PODEBRAD, GEORGE OF king of Bo hemia, was the son of Victoria of Kunstat and Podebrad, a Bo hemian nobleman, who was one of the leaders of the "Orphans" or modern Taborites during the Hussite wars. George became early prominent as leader of the National, or Calixtine party in Bohemia, becoming its chief at the death of Ptacek of Pirkstein. In 1448, during the minority of Ladislas Posthumus, having raised a force of 9,00o men in north-east Bohemia, where the National cause was strongest and where his own ancestral castle was situ ated, he marched on Prague and took it, afterwards defeating the Romanist or Austrian party led by Ulrich von Rosenberg. In 1451 the emperor Frederick III., Ladislas' guardian, entrusted Podebrad with the administration of Bohemia. In the same year a diet assembled at Prague also conferred on Podebrad the re gency. The struggle of the Bohemians against Rome continued uninterruptedly, and Podebrad's position became very difficult when Ladislas, who was crowned in expressed his sym pathies for the Roman Church, though recognizing the compacts and ancient privileges of Bohemia. In 1457 King Ladislas died suddenly. Public opinion from an early period accused Podebrad of having poisoned him ; but the suggestion is undoubtedly a calumny. On Feb. 27, 1458, the estates of Bohemia unanimously chose Podebrad as king, even the adherents of the Austrian party voting for him. A year later, Pius II. (Aeneas Sylvius) became pope, and his incessant hostility proved a serious obstacle to Podebrad's rule.
Though refusing to let the compacts be abolished, as Pius de manded, Podebrad placated him by punishing the most advanced enemies of the papacy, including the newly-founded community of the Bohemian brethren; but his endeavours to establish peace with Rome proved ineffectual, although the death of Pius II.
prevented him from carrying out his planned crusade against Bohemia. Despite the prosperity enjoyed by Bohemia under Podebrad's rule, the malcontent nobles of the Romanist party, meeting on Nov. 28, 1465, at Zelena Hora, formed a confederacy against hi-n which was supported by the Roman see. On Dec. 23, 1466, Paul II., the successor of Pius II., excommunicated Podebrad and pronouncx1 his deposition as king of Bohemia, forbidding all Romanists to continue in his allegiance. The emperor Frederick III., and King Matthias of Hungary, Podebrad's former ally, joined the insurgents. Matthias conquered a large part of Moravia, and was crowned king of Bohemia at Briinn on May 3, 1469. On March 22, 1471, Podebrad's death ended the war. He was the only native king of Bohemia, and the only one not a Roman Catholic.