Defenestration of Prague
Preserved but no longer current.
A phrase used to describe an incident during the religious struggles which rent Central Europe in the 17th century. In March, 1618, the two leading Catholic members of the Bohemian National Council were thrown out of a window of the castle of Prague by the Protestant members. They landed in the moat and sustained only minor injuries.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Defenestration of Prague” mean?
A phrase used to describe an incident during the religious struggles which rent Central Europe in the 17th century. In March, 1618, the two leading Catholic members of the Bohemian National Council were thrown out of a window of the castle of Prague by the Protestant members. They landed in the moat and sustained only minor injuries.
Is “Defenestration of Prague” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.