this year--1619. Thurn occupied Moravia, which now threw in its
lot with Bohemia, and he even advanced on Vienna, but was soon obliged
to retreat. In the following year events took a fatal turn for Bohemia.
The powerful duke Maximilian of Bavaria joined his forces to those of
Ferdinand, who had become Matthias's successor as emperor, and who was
determined to reconquer Bohemia. Ferdinand also received aid from Spain,
Poland and several Italian states. Even the Lutheran elector of Saxony
espoused his cause. A large imperialist army, under the command of the
duke of Bavaria, Tilly and Bouquoi, entered Bohemia in September 1620.
After several skirmishes, in all of which the Bohemians were defeated,
the imperial forces arrived at the outskirts of Prague on the evening of
the 7th of November. On the following morning they attacked the Bohemian
army, which occupied a slightly fortified position on the plateau known
as the "Bila Hora" (White Hill). The Bohemians were defeated after a
struggle of only a few hours, and on the evening of battle the
imperialists already occupied the port of Prague, situated on the left
bank of the Vltava (Moldau). King Frederick, who had lost all courage,
hurriedly left Prague on the following morning.

Submission of Bohemia.

Bohemia itself, as well as the lands of the Bohemian crown, now
submitted to Ferdinand almost without resistance. The battle of the
White Hill marks an epoch in the history of Bohemia. The execution of
the principal leaders of the national movement (June 21, 1621) was
followed by a system of wholesale confiscation of the lands of all who
had in any way participated in the national movement. Almost the entire
ancient nobility of Bohemia was driven into exile, and adventurers from
all countries, mostly men who had served in the imperial army, shared
the spoils. Gradually all those who refused to recognize the creed of
the Roman church were expelled from Bohemia, and by the use of terrible
cruelty Catholicism was entirely re-established in the country. In 1627
Ferdinand published a decree, which formally suppressed the ancient free
constitution of Bohemia, though a semblance of representative government
was left to the country. The new constitution proclaimed the heredity of
the Bohemian crown in the house of Habsburg. It added a new "estate,"
that of the clergy, to the three already existing. This estate, which
was to take precedence of all the others, consisted of the Ro