The Execution of Jan HusThis fifteenth-century manuscript illustration shows men placing logs around Hus at the Council of Constance, while soldiers, officials, a priest, and a cardinal look on. Hus became an important symbol of Czech independence, and in 1990, the Czech Republic declared July 6, the date of his execution in 1415, a national holiday. (Gianni Dagli Orti/The Art Archive at Art Resource, NY)