Iny Lorentz - The Marie Series 02 (38 page)

HISTORICAL NOTES

The Hussite wars that raged from 1419 to 1434 were among the bloodiest and most horrible events of the Middle Ages, costing the lives of countless people. The Hussites had begun their rebellion for religious reasons against their Catholic king, but after their first victories, they believed they could also win independence as a nation. Their brilliant general Jan Ziska died of the plague in 1424, however, and his successors expanded the war outside of Bohemia, devastating large parts of the Roman Empire of the German Nation. They almost managed to squash Sigismund’s hopes of regaining his Bohemian crown.

But the Bohemians weren’t the only ones threatening the kaiser’s power. The regional rulers of the Reich, especially the electors, some of whom had only gained their rank and lands through Sigismund, denied him their support and demanded
far-reaching
privileges and rights for their possible military support. The kaiser’s attempts to out vote the powerful lords with the help of the lesser lords and enforce a regular tax to finance a standing army failed in the face of bitter opposition from his political adversaries. Given these circumstances, he had to give up his dream of creating a united country like England.

But just as the crown of Bohemia seemed lost forever, fate brought it back, as the Hussites split into two groups, the fundamentalist Taborites, followers of the preacher Jan von Tabor, and the moderate Calixtines, or Utraquists. The Taborites were mainly supported by the lower classes, while wealthy burghers and large numbers of the nobility took the side of the Calixtines. While the two groups initially fought side by side, the Taborites increasingly viewed the Calixtines as an obstacle to their
far-reaching
goals, especially as the military pressure of the German kaiser diminished. But the burghers and noblemen were tired of the constant state of war that had lasted more than a decade, bringing trade to a virtual standstill and for the most part making cultivation of the fields impossible.

Over time, animosity between the two groups grew, leading to a civil war at the end of which there could really be no winner, even though successful raids were still being made into the neighboring countries. Knowing they were the weaker party, the Calixtines sought the kaiser’s help. Sigismund took the outstretched hand of his subjects, who had deposed him years before, and, in order to win back his crown, wrested an agreement from Pope Martin V, whom he had instated in Constance, for establishment of an almost independent Bohemian church based on the teachings of Jan Hus. In return, the Calixtines fought on his side against the Taborites. In the beginning, the kaiser experienced several defeats, such as in August 1431, when his army fell apart and ran from the Taborites even before the battle had begun. But two months later, the united German knights and the Calixtines soundly defeated the Taborites. It still took three years, however, before the Calixtines could defeat their enemies for good at Lipany, finally securing peace.

For nearly two hundred years, Bohemia was an independent state within the German Reich. Only the attempt of its new king and future Kaiser Ferdinand II to reintroduce the Catholic faith by force put an end to this period. His interference led to the second Defenestration of Prague, resulting in the Thirty Years War.

Of all of Sigismund’s plans, only his regaining of the crown of Bohemia was successful; all others failed. Since he had no legitimate son, Albrecht of Austria, his
son-in
-law
, followed him to the throne, becoming kaiser in 1438. He died just a year and a half later, before the birth of his son Ladislaus the Posthumous, who inherited the crowns of Hungary and Bohemia. One of Albrecht’s
less-important
Habsburg relatives, Friedrich III, was elected kaiser, supposedly as a place holder for young Ladislaus. But Albrecht’s son died at the age of eighteen, while Friedrich lived a long life and reigned as kaiser for more than fifty years. His son, Kaiser Maximilian I, was called “the last knight” and became the grandfather of Karl V, under whose reign the sun never set.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Photo © 2008 Studio Berger

Iny Lorentz is the pen name for the
husband-and
-wife
writing team Iny Klocke and Elmar Wohlrath, historians whose tales of medieval action, adventure, and romance reflect their academic interests and love for each other. Together, they’ve written more than
thirty-five
books, almost all of which quickly became bestsellers and which are also available as audiobooks. The
five-book
Marie series, perhaps their most popular, has sold more than five and a half million copies in Germany alone and has been translated into fourteen languages and recorded as audiobooks. The first book in the series,
The Wandering Harlot
,
introduced the captivating and beloved character Marie, whose story has since been made into an
award-winning
German television movie called
Die Wanderhure
, starring actress Alexandra Neldel. Elmar and Iny live and write in Poing, near Munich.

ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR

Lee Chadeayne is a former classical musician, college professor, and owner of a language translation company in Massachusetts. A charter member of the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA), he’s been an active member since 1970. He presently serves as editor of the
ALTA Newsletter
and as a copyeditor for the American Arthritis Society newsletter. He is a scholar and student of both history and languages, especially Middle High German. His translated works to date focus on music, art, language, history, and general literature; notable works include
The Settlers of Catan
by Rebecca Gablé,
The Copper Sign
by Katia Fox,
Rain Girl
by Gabi Kreslehner, and the bestselling Hangman’s Daughter series by Oliver Pötzsch.