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What was the Defenestration of Prague?

The Defenestration of Prague is the name given to the time when Protestants threw two of the Holy Roman emperor's officials out of windows. ("Defenestration" comes from the Latin for "from the window.") The incident took place at the beginning of what came to be known as the Thirty Years' War (1618–48) in Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic). The Thirty Years' War was a struggle between the Roman Catholic Church (a Christian religion based in Rome, Italy, and headed by a pope) and Protestants (Christians who opposed the practices of the Catholic Church). In 1618 a Protestant church in Bohemia was destroyed, and angry Protestants appealed to Matthias (1557–1619), ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, to support their right to practice their religion. Matthias declined their request, and in May 1618 rioting broke out in the Bohemian city of Prague. As part of the revolt, the...

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