Chained in a Castle by Roberts Liardon

Roberts Liardon tells us that the council agreed, declared him a valid pope in spirit only, and named him governor of Ancona in Italy. Benedict refused to resign.

Robert Liardon tells us that when John XXIII fled, his jailers left the keys to Hus’ cell with Sigismund. At that moment, Sigismund could have released Hus. But instead, Sigismund had Hus transferred by night, under heavy guard, to a castle in Gottlieben. There, Hus was kept in strict isolation, having his feet in bonds during the day and one of his hands chained to the castle wall at night.

Since all of ex-pope John’s men had fled, a new council of judges was assigned to the Hus case. Of course, the council was unjust. Each new member hated Hus as much as the first council; Hus realized he would receive no justice from them. Hus had to undergo the same questions over and over again, just as the first council had interrogated him.

Finally, the Czech and Polish nobles intervened on Hus’ behalf. The nobles’ appeals that only a public trial would prove if Hus was guilty or not eventually convinced the council. They promised to hear Hus at a public meeting on June 5, 1415. After five months in prison, Hus would finally be able to publicly state his case!

But when the long-desired and hard-fought-for morning of June 5 came, the council met, as usual, without Hus. They proceeded to discuss the heretical issues that Hus was accused of—all in his absence! A servant of one of the Czech nobles happened to overhear it. He ran to tell the other nobles, who immediately informed Sigismund. Sigismund sent an order that stopped the meeting, forbidding that anything be decided in Hus’ absence.

Only then was Hus—weak, filthy, and smelling rank from the dungeon dampness—brought into the dining hall of the monastery for a hearing. However, none of his friends were permitted inside; they had to stand outside, listening as Hus tried to defend himself against the shouts of the council. Whenever Hus tried to explain himself, the council ordered him to answer only yes or no. When Hus remained silent, the council claimed that the silence was an admission of guilt. Finally, the council decided there was too much anger and commotion for a useful meeting, so they adjourned until the next Friday.