History of Bohemia
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Bohemia became a part of the Habsburg Lands (later - after 1810 - unofficially known as the Austrian Empire) in 1526 (when the young Bohemian king, Ludvik, died in the well-known Battle of Mohacs against Turks), when Bohemian Parliament voted for Ferdinand of Habsburg as the king of Bohemia. The Bohemian state and the Bohemian Crown (which included Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia) never lost their independence in juristic terms, but Habsburg kings drove centralisation, strong government, Germanification and eventually the annihilation of Bohemian political elites and Bohemian parliament.
There were 4 big Bohemian revolts against Habsburg king's centralisation:
First revolt (1546-1547) - against king Ferdinand I, who contravened the Bohemian law - in 1547 Ferdinand I destroyed the military opposition of Bohemian nobility and towns; there were persecutions and confiscations of property and two aristocrats and two burghers were executed.
Second revolt (1618-1622} - uprising of non-Catholic majority against the realignment to Catholicism of the Catholic old king Matyas II of Habsburg and his heir, the ultra-Catholic duke Ferdinand of Stiria. The king's officers were defenestrated (thrown out of the windows) and all negotiation attempts failed after Matyas II's death in March 1619. Ferdinand of Stiria was deposed by the so-called Directorium (cabinet with 30 of the leading men of country, created and voted in by Bohemian parliament in summer 1618) and parliament voted Fridrich, Elector Palatinate as king of Bohemia (his wife was Elisabeth Stuart, daughter of English king James). In November 1620, troops of Ferdinand of Stiria defeated king Fridrich of Bohemia at Bila Hora, near Prague. In 1622, Ferdinand took aver the country and overthrew Fridrich who with Elisabeth fled to exile. As king of Bohemia Ferdinand II started a reign of terror: confications, persecutions, and forced realignment to Catholicism. 27 men of the Bohemian elite (mainly members of cabinet (Directorium)) were horribly tortured and executed in 1621 at Old Town Square, Prague. In 1627, decrees were passed that meant that all non-Catholics had to convert to Catholicism or be exiled from the country.
Third revolt (1741-1742} - part of Bohemian nobility recognized Karel Albrecht of Bavaria as Bohemian king Karel III. In autumn 1742, troops of Maria Theresia of Habsburg defeated Karel III's troops. In 1743, Maria became Bohemian queen.
Fourth revolt (1914-1918) - Political movements by Bohemian exiles and the First World War led to the independence of Bohemian Kingdom and removal of the Habsburgs. Thomas G. Masaryk became a P. M. of Bohemian exile cabinet. Bohemian exile government became a member of Britain-France-Russia coalition and independent Bohemian army was formed in Serbia, France, Italy and Russia (this famous Bohemian Legion fought against Russian Bolsheviks}. In October 28, 1918, a home resistance group called 'Maffia' orchestrated a coup against the Habsburgs. In November 13, 1918, Bohemian Kingdom became a republic and integrated a new province, Slovakia to become the state of 'Czechoslovakia'.
