John Huss
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John Huss (or Jan Hus) (1372-1415) was a preacher in Prague who picked up on the ideas of John Wyclif (or Wycliffe) (1330-1384) and spread them in northern and eastern Europe. Born in southern Bohemia, Huss harshly criticized immorality in the clergy and preached a doctrine concerning the Eucharist that was considered to be heretical. He was excommunicated in 1411. A Council of Constance was convened under an "antipope" (not the official pope), and this Council tried Huss in 1414 and burned him at the stake, making him a martyr. His followers, known as Hussites, fought battles against the Holy Roman Empire with surprising success.