Why did Hussite reformers demand Communion in both bread and wine for laypeople?

The demand for laypeople to receive Holy Communion in both bread and wine—a practice known as "communion in both kinds" or sub utraque specie—was a central tenet of the Hussite reform movement.123

This demand was rooted in the reformers' desire to restore the practices of the "primitive church" and the example of Christ and the apostles. By insisting on the restoration of the chalice for the laity, the Hussites sought to challenge the established ecclesiastical hierarchy, which had restricted the wine to the clergy.123

This practice became so fundamental to their identity that the followers of Jan Hus adopted the chalice as their symbol, emblazoning it on their banners. The doctrine supporting this practice was called Utraquism (from the Latin utraque, meaning "each of two"), and those who advocated for it were known as Utraquists. This requirement was later formalized as one of the Four Articles of Prague, which served as a foundational document for the Hussite movement's negotiations with the church and the state.213