Decree of Kutná Hora

With the Kutna Hora Decree ( Decree tschech. Kutnohorský, after the city of Kutna Hora ) of 18 January 1409, the Czech King Wenceslas IV changed, who had been deposed as King of the Romans years earlier, the number of votes in the bodies of Charles University in Prague. Had since the founding of the Nationes Bohemia, Bavaria, Saxony, Poland has one vote, so now got the Bohemia allotted 3 votes, while the other only along a given.

In his decree, he argues that ( so far) " may exercise the German National who has no civil rights in the Bohemian Kingdom, in various affairs of the university teaching in Prague three voices ..." and " ... that the people of the Bohemian Kingdom legal heritage, can look forward to the exercise of a voice ... ". He then commands to award the Bohemians as indigenous peoples group three votes, as is usual in other national universities in Paris or Lombardy, and the foreigners ( Germans) just one. So a reversal of the previous situation. Thus, the influence of foreigners should be limited. Václav IV wanted to secure the support of the university itself as to possible regain the Emperor shaft by Rupprecht of the Palatinate at the Council of Pisa. At this decree, the Bohemian reformer Jerome of Prague was also heavily involved.

Another reason for the constitution of the decree was the reform movement in Bohemia. The debate about the teaching of John Wyclif separated the scholars of the university. 1403 approved the request of the reformers to spread the teachings of Wyclif at the University of the foreign, mainly German professors. They were condemned as heretical. The reformers did afflict the king of Bohemia, to 1409 he performed the change.

As a result, leaving many foreign scholars (80 % of the academic staff) and students, especially German, the University. Many of them went to Leipzig, where they established the university there. Thus, the Charles University lost its previous importance in Europe. Jan Hus was shortly afterwards rector of the university, replacing John Hoffmann of Schweidnitz.