Defeat of Adamites

Defeat of the Adamites
Part of the Hussite Wars

Downfall of Adamits by František Ženíšek
DateOctober 1421
Location
Ostrov na Hamru, near Veselí nad Lužnicí, Bohemia
Result Hussite victory
Belligerents
Hussites Adamites
Commanders and leaders
Jan Žižka Adam Rohan
Strength
Unknown Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown Up to 40 captured, most of whom were executed

The defeat of the Adamites on Ostrov na Hamru was an engagement between Hussite forces and the radical religious group known as the Adamites, which took place in October 1421.

The Adamites were a radical offshoot of the Picards within the Hussite community of Tábor. In January 1421, a group of Picards led by Martin Húska left Tábor for Příběnice. Under the leadership of the priest Petr Kániš, the group became increasingly radicalised, adopting chiliastic beliefs and reportedly engaging in sexual orgies. At the turn of March and April 1421, the Taborite community dispersed them and drove them out of Příběnice. The group subsequently established a makeshift camp in the wooded hills on the right bank of the Lužnice River.

Jan Žižka attacked them in April 1421. Many fled, but approximately fifty were captured, including Petr Kániš. They were taken to the village of Klokoty and burned at the stake.

Žižka intervened against the remaining Adamites again during a campaign against Soběslav. In 1421, Hussite forces under his command moved against the survivors, who had gathered on an island in the Nežárka River between Veselí nad Lužnicí and Stráž nad Nežárkou. From there, the Adamites launched raids into the surrounding countryside, burning, among other places, Kardašova Řečice.

The final engagement with the Hussites took place in October 1421. Although the Adamites put up a determined defence, they were defeated. Forty of them were captured and killed by the sword or fire on 21 October 1421.

Žižka reportedly had the captured Adamites burned, sparing only one man so that he could testify to the Taborite priests about the group's practices. Žižka subsequently sent the so-called Adamite Articles to Prague to inform the city's priests about their beliefs and alleged activities.

In October 2021, an event commemorating the 600th anniversary of the defeat of the Adamites was held in the municipality of Val, at Ostrov na Hamru. A memorial to the fallen Adamites was unveiled on the occasion.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Ochmanová, Klára. "Slepý Žižka nechal upálit desítky husitských radikálů. Měl k tomu jednoduchý důvod". Prima Zoom (in Czech). Prima F.T.V. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  2. ↑ "Když revoluce zabíjí své děti: Vyhlazení Adamitů na jihu Čech (1421)". Médium.cz (in Czech). 11 January 2026. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  3. ↑ "Příběh adamitů, radikální skupiny husitů, skončil u řeky Nežárky. Žižkovi bojovníci je pochytali a upálili" (in Czech). České Budějovice. 21 October 2026. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  4. ↑ Šmahel, František (1996). Husitská revoluce. 3: Kronika válečných let (in Czech) (2nd ed.). Prague: Karolinum. p. 101. ISBN 80-7184-072-6.
  5. ↑ Vavřinec z Březové (1979). Bláhová, Marie (ed.). Husitská kronika; Píseň o vítězství u Domažlic (in Czech) (2nd, revised ed.). Prague: Svoboda. pp. 262–263.
  6. ↑ "Poslední boj Adamitů na Ostrově u Hamru nad Nežárkou – 600 let" (in Czech). Veselí nad Lužnicí. Retrieved 4 November 2024.