ed Hungary and the German states.

The "Compacts."

The impossibility of conquering Bohemia had now become obvious, and it
was resolved that a council should meet at Basel (q.v.) to examine the
demands of the Hussites. The Germans, however, influenced by Sigismund,
determined to make a last attempt to subdue Bohemia by armed force. The
Bohemians, as usual united in the moment of peril, defeated the Germans
at Domazlice (Taus) on the 1st of August 1431, after a very short fight.
In the course of the same year negotiations began at Basel, the Hussites
being represented by a numerous embassy under the leadership of Prokop
the Great. The negotiations proceeded very slowly, and in 1433 the
Bohemians returned to their own country, accompanied, however, by envoys
of the council. Dissensions had meanwhile again broken out in Bohemia,
and they were now of a political rather than a religious nature. The
more aristocratic Hussites raised an armed force which was known as "the
army of the nobles." The Taborites also collected their men, who formed
"the army of the towns." The two armies met at Lipan, near Kolin, on the
30th of May 1434. The Taborites were defeated, and the two Prokops and
most of their other leaders perished on the battlefield. The victory of
the moderate party paved the way to a reconciliation with Sigismund and
the Church of Rome. The Bohemians recognized Sigismund as their
sovereign, but obtained considerable concessions with regard to
religious matters. These concessions, which were formulated in the
so-called Compacts, granted to the Bohemians the right of communion in
both kinds, and of preaching the gospel freely, and also to a certain
extent limited the power of the clergy to acquire worldly goods.

After the Compacts had been formally recognized at Iglau in Moravia,
Sigismund proceeded to Prague and was accepted as king. He died in the
following year (1437) and was succeeded by his son-in-law, Albert of
Austria, whom the estates chose as their king. Albert died after he had
reigned over Bohemia less than two years. Though it was known that
Albert's widow Elizabeth would shortly give birth to a child, the
question as to the succession to the throne again arose; for it was
only in 1627 that the question whether the Bohemian crown was elective
or hereditary was decided for ever. The nobles formed two parties, one
of which, the national one, had George of Podebrad (q.v.) as its leader.
Ulrich of Rosenber