The Orebites (), also called Lesser Taborites and later known as Sirotci ("Orphans"; ), officially Orphans' Union (), were followers of a radical wing of the

Hussites upright=1.2, Battle between Hussites (left) and Crusades#Campaigns against heretics and schismatics, Catholic crusaders in the 15th century upright=1.2, The Lands of the Bohemian Crown during the Hussite Wars. The movement began during the Prag ...

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

. The founders took part in the procession on Mount Oreb, near Třebechovice pod Orebem and Hradec. Founded in 1423 originally under the name Lesser

Tábor Tábor (; ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 34,000 inhabitants, making it the second most populated town in the region. The town was founded by the Hussites in 1420. The historic town centre is well pres ...

, it consisted mostly of poorer burghers and some members of the

Czech nobility Czech nobility consists of the noble families from historical Czech lands, especially in their narrow sense, i.e. nobility of Bohemia proper, Moravia and Austrian Silesia – whether these families originated from those countries or moved into ...

who joined with the commander

Jan Žižka Jan Žižka z Trocnova a Kalicha (; 1360 – 11 October 1424) was a Czechs, Czech military leader and Knight who was a contemporary and follower of Jan Hus, and a prominent Radical Hussite who led the Taborites, Taborite faction during the Hu ...

. The ideological founder of the Orebites was the priest Ambrož Hradecký. Leaders included

Hynek Krušina of Lichtenburg Hynek Krušina of Lichtenburg (also: ''Henry Kruschina of Lichtenburg'', in ; 1392 – 4 March 1454, Kłodzko (, )) was a knight, Hussite commander and governor and lien holders of the County of Kladsko, the Duchy of Münsterberg and the ci ...

and Diviš Bořek of Miletínek, the captain of the Hussites in Eastern and Central Bohemia. The Orebites were instrumental in the burning of the Benedictine monastery in

Mnichovo Hradiště Mnichovo Hradiště (; ) is a town in Mladá Boleslav District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 9,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic ...

in the early summer of 1420, and in autumn, they supported the rest of the Hussites at the Battle of Vyšehrad. After Žižka's death (1424) left them "orphaned", these combatants adopted their new name. From 1424 to 1428, they were led by the priest Ambrož of Hradec and then by another priest, Prokop the Lesser. '' Hejtman''

Jan Čapek of Sány Jan Čapek of Sány (; 1390, Sány – 1452, probably in Hukvaldy) was a Czech Hussite noble, general of Władysław III of Poland. Biography He fought as a cavalry commander at the Battle of Lipany in 1434, and has been condemned for fleeing ...

was elected as their military commander (1431–1434). After 1457, most supporters belonged to the '' Bohemian Brethren church'' and played an important role in its development.

Towns joined with the Union

All towns are in Bohemia, unless otherwise noted. *

Vysoké Mýto Vysoké Mýto (; , also ''Hohenmauth'') is a town in Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 13,000 inhabitants. Its town square is the largest example of its type in the country. The historic town ...

Čáslav Čáslav (; ) is a town in Kutná Hora District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. Administrative division ...

* Kouřim *

Kolín Kolín (; ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 33,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument reservations, urban monume ...

Kutná Hora Kutná Hora (; ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,000 inhabitants. The history of Kutná Hora is linked to silver mining, which made it a rich and rapidly developing town. The centre of Kutná Hora, i ...

(in

condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership regime in which a building (or group of buildings) is divided into multiple units that are either each separately owned, or owned in common with exclusive rights of occupation by individual own ...

with the

Taborites The Taborites (, ), were a faction within the Hussite movement in the medieval Lands of the Bohemian Crown. The Taborites were sometimes referred to as the Picards, a term used for groups which were seen as extreme in their rejection of traditi ...

) *

Trutnov Trutnov (; ) is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. Administrative division Trutnov consists of 21 ...

Tachov Tachov (; ) is a town in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 14,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Mže River. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. Administrative division Tachov ...

(from 1427) *

New Town, Prague New Town () is a quarter in the city of Prague in the Czech Republic. New Town is the youngest and largest of the five independent (from the Middle Ages until 1784) towns that today comprise the historic center of modern Prague. New Town was found ...

(from 1429) * Český Brod *

Mladá Boleslav Mladá Boleslav (; ) is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 47,000 inhabitants. It lies on the left bank of the Jizera (river), Jizera River. Mladá Boleslav is the second most populated city in the region. I ...

* Boseň *

Hradec Králové Hradec Králové (; ) is a city of the Czech Republic. It has about 94,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Hradec Králové Region. The historic centre of Hradec Králové is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech R ...

* Dvůr Králové *

Bělá pod Bezdězem Bělá pod Bezdězem () is a town in Mladá Boleslav District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,800 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic) ...

* Bezděz *

Česká Lípa Česká Lípa (; ) is a town in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 37,000 inhabitants, making it the most populated Czech town without city status. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monume ...

Litomyšl Litomyšl (; ) is a town in Svitavy District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 10,000 inhabitants. It is a former bishopric and Latin Catholic titular see. Litomyšl is known for the château-type castle complex of the Lit ...

Náchod Náchod (; ) is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. It is known both as a tourist destination and centre of industry. The historic town centre with the castle complex is well preserved and i ...

Český Dub Český Dub () is a town in Liberec District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,900 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, urban mon ...

Topoľčany Topoľčany (; before 1920; ) is a town in the Nitra Region of Slovakia. The population is around 25,000 in total. The town's population is nicknamed ''Žochári'' (singl. ''Žochár'') (producers, or owners of "mosses"). The Nitra River flows t ...

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

Skalica Skalica (, , Latin: ''Sakolcium'') is the largest town in Skalica District in western Slovakia in the Záhorie region. Located near the Czech Republic, Czech border, Skalica has a population of around 15,000. Etymology The name is derived from Slo ...

in Slovakia

Aristocratic members

* Jan Roháč of Dubá * Jan Kolúch of Vesec * Čáslav Kaplíř of Sulevice * Vilém Jeník of Mečkov * Jan Hertvík of Rušinov * Wilhelm Kostka of Postupice * Jan Žampach of Potštejn * Mikuláš the Elder Trčka of Lípa * Jiří of Dubá * Jan Baštín of Porostlá * Matěj Salava of Lípa * Jan Krušina of Lichtenburk * Aleš Vřešťovský of Rýzmburk * Mikuláš of Keuschberk * Anežka of Trocnov

References

* Hussite Wars Jan Žižka {{Proto-Protestantism