson, Peter. The Thirty Years War: Europe’s Tragedy. Belknap Press, 2011.

    The featured image in this article, the Defenestration of Prague on a contemporary flyer in 1618, from Peter Milger, Gegen Land und Leut, Der Dreißigjährige Krieg (Niedernhausen, 2001), is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 100 years or less.

    Share. Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Twitter Tumblr
    Previous ArticleWhat is the King of Italian Foods? (Today is National Lasagna Day!)
    Next Article Helpful Tips for Writing a Stellar U.S. History Paper
    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

    Related Posts

    History Short: The Rise and Fall of Sir Walter Raleigh

    January 25, 2023

    Headline: The Doomsday Clock Has Moved Closer to Midnight Than Ever Before!

    January 24, 2023

    History Short: Who was the First National Leader Assassinated by Firearm?

    January 23, 2023
    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Patreon
    Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
    Most Recent

    Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through January 26th, 2023)

    January 26, 2023

    This Day in History on January 26th

    January 26, 2023

    History Short: Who is the Octomom?

    January 26, 2023

    This Day in History on January 25th

    January 25, 2023

    History Short: The Rise and Fall of Sir Walter Raleigh

    January 25, 2023
    This Day in History Video

    Advertisements




    Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via links in the “Historical Evidence” sections of articles.

    About HistoryAndHeadlines.com

    Thanks for visiting History and Headlines!  This site exists primarily for educational purposes and is intended as a resource for Dr. Zar’s students.  Articles are mostly written by either Dr. Zar or his dad (Major Dan).  To any guest readers, please keep that in mind when commenting on articles.   Thank you!

    We try to present our students with historical topics that are both diverse and a bit out of the ordinary.  Our motto is “We try until we succeed!”

    Contact us at admin@historyandheadlines.com

    Guidelines and Policies for Images used on This Site, as well as for Guest and Sponsored Articles, and Other Terms of Use

    Privacy Statement

    © 2022 History and Headlines

    All-Time Most Commented

    July 28, 1866: 18 Year Old Girl Wins Commission to Sculpt Statue of Lincoln (A Truly Great American Woman)

    July 28, 2014

    December 24, 1865: Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

    December 24, 2015

    December 25, 1868: President Johnson Pardons all Confederate Veterans

    December 25, 2015

    February 5, 1909: First Plastic Invented was called Bakelite!

    February 5, 2014

    November 23, 1876: “Boss” Tweed Turned Over to Authorities

    November 23, 2013
    Recommended Book
    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

    You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

    History and Headlines
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.