Wrat—Louis’s reforms—Luther’s appearance—Luther and Hus—Luther’s warnings to the Utraquists—Gallus Cahera—Pas̆ek’s new intrigues—The tyranny in Prague—Louis’s vain resistance—Lev of Roz̆mital and Henry of Rosenberg—The Turkish invasion—Louis’s vain appeal—His flight and death—Battle of Mohács—Election of Ferdinand I.

XIV. Reign of Ferdinand I. 374-405 (1526-1564.) Questions at issue in Bohemia at the time of Ferdinand’s accession—Ferdinand’s mistakes—The Turkish war—Ferdinand’s reforms in Prague—Soliman’s siege of Vienna and its repulse—Final fall of Pas̆ek and Cahera—Ferdinand’s aims—The Brothers and the Anabaptists—Conrad of Krajek—The Confession of the Brotherhood—John Augusta—Luther’s relations with the Brotherhood—His defence of their Confession—Ferdinand’s attacks on the Brotherhood—Utraquist opposition to the “Compacts”—Augusta with Calvin and Luther—Luther refuses to Germanise Bohemia—Growth of Lutheran principles in Bohemia—The Bohemians and the Schmalkaldic war—The League for Bohemian Liberty—The insurrection of 1547—Consequences of its failure—Renewed persecution of the Brotherhood—The Litomys̆l Brothers—Arrest and torture of Augusta—Ferdinand’s ingenious cruelty—Expulsion of the Brothers from Bohemia—Their settlement in Poland—Removal to Prussia—Their treatment in Prussia—Ferdinand’s difficulties with the “local” claims—The “Estates of the Circles”—The Komora Dvorska and its uses—Catholics and Utraquists—New torture of Augusta—Ferdinand’s appeal to Moravia and its repulse—Augusta’s difficulties with the “Elders”—Protestant hopes from Maximilian—Power of the Jesuits—New persecution of the Brothers—Augusta’s position—The final attempt at his conversion—His verbal concession to Utraquism and its misrepresentation—His last imprisonment and final release—Death of Ferdinand. XV. From the Death of Ferdinand I. to the Beginning of the Reaction under Rudolf II. 406-424 (1564-1600.) Progress of despotism in Bohemia—Ferdinand’s great excuse—The fall of Utraquism—Character and policy of Maximilian—His special difficulties—National feeling of the Brotherhood—Blahoslav and Augusta—Lutheran desire for uniformity—Augusta’s defeat and death—The “Bohemian Confession”—The Conference of 1575—Consequences of its failure—Change of policy and death of Maximilian—Character and tendencies of Rudolf II.—Revival of Art and Science—Use of it by the Jesuits—Struggle of Jesuits with the Brothers—Difficulties of the Brotherhood—The expulsion of the Krajeks and its consequences—Jesuit successes—Resistance of Moravia—Peter Vok von Rosenberg—General character of the struggles. XVI. From the Beginning of the Reaction to the Death of Rudolf II. 425-453 (1600-1612.) Causes of Rudolf’s change of policy—The Turkish question—Growth of power of the Komora Dvorska—Rudolf’s insanity—Opposition of his family to him—The Edict of 1602—of 1604—Bocksay’s insurrection—Growing opposition to Rudolf—Karl von Z̆erotin—His training, character, and policy—Rudolf removes him from office—His relations with Illyezhazy—His championship of Matthias—Differences between Rudolf and Matthias—Lichtenstein and Berka—The Moravian rising—Christian of Anhalt—Z̆erotin’s feelings about war—Alliance between Hungary, Moravia, and Austria against Rudolf—Wenceslaus Budovĕc—His struggles for religious liberty in Bohemia—His opposition to Matthias—The Assembly of 1608—Importance and originality of Budovĕc’s demands—Rudolf’s resistance—Failure of Matthias in Bohemia and success elsewhere—Lobkovic, Martinic, and Slavata—Adam of Sternberg—Resolution of Bohemian Protestants to resort to armed resistance—Bohemia and Silesia—Rudolf’s final resistance to the Protestants—Budovĕc’s leadership—The Defenders—Peter Vok of Rosenberg—Rudolf’s final concession—The Letter of Majesty—The Archduke Leopold—The peacemakers—Concession by Rudolf to Matthias—The Passau plot; its rise, horrors, and end—Flight of Leopold—Matthias crowned at Prague—Last hopes and death of Rudolf. XVII. From the Death of Rudolf II. to the Battle of the White Hill 454-482 (1612-1620.) Matthias’s difficulties—Policy of Z̆erotin—Erasmus von Tschernembl—His differences with Z̆erotin—Z̆erotin and Khlesl—Relations of Bohemia to Moravia and Silesia—Policy of Khlesl—The Transylvanian question—Khlesl worsted by Z̆erotin—Election of Matthias as Emperor and its results—The nobles and the towns—Results of their quarrels—The provincial question again—“Hapsburgs or no Hapsburgs?”—New persecution—Ferdinand of Styria—Khlesl’s