This 165-Pound Book Survived a War and a Fire

In 1697, a royal castle in Stockholm caught fire, and someone threw a 165-pound book out the window to save it. It landed on a guy. That book was the Codex Gigas, the Devil's Bible, and that wasn't even the wildest part of its story. In Part 2 we follow the book's 800-year journey: pawned to the monks at Sedlec (home of the bone chapel), bought back, hidden in a monastery during the wars, borrowed (permanently) by Emperor Rudolf II and his collection of unicorn horns and alchemists, carried off by the Swedish army in 1648, rescued from the Tre Kronor fire, and finally loaned back to Prague in 2007 after 359 years. Plus: is it cursed? And why did the monk draw the Devil at all? Based on the National Library of Sweden and published histories. Some details, like the injured bystander, come from old accounts. If you liked this one: What If Yellowstone Erupted Tomorrow? What If the U.S. Military Lost GPS for 24 Hours? If you liked this one, watch: What If Yellowstone Erupted Tomorrow? (Ep 10) · What If the U.S. Military Lost GPS for 24 Hours? (Ep 09) CHAPTERS (real, from the aligned voice-over) 0:00 The Castle Is on Fire 0:31 Pawned! 1:23 The Emperor Who Collected Everything 2:04 The Emperor's Fall 2:42 Taken by an Army 3:32 Out the Window 4:09 Going Home 4:44 Is It Cursed? 5:07 Why Draw the Devil? 5:33 The Real Story 5:50 Watch More Sources: National Library of Sweden (Kungliga biblioteket), 'History of the Codex Gigas'. manuscripta.se, Stockholm KB A 148: provenance Podlažice → Broumov → Rudolf II's collection (1594) → Royal Library as war booty (1649). Wikipedia, 'Codex Gigas' (provenance: Sedlec pledge, Břevnov c. 1295, Broumov, Rudolf II 1594, Swedish army 1648, 1697 fire, thrown from a window, injured bystander, 1878 move, 2007 Prague loan). Wikipedia, 'Battle of Prague (1648)': night raid through a weak wall section on 25-26 July 1648 under Königsmarck; Codex Gigas + Codex Argenteus among loot; 1652 inventory lists 472 paintings from Prague. Royal Palaces of Sweden (kungligaslotten.se), 'The Royal Palace of Stockholm: a history' (Tre Kronor fire, 7 May 1697; library and archives losses). Herald (AP), 'Devil's Bible returns for exhibit in Prague' (Sept 2007): first time in 359 years, 60 visitors an hour, 10 minutes each, '100 percent full'. History.com, 'Why the Codex Gigas Is Known as the Devil's Bible' (1697 fire, 1878 move, 2007 loan). Sedlec Ossuary (Kostnice Sedlec): bones of an estimated 40,000-70,000 people; arrangement by František Rint, 1870. T-Minus tells history's biggest countdowns, one story at a time. Subscribe so you don't miss the next one. #CodexGigas #DevilsBible #History