The Hussites and the Council

Abstract

At the Council of Basel, the fathers chose to host and listen to condemned Bohemian heretics, allowing them to present their viewpoints in open debate. Why did they make that choice? On the morning of 8 November 1430 a document was discovered fastened to the gates of the papal palace in Rome. This anonymous paper underscored the papal duty to defend the faith and, in view of this obligation, argued for the eradication of Hussite heresy. Pope Martin v was urged to convene a general council to deal with this immediate threat to the faith. This initiative was prompted by brilliant military campaigns, defeating papally-sponsored crusades, which by 1430 had brought renewed international attention to the Hussites.