Chapter XIV: Reign of Ferdinand I. 374-405

(1526-1564.)

Questions at issue in Bohemia at the time of Ferdinand’s
accession--Ferdinand’s mistakes--The Turkish war--Ferdinand’s
reforms in Prague--Soliman’s siege of Vienna
and its repulse--Final fall of Pas̆ek and Cahera--Ferdinand’s
aims--The Brothers and the Anabaptists--Conrad
of Krajek--The Confession of the Brotherhood--John
Augusta--Luther’s relations with the Brotherhood--His
defence of their Confession--Ferdinand’s attacks on the
Brotherhood--Utraquist opposition to the “Compacts”--Augusta
with Calvin and Luther--Luther refuses to
Germanise Bohemia--Growth of Lutheran principles in
Bohemia--The Bohemians and the Schmalkaldic war--The
League for Bohemian Liberty--The insurrection of 1547--Consequences
of its failure--Renewed persecution of the
Brotherhood--The Litomys̆l Brothers--Arrest and torture
of Augusta--Ferdinand’s ingenious cruelty--Expulsion of
the Brothers from Bohemia--Their settlement in Poland--Removal
to Prussia--Their treatment in Prussia--Ferdinand’s
difficulties with the “local” claims--The “Estates
of the Circles”--The Komora Dvorska and its uses--Catholics
and Utraquists--New torture of Augusta--Ferdinand’s
appeal to Moravia and its repulse--Augusta’s
difficulties with the “Elders”--Protestant hopes from
Maximilian--Power of the Jesuits--New persecution of
the Brothers--Augusta’s position--The final attempt at his
conversion--His verbal concession to Utraquism and its
misrepresentation--His last imprisonment and final release--Death
of Ferdinand.

XV.

FROM THE DEATH OF FERDINAND I. TO THE BEGINNING OF THE
REACTION UNDER RUDOLF II. 406-424

(1564-1600.)

Progress of despotism in Bohemia--Ferdinand’s great
excuse--The fall of Utraquism--Character and policy of
Maximilian--His special difficulties--National feeling of
the Brotherhood--Blahoslav and Augusta--Lutheran desire
for uniformity--Augusta’s defeat and death--The
“Bohemian Confession”--The Conference of 1575--Consequences
of its failure--Change of policy and death
of Maximilian--Character and tendencies of Rudolf II.--Revival
of Art and Science--Use of it by the Jesuits--Struggle
of Jesuits with the Brothers--Difficulties of the
Brotherhood--The expulsion of the Krajeks and its consequences--Jesuit
successes--Resistance of Moravia--Peter
Vok von Rosenberg--General character of the struggles.