František Šmahel, Die Basler Kompaktaten mit den Hussiten (1436): Untersuchung und Edition. (Monumenta Germaniae Historica: Studien und Texte 65.) Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2019. Pp. xxii, 226. €45. ISBN: 978-3-4471-1179-9

František Šmahel,. (Monumenta Germaniae Historica: Studien und Texte 65.) Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2019. Pp. xxii, 226. €45. ISBN: 978-3-4471-1179-9.

The long and bitter war between the Hussites and the German imperial armies during the first third of the fifteenth century ended with peaceful settlements, expressed in the so-called Basler Kompaktaten from 1436. It had been a difficult and drawn-out struggle—for both sides, an early battle cry of what was to come in the following two centuries, with ever more bloody conflicts between the traditional (Catholic) Church and deviant groups (heretics, or simply new religious entities). The Hussites were particularly incensed about the burning of their leader, John Hus, in 1415, and once they had organized effectively, no hostile army ever had any chance against them. The Church itself had tried numerous times to settle conflicts both within the church and outside, with various proto-Protestant groups, including the Hussites, as mirrored by the synods in Pisa (1409), Constance (1414–18), and Pavia/Siena (1423–24). The final breakthrough in all those negotiations became possible during the Council of Basel (1431–37) because a military victory was no longer in sight for either party. The current book offers a detailed look at the many individual steps taken during those long-term negotiations between the Church and the Hussites.

The written records of those events are copious and highly detailed, which allows the author to discuss even minute aspects, including the many different personalities involved, the discussions, agreements, deceptions, rhetorical strategies, etc. Most important, however, is the edition of those sources: the originals and seals of the Compacts of Basel (Compactata religionis), signed in Jihlava on 5 July 1436; the original documents in the Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, MS 4488; the Old Czech translations of the Compacts; the printing of the Compacts in 1500 and 1513; and the imperial Compacts.

The religious differences between both sides were actually not major, and the Basel Council ultimately granted that the Hussite priests were allowed to administer wine during the Eucharist also to laypeople. Only on 23 December 1436 was it officially acknowledged that the communion under both decrees was not heretical.

While this monumental event has already been discussed at great length, especially by Czech historians, František Šmahel offers a very specific analysis of the various church and state organizations and institutions, their personnel, and the diverse positions assumed by individual groups or individuals. Both sides receive equal attention, so we can clearly follow the concrete events as they slowly but surely evolved. The author is entirely dedicated to the goal of outlining in a microscopic fashion who appeared and who did what during that crucial period.

Much of the historical context of the Basel Council has already been explored, and most of the available sources have been edited. To add to the currently rather vast research, this is in essence a study of the many diplomatic, theological, and philosophical efforts, debates, exchanges, conflicts, tensions, and discussions, at the end of which stood the Compacts of Basel. We could go so far as to identify Šmahel's approach as being very much in line with what Leopold von Ranke had stated about the purpose of history, wie es eigentlich gewesen ist: "Geschichte, wie sie sich zugetragen hat und belegt ist" [history as it happened and as it is documented] (2).

In light of the wealth of available documents, this obsession with details does not surprise us, but what may strike some as unusual is the way the author commonly situates himself among the historical figures and tries to convey even the atmosphere, mood, and feelings occupying the various actors in these highly complex negotiations, though this should not be viewed as a criticism.

There are some attempts to embed those elements into the larger historical context, but these are only fleeting moments. The central effort rests on the strategy to reflect as many "details" and feelings as possible, and at times it reads like a historical novel: "Endlich war der Tag gekommen, auf den man so lange gewartet hatte" [Finally, the day had arrived for which they had waited so long] (81). Or, when referring to the departure of Legate Carvajal from Prague, he comments: "[sie] ging nicht ohne Spott, Drohungen und Zwischenfälle vor sich" [[it] did not proceed without mockery, threats, and incidents] (104). This author takes us right into the middle of all those conversations and negotiations, as if he had documented everything as an eyewitness with a recorder or camera. Of course, he has the textual documents at hand to confirm the correctness of his comments, but the reader still might wonder why we would need such a microscopic perspective into people's possible emotions and thinking. Thankfully, Šmahel at times offers summaries that open up the larger vistas, but then he plunges back into the documents and dissects them as if with a scalpel. We are supposed to accept everything verbatim, but the apparatus does not provide the necessary documentation.

The author also reflects on the destiny of the historical documents and on the end of the agreements when the Compacts were canceled on 31 March 1462, which of course triggered considerable consternation, protests, and great unease, and Šmahel traces these vicissitudes in detail up to the late sixteenth century.

Most impressively, the author is fluent in Czech, German, and Latin, which makes him the ideal editor of this corpus of relevant documents. The critical study and the edition complement each other in an exemplary fashion.