Defenestration of Prague

The Defenestration of Prague in 1419 was an event where Hussites, followers of religious reformer Jan Hus, stormed the New Town Hall. Enraged by perceived insults or an attack on their leader, they threw several councilors from the building's windows. This act is considered a spark that ignited the Hussite Wars, a conflict between reformers and Roman Catholic rulers that lasted until 1436.12

A more notable Defenestration of Prague occurred in 1618. Protestant nobles, angered by the closure of Protestant chapels in violation of religious liberties, threw two imperial regents and their secretary from the windows of Prague Castle. While they survived, this event marked the beginning of a Bohemian revolt against Habsburg authority and is seen as a precursor to the Thirty Years' War. The term "defenestration" itself is linked to these events in Prague.314