How the Thirty Years´ War Began in Prague

The Thirty Years' War was the deadliest conflict the world had ever known in the 17th century. The war shook Europe, and it all began in Europe's heart: Prague.

Some call it the Bohemian rebellion. In May 1618, two governors and one secretary fell out of the window of their office. They survived, although the rebels meant to kill them. The rebellion was unplanned and poorly prepared, their troops were underpaid, and they failed to inform their allies of their actions.

It was a farce, but it sometimes happens in history that even farces have terrible consequences. In 1618, the cauldron of Europe was already boiling over—the Thirty Years´ War was emerging from it. As a result, the Czech kingdom would suffer immensely.

The Thirty Years´ War: First Blood

The office of Prague governors is full of angry men. They cannot cram into the office. Some stand in the door, some behind it. Some men cannot even see what is going on inside. The two governors and their secretary are trying to hide their fear. A few minutes before, they were sure nobody would dare to harm them. Now, they see angry faces and have lost their certainty. The fact that the rebels dared to storm the office with swords in their hands should have warned them. But how do you deal with wild animals? Don’t let them see your fear…

The article was originally published in The Collector. You can read it here: