In 1417 a bishop was kidnapped and held in a remote castle in Bohemia where he was forced to consecrate to the priesthood as many as 100 candidates. These priests belonged to the heretical movement of Hussite reformers. Though well-known amongst specialists, this unprecedented episode has never been systematically examined with a view to understanding if the coerced ordinations were lawful. Issues around legitimacy raise numerous questions and the narrative is situated at the compelling intersection of medieval heresy, theology, and canon law. The notion of kidnapping a bishop and forcing him to perform religious functions, consonant with the will of his tormentors, is arresting. More puzzling, the agents of coercion continued to value aspects of a faith they appeared to reject. They had no intention of practicing obedience to the Roman Church, its hierarchy or laws. The modern reader may be perplexed to learn that those responsible for the abduction believed a Roman prelate was necessary as an imprimatur of legitimation if their own religious practices were to survive. The episode, unique in medieval European history, presents an intellectual thriller.
Thomas A. Fudge is professor at the University of New England.
Introduction Chapter 1: Kidnapping and Coercing a Bishop Chapter 2: Medieval Ordination and its Challenges Chapter 3: Are Forced Consecrations Legitimate? Chapter 4: An Irresolvable Paradox? Appendix: Coercion and Ordination in Medieval Legal Glosses
The question posed in this volume is a very significant one. Most of the authors, including myself, were satisfied with the data of the sources that were known at the time. Surprisingly, no one appears to have considered it necessary to ask whether the forced consecration act had canonical validity. No one has paid much attention to the ordination in Lipnice. For the Hussites, consecration by any bishop was legitimate, regardless of whether the bishop in question was consecrating under compulsion or for a fee, as was the case in the second half of the 15th century. This book by Professor Thomas Fudge breaks new ground and addresses an important and overlooked aspect of medieval history. -- Frantisek Smahel, former director of the Centre for Medieval Studies, Prague A captivating episode of late medieval Bohemia became a decades-long puzzle for a modern historian. Here Thomas Fudge undertakes a sustained investigation into the actors, quandaries, and implications of the coerced ordinations performed by a kidnapped bishop. The book interweaves detailed exploration of historical source material relating to the incident and its actors, both Catholic and Hussite, with contextualizing discussions of relevant theological and canonistic questions and positions. The reader is aptly reminded and convicted of the importance of the long history of theology, canon law, and church institutions for understanding perspectives and actions at work in the fifteenth century. Fudge deftly presents a fascinating story, with more questions than answers, in a book that will teach other historians to approach complicated conundrums in our sources with patience, humility, and intellectual curiosity. -- Atria A. Larson, Saint Louis University No one has investigated the complex factors around the kidnapping of a bishop by the Hussites in 1417. The incident raises many questions previously ignored by scientific scholarship. The questions and the answers fill a lacuna in our knowledge of the most important period in Czech history. The research undertaken by Professor Fudge promises to provide a serious evaluation of this event and he does so with care and patience by looking at the relevant theological and canonical factors. -- Jiri Kejr, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
