Basic information
The database of Jan Hus’s works is a dynamic digital resource that brings together, for the first time, a comprehensive and continuously updated overview of texts written by, or attributed to, Jan Hus. It offers rich, detailed information on the manuscript transmission of each work, old prints and critical editions, as well as relevant secondary literature. Designed to support scholars exploring questions of authorship, textual transmission, or historical reception, the database facilitates a deeper understanding of Hus’s intellectual legacy and the broader cultural and religious context of the 15th century.
Users can search the database and thus explore the corpus of Hus’s literary legacy according to multiple criteria — including titles, incipits, authenticity, manuscript location, and scholarly references. By integrating data from diverse sources, the database contributes to a more nuanced understanding of Hus’s thought, his reception, and his enduring influence on European history. It is both a reference tool and a platform for new discoveries about one of medieval Europe’s most compelling reformers.
Each entry for a work includes the number under which it is listed in repertory BARTOŠ, František Michálek – SPUNAR, Pavel. Soupis pramenů k literární činnosti M. Jana Husa a M. Jeronýma Pražského = Catalogus fontium M. Johannis Hus et M. Hieronymi Pragensis opera exhibentium. Praha: Historický ústav ČSAV, 1965. 369 p. (BS identifier) and in the editorial plan of Magistri Iohannis Hus Opera omnia (MIHOO identifier). The database uses the title under which the work has been preserved or transmitted in the medieval manuscripts or early modern prints (Latin writings in Latin, Czech writings in Czech). In the case of letters, which do not have a title of their own, the entry bears an English title. Where it is possible to determine when the text was written, the date is provided, otherwise we indicate the range between Hus’s approximate arrival at Prague university (1st January 1390) and the time of his death (6th July 1415).
The important information for scholars is the manuscript preservation. If there is any publicly accessible digitized version of the manuscript (e.g. via manuscriptorium.com, https://www.onb.ac.at/ etc.), the link is provided. The same holds true for the literature reference (the platforms we refer to include, among others, the database Czech Medieval Sources online, [Czech] Digital Library or Deutsche digitale Bibliothek).
History of the platform
The database builds on a century-long tradition of making Hus’s literary work accessible, initiated by Václav Flajšhans, continued by František Michálek Bartoš, and most recently published as a source catalogue compiled by Pavel Spunar based on Bartoš’s research. The present database builds on Spunar’s work (each text is linked to it by the BS identifier). Spunar’s repertory was published in 1965, and since then, numerous details have been refined or revised, including new manuscript finds. Since 2005, a group editing Hus’s literary legacy established at the Department of Classical Studies of Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University took up the task of regularly updating this repertory.
The updates address both the manuscript transmission of works (such as verifying foliation and pagination) and the incorporation of modern editions and scholarly literature. This ongoing effort involves systematic review of historical and newly published manuscript catalogues, monitoring international research on bohemica, and collaborating with libraries and institutions that hold medieval manuscript collections. It also includes tracking journal articles, reviews, and digital outputs published in the Czech Republic and abroad. Built in rigorous data collection, the database supports the critical edition of Hus’s texts within Magistri Iohannis Hus Opera omnia and serves as an indispensable and dynamic resource for scholars exploring medieval manuscript culture, literature, intellectual history, theology, and the broader history of ideas.
The initial phase focused on transferring data from Spunar’s repertory into Excel spreadsheets, during which the existing entries were verified and supplemented with new information. The subsequent stage involved developing a new interface designed to offer advanced functionalities, including combined search options. The database content was made publicly available on the website Magistri Iohannis Hus Opera omnia (2020). Since 2024, work has been underway to integrate the original database solution into the faculty research infrastructure Digitalia MUNI ARTS, which follows the principles of maximum openness of research outputs (open science, open access, open data) and adheres to the FAIR principles for proper storage, preservation, and dissemination of scientific data. Digitalia MUNI ARTS has also provided a new, more user-friendly version of the database and user interface as well.
Authors
Helena Krmíčková – initiator of the entire project, author of the database content.
Petra Mutlová – author of the database content, data updates and verification.
Zuzana Čermáková Lukšová – contributed to the first online version of the database, database administration.
Pavel Ševčík – cooordinated the new design of the database and the data architecture, contributed to data verification and the administration of the final database.
The database was also developed with contributions from students of the Department of Classical Studies and of the Department of Auxiliary Historical Sciences and Archive Studies of Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University.
Acknowledgments
The database was developed in the course of several projects run by the editorial team at the Department of Classical Studies of FF MU:
- GA13-21620S Magistri Iohannis Hus Opera omnia. Editing project as a part of commemorating Hus's anniversary in 2015;
- GA17-15433S Jan Hus and Hussite Literature for the 21st Century;
- MSM0021622426 Centre for Studies in Central European History: Sources, Countries, Culture.
The current version of the database and its present design were realized thanks to funding provided by the EXPRO grant awarded by the Czech Science Agency:
- GX20-08389X Observance Reconsidered: The Uses and Abuses of the Reform (Individuals, Institutions, Society).