A History of Central Eastern Europe

1490), KING OF HUNGARY and ULÁSZLÓ II
JAGIEŁŁO (1456 – 1516), KING OF BOHEMIA
(and grandson of the Polish king
mentioned at the start of this paragraph)
were carried on which eventually ended
with the Peace of Olomouc (1479) which
allowed both to use the disputed
Bohemian title with ULÁSZLÓ reigning in
BOHEMIA and MÁTYÁS reigning in
MORAVIA, SILESIA, UPPER and LOWER
LUSATIA (SAXONY and BRANDENBURG).
The Hussites were followers of the
Czech priest and reformer JAN HUS (c1372 –
1415) who had been summoned to the
Council of Prelates at Constance in 1414 with guarantees of safe passage. Upon arrival he
was tried for heresy, condemned and burned at the stake in July 1415. After this unholy
act a 20‐year period of unrest ensued. Called the Hussite Wars, one major base of
operations was in MAŁOPOLSKA (LESSER POLAND) which is where the 1431 campaign led
by PUCHALA in which the ČERVENÝ KLÁŠTOR was plundered originated. They started
their campaign with raiding the Polish village of KACWIN (from the German word
Katzwinkel meaning “the corner of cats”) before crossing the Dunajec. Having robbed
the monastery, they then despoiled SPIŠSKÁ STARÁ VES and continued as far south as
LEVOČA, which fell before being repulsed. The Hussite army cavalry returned 2 years
later and inflicted an even more devastating blow against the small village.
As the fortunes of the ČERVENÝ KLÁŠTOR rose and fell, so did those of the
surrounding villages. The monks were the driving force behind much of the areas
economy. Farming was the main concern in the monastic courtyards which were walled
off from the sequestered areas. Besides the stables for livestock and a wagon house,
there was a brewery, a malt‐house and an inn on or near the grounds. In the shadow of
the majestic Trzy Korony (Three
Crowns) pictured here, the
monastery also owned a mill (in
the southwest part of the
monastery), several glass
workshops including those at
REĽOV and LECHNICA and metal
smelters on the Dunajec, perhaps
in conjunction with their studies
of alchemy. Perhaps the mountain
peaks were the inspiration for
Brother Cyprian, the monk of
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