Jan Huss, a Czech theologian and an important predecessor to the Protestant Reformation. Jan Huss was deeply influenced by the religious writings of John Wyclif, an English bishop, and Huss was burned at the stake in 1415 for heresy against the Catholic Church. Milton claims it was early dissidents like Huss and Wyclif who “drove the papal court to a stricter policy of prohibiting,” prompting an era of pre-publication licensing, but Milton also implies that without Wyclif, an Englishman, Huss perhaps wouldn’t have been known.
Get the entire Areopagitica LitChart as a printable PDF.
Hus / Jan Huss Character Timeline in Areopagitica
The timeline below shows where the character Hus / Jan Huss appears in Areopagitica. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Areopagitica
During the time of Martin V, when Wyclif and Hus were “growing terrible,” they “drove the papal court to a stricter policy of prohibiting.” This...
(full context)
...obstinate perverseness of our prelates against the divine and admirable spirit of Wyclif,” perhaps neither Hus, Jerome, Luther nor Calvin would have been known. “The glory of reforming all our neighbors...
(full context)
