The page of Chelčický, Petr, English biography
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Biography
Petr Chelcický (c. 1390 – c. 1460) was a Christian and political leader and author in 15th century Bohemia (now the Czech Republic) from about 1420-60.Petr Chelcický is thought to have been born in southern Bohemia in about 1390, although one theory puts his birth as early as 1374.[2] Very little is known about his personal history. Different historians have called him a serf, an independent farmer, a squire, a nobleman, a cobbler, a priest, and a Waldensian.[3] On one occasion, Chelcický called himself a peasant, but this description is at odds with his ability to live in Prague from 1419-1421, his rudimentary knowledge of Latin, and the time he was able to devote to literary, political, and religious pursuits. It is certain that he was unusually literate for a medieval man without a regular academic education. After 1421 he lived and farmed in his native village of Chelcice, near Vodnany. He produced 56 known works, but the majority remain unpublished and inaccessible except in the original manuscripts.[4] His thinking was influenced by Thomas of Štítný, John Wycliffe, Jan Hus, and the Waldensian tradition.[5] He died around 1460.
