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It sounds like a joke—defenestration—but in Prague, throwing people out of windows has sparked revolutions, ignited wars, and changed the course of history. From religious uprisings to Cold War intrigue, this is the chilling story of how a city's windows became stages for power, protest, and betrayal.
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Further Reading:
Bartoš, F.M., Spinka, M. "Jan Hus." Encyclopedia Britannica, July 2, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jan-Hus.
McDonough, M. "Defenestration: Prague’s History of Literally Throwing Authority Out the Window." Encyclopedia Britannica, June 13, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/story/defenestration-pragues-history-of-literally-throwing-authority-out-the-window.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Defenestration of Prague." Encyclopedia Britannica, May 16, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/event/Defenestration-of-Prague-1618.
David R. Stevenson. “Jan Hus.” EBSCO.com. 2022. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/biography/jan-hus
“Jan Hus.” Reformation500.csl.edu. https://reformation500.csl.edu/jan-hus/
McElvanney, Katie. “When moderation went out of the window: the First Defenestration of Prague.” The British Library. July 30, 2019. https://blogs.bl.uk/european/2019/07/the-first-defenestration-of-prague.html
Eckel, Mike, Sana Katharina Vaskova and Stuart Greer. “ A Czech Cold War Cold Case is now a Murder Investigation.” Radio Free Europe. February 10, 2025. https://www.rferl.org/a/czech-murder-czechoslovakia-masaryk-cold-war/33306970.html
“Why throwing politicians out of windows was used to solve European conflicts 500 years ago.” HistorySkills.com. https://www.historyskills.com/classroom/year-8/defenestrations-of-prague/?srsltid=AfmBOopTDbAlBVXMAp4zpxCOvh7c6UtiFWPnLbFHkc5d6Y_dsShcbkZo
Keleher, Edward P. | Jr. and William S. Brockington. “Defenstration of Prague.” EBSCO.com. 2022. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/defenestration-prague
Helfferich, Tryntje, ed. The Thirty Years War: A Documented History. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company Inc., 2009.
Wilson, Peter H. The Thirty Years War: Europe’s Tragedy. Cambridge Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. 2009.
Credit:
Simple History Creator: Daniel Turner (B.A. (Hons) in History, University College London)
Video Directors: Lav Velimirovic, Ognjen Jovic
Script Review: Peter Turner
Narrator: Chris Kane (https://vocalforge.com)
Artists: Fiona Phan, Selma Belegic
Animators: Nancy Bhalla, Krishna, Guillermo G. Caasi. Jr, Ravina Bheda, Rommel Ponferrada
Editor: Artem Dobrohodov, James Dowse
Thumbnails: Fiona Phan
Senior Production Manager: Umar Ijaz
Simple History Channel Manager: James Dowse