The Iron Crown and the Fifth Estate

It was also told among the people that an iron crown had survived from Libuše's time. By her prophecy, evil days would come upon the oppressors of the people in Bohemia when the fifth estate, that is the peasantry, should rise in arms and begin to strike down its enemies. When an enormous comet appeared in December 1679 and showed itself in the sky for forty nights, and in January 1680 a second one whose tail crossed that of the first, it was at once foretold that 1680 would be an unlucky year. And by that sign the peasantry of Bohemia was indeed moved to rebellion. At that time a man of the people is said to have been secretly crowned with that iron crown, to lead the rebels to freedom and prosperity. According to the biographer of Emperor Leopold, the crown really existed and was preserved as a memento after the peasant revolt was crushed — but we do not know where.