8 No Way Back
From revolt to war
Whether the defenestration was pre-planned or not, the truly
revolutionary decision was still to be taken. Shortly after Martinitz and
Slavata had made their escape from under the window Thurn rode
back from the castle into the city in order to quell any alarm, and to
avoid possible disorders which might further aggravate the situation,
but nevertheless the remaining regents were still nominally in control
in Bohemia as the representatives of the royal government.^1 The next
step would be critical, but the options for the Protestant leaders were
limited. Even if the attempted assassination had been the work of a
few irresponsible hotheads most of the main figures had been present
and publicly involved, and hence were personally at risk of severe pun-
ishment. Moreover to retreat would have completely undermined the
stand against the erosion of Protestant freedoms which had been made
by calling the assembly in the first place. Consequently there seems to
have been little hesitation in proceeding to the seizure of power which
would turn a riot into a revolt.
On the following day, Thursday, the Protestant members of the coun-
cils of the three constituent towns of Prague, who had not joined the
march to the castle, split from their Catholic counterparts and declared
their support for the defensors.^2 On the Friday, says Fruewein, the assem-
bly met and agreed to Ruppa’s proposal that they should write ‘a letter
of apology’ to the emperor explaining why the defenestration had taken
place, and that meanwhile they should prepare their defences. They
went on to elect thirty directors, ten from each estate, lords, knights and
citizens, who ‘immediately took the oath, swearing with raised fingers,
a procedure which the accused [Fruewein] took partly from traditional
practice and partly devised himself”.^3
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