Text|Xiao Geng Shiji
Editor|Xiao Geng Shiji
preface
Bohemia was originally an independent state, but historically the Austrian Grand Duke, from the Habsburg family, also served as the king of the country. After 1526, Bohemia became part of the Habsburg monarchy, which for a long time came under the rule of the Archduke of Austria and the King or Emperor of the Romans.
Bohemia and the Habsburgs
In fact, Bohemia was only associated with the Habsburgs through the king personally; In Bohemia, not many people really supported the Habsburgs. The Bohemian state hierarchy had always had a strong sense of hierarchical freedom and national independence, and they accepted the rule of the Habsburg monarchs mainly to resist the invasion of the Ottoman Turks. After the mid-16th century, the regions of Bohemia – Moravia, Silesia and Lausitz (including Oberlausitz and Niederlausitz) – became increasingly connected.
The Bohemian Chancellery and the Council of the Strata were important links linking the previously separate regions of Bohemia, and their bearers were the lords and nobles in Bohemia and Moravia, the Council of Princes in Silesia, and the Lords or rather the Six Cities Alliance in Lausitz. At the same time, the Reformation spread widely in Bohemia, with followers of Lutheranism, Calvinism, Hussite, Baptist ideas, various forms of pie and wine doctrine (or "bimorphist doctrine"), and the ideas of the Bohemian Brotherhood. Most of the Bohemian nobility belonged to moderate Hussites, who were also vassals of Lutheranism. The number of Orthodox Catholics has not only been greatly reduced, but is also in a state of vacillation. The Jesuit propaganda work was slow. Religion and politics were closely linked, and the Bohemian hierarchy fought for freedom of belief and political freedom. The Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke Ferdinand I of Austria and Maximilian II, did not dare to intervene much, essentially maintaining the status quo of Bohemian religious beliefs and state administration.
Rudolf II tried to reverse it. At the request of the papal envoys, he dismissed the evangelical Zelynsky as Grand Chancellor, appointed Popelvon Lobkowitz (circa 1551–1607) as Grand Chancellor, and formed a government of the Anti-Reformation, from Rosenberg, Pernstein, and Dietrichstein and Lobkowitz noble families, Catholic nobles loyal to the Habsburgs, held high-ranking government positions. Franz von Dietrichstein (1570–1636), Bishop of Olmitz, expelled evangelicals from Moravia, worked for re-Catholicization, and appointed Catholics to high state positions in concert with Prague. Moravian evangelicals rallied around the lordship Karel starízeerotína (1564–1636) and firmly opposed the expansion of Catholic power.
While Rudolf II was struggling with Matthias for power, the evangelical Bohemian hierarchy took the opportunity to protest, demanding greater freedom in their respective states and a certain say in government. Under pressure, Rudolf II signed the famous Edict of His Majesty on July 9, 1609, recognizing the Evangelical Bohemian and Silesian nobility enjoying freedom of religious belief, allowing them to perform sacraments according to their religious ceremonies, establishing evangelical committees, establishing evangelical churches and schools, and electing 30 "guardians" to urge the implementation of His Majesty's Edict. The Bohemian evangelical opposition is not satisfied with this, but continues to exert pressure for more power. Rudolf II had to send troops to suppress it. The Bohemian evangelicals turned to Matthias, the new head of the Habsburg family, who opposed Rudolf II, and through the latter's acquiescence, seized many high-ranking official positions, freeing them from the constraints of the Catholic Church and the officials of the Pro-Imperial Church.
Bohemian events
In 1612, Matthias became Holy Roman Emperor. Although he did not deny His Majesty's Edict, he sought to restrict the freedom of movement of the Bohemian classes, such as ordering the closure of evangelical churches in Braunau, North Bohemia, banning evangelical ceremonies, and interfering in the administration of evangelical cities. In 1617, Matthias appointed Ferdinand, Archduke of Inner Austria, later Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II, King of Bohemia. Soon, Ferdinand succeeded to the Hungarian throne. Ferdinand, an ardent Catholic, brazenly tore up the Edict of His Majesty issued by Rudolf II as soon as he came to power, and massively pursued a policy of counter-Reformation that suppressed evangelicalism. As the head of a country, Ferdinand II sought to create a relatively unified state within his hereditary territories and kingdoms, with absolute monarchy. In addition to this, he wanted to restore the Catholic faith; He saw his secular regime as a tool of religious service, and did not hesitate to use violent means to force his followers of other religions to convert to Catholicism.
The Bohemian evangelical hierarchy, led by Jindrich Matyáz Thurnu (1567-1640), Count of Thurnu, rebelled. In March 1618, the Bohemian Evangelical hierarchy held a meeting in Prague in preparation for the presentation of a letter of protest to the Emperor. On May 22, a group of radicals armed with machetes and muskets stormed the palace in Hradsin to debate with the emperor's representatives, Duke Jaroslav Borsita von Martinic (1582–1649) and Wilhelm Slavata (1572–1652). In a fit of rage, they threw the emperor's representative and one of their secretaries into a trench outside the window in the traditional way of punishing traitors. This is the famous "Prague Throwing Out the Window Incident". Although none of these three were in danger of life, mistreating the emperor's representative meant offending the emperor himself, which was equivalent to declaring war on the emperor.
Matthias immediately took steps and ordered the suppression of the insurgents. The insurgents also immediately convened a state hierarchy and elected a consul of 30 governors (mostly evangelical nobles) to exercise state administration and form an armed force. The uprising was echoed by the Moravian Evangelical hierarchy, supported by Peter Ernst II, Count of Mansfeld (1580–1626) and Carlo Emanuele (1562–1630), Duke of Savoy; The Duke of Savoy supported the rebels by financing the army commanded by the Count of Mansfeld. Some Austrian and Hungarian hierarchies that hated Habsburg rule also began to revolt.
Holy Roman Emperor Matthias offered the ruling group a general amnesty to negotiate, but was rejected. King Ferdinand of Bohemia, a Habsburg family, sent Charles Bonaventure (1571-1621), Count of Buquoy, to attack Bohemia in late August 1618. Peter Ernst II, Count of Mansfeld, intercepted head-on and captured the Catholic fortress of Pilsen in Bohemia on 21 November. Bonaventura temporarily withdrew to Budweis. This victory greatly boosted the fighting spirit of evangelicals. Heinrich Matthias, Count of Tourn, led an army of Bohemian rebels to attack Vienna.
On 20 March 1619 , Matthias died , and Ferdinand became the presumed heir of the Archduke of Austria and Holy Roman Emperor ( his succession was to be decided by the vote of the seven electors ) . The Austrian Evangelical hierarchy refused to swear allegiance to him, and some Evangelical nobles even stormed the castle on May 5 in an attempt to force Ferdinand to accede to their demands for protection of hierarchical privileges and religious freedom, but were repulsed by Ferdinand's guards.
Peter Ernst II, Count of Mansfeld, led part of his army to attack Budweys, and on 10 June 1619 he encountered and fought fiercely with the emperor's army led by Charles Ponaventura, Count of Buquiy and Albrecht von Wallenstein (1583–1634), a Bohemian nobleman, near the small village of Záblati or Sablat. The battle lasted more than seven hours, and Count Mansfeld suffered heavy losses and had to order a retreat.