Želivský, Jan

Date of birth unknown; died Mar. 9, 1422, in Prague. Leader in the Hussite revolutionary movement in Bohemia; leader of the Prague poor; priest.

In the spring of 1420, while Emperor Sigismund I was preparing a crusade against Hussite Bohemia, Želivský succeeded in persuading the Prague burghers to join the Hussite movement. He helped to transform the capital into an impregnable fortress in the struggle against the crusaders. In 1421 he subjected a number of Czech cities to Prague’s authority and became the leader of revolutionary detachments. Želivský established a revolutionary dictatorship based upon the poor population of Prague, which existed from 1419 to 1422. Reactionary elements seized power in the city in early 1422, and Želivský was treacherously captured and executed.