Taborites

The Taborites (Czech: Táborité, Czech: singular Táborita), were a faction within the Hussite movement in the medieval Lands of the Bohemian Crown. The Taborites were sometimes referred to as the Picards, a term used for groups which were seen as extreme in their rejection of traditional Catholic practices and societal norms, for example advocation for communal living. Although most of the Taborites were of rural origin, they played a major role in the town of Tábor. Taborite politics were also encroached upon by their priests. The most important Taborites included the governors Jan Žižka of Trocnov, Mikuláš of Hus, Bohuslav of Švamberk, Chval Řepický of Machovice, and Jan Roháč of Dubá, and the priest Prokop Holý. The main centre of their association was Tábor. The Taborites were centered in the Bohemian town of Tábor during the Hussite Wars in the 15th century. The religious reform movement in Bohemia splintered into various religious sects. Besides the Taborites, these included the Adamites, the Orebites, the Sirotci ("Orphans"), the Utraquists and the Praguers. Because the impetus for these movements came from the burning of Jan Hus, it has become common practice to label them all "Hussites". The Taborites' theology represented a departure from that of the medieval Catholic Church. They insisted on the normativeness of biblical authority. Even though Taborite theologians were versed in scholastic theology, they rejected scholastic methods.