Jihlava Assembly

The story takes place during the summer of 1436 in Jihlava, during the so-called Jihlava Diet. It mainly follows the moment of the solemn sealing and promulgation of the Basel Compacts - a key agreement between the Hussites and the Catholic Church. The centre is a dramatic scene on Masaryk Square (formerly the Market Square), where Jan Rokycana publicly reads the compromise text. A significant scene follows in the Church of St. James the Greater, where the compact is read in Czech. The narrative highlights the complex political and religious background, the ambitions of Sigismund of Luxembourg and the courage of Hussite representatives such as Jan Rokycana and Prokop Holý. The epilogue reminds us that the treaty was not confirmed by the Pope but represented a hope for reconciliation and an end to the Hussite wars.

The place of the plot

• Masaryk Square in Jihlava (formerly the Rynek): the main place where the compact was announced on 5 July 1436
• The Church of St. James the Greater: site of the solemn service and the reading of the compact in Czech
• Dominican (Minorite) Monastery and Town Hall: the background to the meeting, the history of the proceedings of the Diet in June-August 1436 is drawn

Characters

• Jan Rokycana: chief priestly representative of the Hussites, reads the compact in Latin from the balcony of the town hall/city hall; the next day in Czech during the service
• Prokop Holý and Vilém Kostka of Postupice: Hussite negotiators - brought results from Basel, participants in negotiations
• Sigismund of Luxembourg (King of Bohemia): confirms Rokycana as Archbishop and ceremonially confirms the compromise; participates and watches the announcement
• Legates of the Council of Basel (Filibert, John of Palomar, etc.): give canonical weight to the compact; seal the document and give ceremonial support
• Bishop of Olomouc, Paul of Miličín, and the Moravian Margrave Albrecht II. Habsburgs: confirm the document with their seals

History and cultural context

• The Council of Basel (1433-1436) addressed the four articles of Prague: the reception of communion, free preaching, the punishment of sins and the secular status of priests
• The Compacts were negotiated in Basel and clarified through a series of negotiations (Cheb 1432, Brno 1435) only in Jihlava during the Council of 5 June to 20 August 1436
  1. On July 1436 they were solemnly proclaimed in the Jihlava square, the text was read by Jan Rokycana; the following day they were also read in Czech in St. James
• The Compacts formally allowed communion under both for Utraquist Christians if they accepted the teachings of the Catholic Church; it was a historical compromise, but without papal confirmation
• Further negotiations followed (provincial council, coronation of Sigismund on 20 August 1436 in St. James); final peace did not occur until 1441
• Jihlava was at that time an important Catholic centre with a rich mining tradition, which had a particular social impact on a major event of confessional significance

This concept offers a dramatic framework - the diplomatic negotiations, the tensions in the city, the division of the two confessions and the hope for reconciliation. The visual scenes in the square and in the temple, the moment of growing anticipation and conflicting gazes can be used for a powerful cinematic (or documentary) experience.