Czech Brethren

Followers of the religious reformer Jan Huss in Bohemia. They were the radical but peaceful side of the Hussite church of Bohemia. After the suppression of the militant Taborites in 1434, the Czech Brethren became the group most closely associated with the evangelical and social views of the early Hussites. During the 16th century they played a leading role in Bohemian life but after the battle of the White Mountain in 1620 they fled Bohemia to escape persecution. One of their leading figures was Jan Blahoslav.

Although possessing a sectarian tendency in their discipline and organization, they did demonstrate a desire for Protestant unity. Connections were established between Wittenberg and the brethren and it was for them that Luther wrote his Adoration of the Sacrament (1523). Under the leadership of Jan Augusta in 1532, they endeavoured to create greater unity through negotiation with Luther, Calvin, and Bucer, but this bore little fruit.

They won the freedom of worship under the Compacts of Prague in 1436, but they suffered persecution between 1548 and 1552 and many fled to Poland and Prussia. In 1575 Emperor Maximilian II granted the Czech Brethren freedom to practise their religion, and under Rudolf II they played a leading role in education. Dispersed after the Battle of the White Mountain they eventually merged with other groups.