The 1618 Defenestration of Prague

Sometimes history turns on the most unexpected moments. In 1618, a group of Protestant nobles stormed Prague Castle and hurled three Catholic imperial officials from a seventy-foot window. Against all odds, the men survived—thanks, perhaps, to the castle moat below. Catholics credited divine intervention. Their enemies had a far less heavenly explanation.

What became known as the Second Defenestration of Prague is remembered today for its absurdity, but its consequences were anything but amusing. The incident ignited the Thirty Years' War, a conflict that devastated Central Europe, claimed millions of lives, and reshaped the political map of the continent. Its conclusion, the Peace of Westphalia, established principles of state sovereignty that continue to influence international relations today.

In this episode of History Shorts, we explore how one act of political theater changed the course of European—and world—history.

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