Czechs in History Aftermath: the executions on the Old Town Square
In the last edition of our programme we looked at one of the most defining moments in the history of the Czech lands - the Battle of White Mountain. The culmination of a three year long Protestant Uprising that saw Ferdinand II deposed and Frederick the Winter King installed, albeit only for a short while: the battle of White Mountain was poorly lost by Protestant forces. Their defeat culminated in an exodus of thousands, including such figures as the scholar Jan Komensky, or Comenius as he is more widely known, who fled to the Netherlands. Those who remained behind faced the wrath of the victors: witnessing the confiscation of land, the brutal re-Catholicisation of the country, and death for those singled out as traitors. Those who had played key roles in the rebellion and done the 'unthinkable': taken up arms against their king. Less than a year after defeat at White Mountain, on June 21st, 1621, 27 noblemen were publicly put to death on Prague's Old Town Square. Who they were, how they faced their final hour, and how they braved their punishment are subjects for this episode of Czechs in History.
The executions on the Old Town Square
Back
