Unity of Brethren

(Unitas Fratrum), a religious sect that arose in Bohemia and Moravia in the mid-15th century after the defeat of the Taborites and formed itself into a church organization independent of papal Rome.

The first communities of the Unity of Brethren were established in 1457 in Kunvald in Bohemia by the followers of P. Chelčický. The sect was originally composed primarily of people from the peasant and artisan classes. It preached poverty, rejection of worldly concerns, humility, and passive resistance to evil. Later, the community accepted prosperous city dwellers and even members of the knightly and noble classes. In the late 15th century, the sect concentrated on education, and it founded schools and printing shops. From this milieu came many scholars, including Jan Blahoslav and J. A. Comenius. The sect was persecuted by the authorities; after the defeat of the Czech uprising of 1618–20, the community was broken up and was banished from Bohemia and Moravia. In the 18th century, successors to the Unity of Brethren founded the Herrnhut communal movement in Germany, the Baltic region, and North America.