Three Men Out a Window — Prague, May 23, 1618

On May 23, 1618, Protestant nobles in Prague threw two royal governors and their secretary out of a high castle window. All three men survived. The fall became the opening act of the Bohemian Revolt, and that revolt helped ignite the Thirty Years' War.

This episode follows the argument that led to the window, the strange survival story that followed, and the political choice that made the incident much bigger than one violent afternoon. It also explains the religious and constitutional dispute in plain language, including what people meant by a king's promise to protect their worship.

The word defenestration simply means throwing someone out of a window. In Prague, the window was dramatic, but the lasting change came afterward: a local dispute became an open rebellion against Habsburg rule.