Taborite
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The Taborites (Czech Táborité, singular Táborita) were members of a religious proto-Protestant community centered on the Bohemian city of Tábor during the Hussite Wars in the 15th century.
Economically supported by their control of local gold mines, the citizens joined local peasants to develop a communist-like society. They announced the Millennium of Christ and declared there would be no more servants and masters. They promised people would return to a state of pristine innocence.
Taborite theology represented one of the most radical departures from that of the hierarchical medieval church. They rejected the outer veneer of the corrupted church and insisted on the normativeness of biblical authority. Even though Taborite theologians were versed in scholastic theology, they were among the first intellectuals to break free from centuries-old scholastic methods.
The Taborites were particularly zealous in their religious practices and, like other such sects, believed it was their duty to slay all heretics, i.e., non-Taborites. They supported a communist-like economy, sharing all food and valuable supplies, but maintained their private property and land rights.
Some of the most outstanding Taborite theologians were Mikulas Biskupec of Pelhrimov and Prokop Veliký (who died in the Battle of Lipany). The early radical theological ideas of Taborites were represented by Petr Kanis and Martin Huska.
Tabor's army was led by Jan Žižka, the blind Bohemian general who commanded his rag-tag army in defiance of the Imperial Army under Emperor Sigismund. Žižka gave his army a famous military code - "Žižkův vojenský řád" - a document largely inspired by the biblical book of Deuteronomy.
The power of the community was broken, after twenty years, with the Battle of Lipany on May 30, 1434. 13,000 of the 18,000-strong army were killed. In 1437 they signed a treaty with Czech king Sigismund.
Even though the Taborites ceased to play an important political role, their theological thinking strongly influenced the foundation and rise of the Unity of the Brethren (Unitas Fratrum) in 1457.
[edit] External links
- Joan of Arc's Letter to the Hussites (23 March 1430) — In 1430, Joan of Arc dictated a letter threatening to lead a crusading army against the Hussites unless they returned to "the Catholic Faith and the original Light". This link contains a translation of the letter plus notes and commentary.
- Tactics of the Hussite Wars.
- The Hussite Wars
- The Bohemian War (1420–1434)
- "The Hussite Wars (1419–36)", Stephen Turnbull, Osprey Publishing (ISBN 1-84176-665-8)
