Jan Hus (ca. 1369-1415), a 15th century religious reformer, was (along with John Wycliffe) one of the most important forerunners of the 16th century Reformation.

Contributed by Paul R. Waibel, Associate Professor of History, Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia

Name variations: John Huss. Pronunciation: Hus, rhymes with bus. Born sometime between 1369 and 1375, in the village of Husinec in southern Bohemia, modern Czech Republic; convicted of heresy and burned at the stake on July 6, 1415; little is known of his family background or youth.

Among the many, no doubt apocryphal, stories of Jan Hus's life is one that relates an incident in his youth, which foreshadowed his fate as a Christian martyr. According to the account, the youthful Hus was sitting beside a fire one winter evening reading about the martyrdom of St. Lawrence. Suddenly, he thrust his hand into the flames. When a fellow pupil pulled him away from the...