Against the Odds #59

Blind Faith: The Hussite Wars 1419-1434

In A.D. 1415, at the Council of Constance, Jan Hus and Jerome of Prague, two church reformers from Bohemia, were burnt at the stake for heresy. In the years that followed, outrage over the execution convulsed civil society in Bohemia, a fief of the Holy Roman Empire. Now, with Bohemia in rebellion as well as consumed by heresy, the Emperor Sigismund must wage war to both extirpate the heresy and secure his throne.

The Hussite player's forces are largely Bohemians (i.e. Czech) and others, who, inspired by the teachings of Jan Hus, supported the taking of Communion with both bread and wine, along with other reforms of the Roman Catholic Church. The Hussites are in turn divided into two to three factions: the Calixtenes (Moderates), the Taborites (Radicals), and a later splinter group called Orphans. Moderates preferred to reform the church, while radicals wanted more comprehensive reforms, not only of the church, but of the state and society. Some even rejected church and monarchy. The Imperial player controls those forces under the Emperor and King, Sigismund of Luxembourg. (Note: Sigismund was still only King of the Romans in 1420. Although he was not crowned emperor by the Pope until 1433, he was still the ruler of Germany, in a nominal sense anyway.) They support the execution of Hus and oppose the taking of Communion with both bread and wine. Royal Crusaders, including both the Catholic minority in Bohemia and the Kingdom of Hungary are also under the direct control of the Imperial player. Papal Crusaders from the Holy Roman Empire (i.e. Germany) are under the indirect control of the Imperial player.

This bitter and sustained struggle devastated large parts of the empire in a manner not seen again until another religious conflict, the Thirty Years War, took place in roughly the same regions. The Imperial player must destroy the heretics and retake Bohemia before the Pope is forced to make concessions in another church council. The Hussite player, led by the devout, blind and gifted military leader, Jan Zizka, must prevent this and try to begin a Reformation in Europe one hundred years early.

Designed by Jason Juneau, Blind Faith depicts a classic example of asymmetric warfare, granting both players many options in waging war. The resources and position of the Imperial side are pitted against the skill and morale of the Hussite side. Storming and besieging towns become part of players' strategies for loot and victory. This war was part of a larger sea change in warfare in Europe. Knights and peasants, artillery and threshing flails, clergy and laymen were thrown together in a war the signaled the demise of the feudal system and the universal church.

—description from the publisher

Games