The Battle of Vítkov Hill was a part of the
Hussite Wars
The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, Eur ...
. The battle pitted the forces of
Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor
Sigismund of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 – 9 December 1437) was a monarch as King of Hungary and Croatia ('' jure uxoris'') from 1387, King of Germany from 1410, King of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death i ...
, against
Hussite
The Hussites ( cs, Husité or ''Kališníci''; "Chalice People") were a Czech proto-Protestant Christian movement that followed the teachings of reformer Jan Hus, who became the best known representative of the Bohemian Reformation.
The Huss ...
forces under command of
Jan Žižka
Jan Žižka z Trocnova a Kalicha ( en, John Zizka of Trocnov and the Chalice; 1360 – 11 October 1424) was a Czech general – a contemporary and follower of Jan Hus and a Radical Hussite who led the Taborites. Žižka was a successful milit ...
(in English, John Zizka). Vítkov Hill was located on the edge of the city of
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
and the battle occurred in a vineyard established by Sigismund's father,
Charles IV. It ended with a decisive Hussite victory.
Background
On 1 March 1420
Pope Martin V
Pope Martin V ( la, Martinus V; it, Martino V; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born Otto (or Oddone) Colonna, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 November 1417 to his death in February 1431. Hi ...
published a
papal bull in which he ordered that Sigismund and all Eastern princes had to organize a
crusade
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...
against the Hussite followers of
Jan Hus
Jan Hus (; ; 1370 – 6 July 1415), sometimes anglicized as John Hus or John Huss, and referred to in historical texts as ''Iohannes Hus'' or ''Johannes Huss'', was a Czech theologian and philosopher who became a Church reformer and the insp ...
,
John Wycliffe
John Wycliffe (; also spelled Wyclif, Wickliffe, and other variants; 1328 – 31 December 1384) was an English scholastic philosopher, theologian, biblical translator, reformer, Catholic priest, and a seminary professor at the University of ...
and other heretics. On 15 March in
Wrocław
Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, r ...
, Emperor Sigismund ordered the execution of
Jan Krása, a Hussite and leader of the
Wrocław Uprising in 1418. On 17 March, the papal legate
Ferdinand de Palacios published the bull in Wrocław. Then, the
Utraquist
Utraquism (from the Latin ''sub utraque specie'', meaning "under both kinds") or Calixtinism (from chalice; Latin: ''calix'', mug, borrowed from Greek ''kalyx'', shell, husk; Czech: kališníci) was a belief amongst Hussites, a reformist Christi ...
faction of Hussites understood that they would not reach an agreement with him. They united with
Taborite Hussites and decided to defend against the emperor.
The crusaders assembled their army in
Świdnica. On 4 April, Taborite forces destroyed Catholic forces in
Mladá Vožice. On 7 April, Taborites, commanded by
Nicholas of Hus, captured Sedlice, and they later captured
Písek
Písek (; german: Pisek) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
Písek is colloquially called "''South ...
,
Rábí Castle,
Strakonice
Strakonice (; german: Strakonitz) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,000 inhabitants.
Administrative parts
Strakonice is made up of town parts of Strakonice I and Strakonice II, and villages of Dražejov ...
and
Prachatice
Prachatice (; german: Prachatitz) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation.
Administrative parts
Prac ...
. In late April, the crusading army crossed the Bohemian border. In early May, they captured
Hradec Králové
Hradec Králové (; german: Königgrätz) is a city of the Czech Republic. It has about 91,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Hradec Králové Region. The historic centre of Hradec Králové is well preserved and is protected by law as an ...
. On 7 May
Čeněk of Wartenberg surrounded
Hradčany
Hradčany (; german: Hradschin), the Castle District, is the district of the city of Prague, Czech Republic surrounding Prague Castle.
The castle is one of the biggest in the world at about in length and an average of about wide. Its histo ...
.
Battles in Benešov and near Kutná Hora
The Crusader force of 400 infantry and knights, commanded by
Peter of Sternberg, attempted to defend
Benešov from the Taborites. After the battle, the crusader forces were destroyed, and the town was burned. Near
Kutná Hora
Kutná Hora (; medieval Czech: ''Hory Kutné''; german: Kuttenberg) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. The centre of Kutná Hora, including the Sedlec Abbey and its ossuary, was design ...
, the crusader forces, commanded by
Janek z Chtěnic and
Pippo Spano (Filippo Scolari), attacked the formations of the Taborites, without success.
On 22 May, the Taborite forces entered Prague. Jan Žižka destroyed the crusaders' relief column, which had to secure supplies that were sent to
Hradčany
Hradčany (; german: Hradschin), the Castle District, is the district of the city of Prague, Czech Republic surrounding Prague Castle.
The castle is one of the biggest in the world at about in length and an average of about wide. Its histo ...
and
Vyšehrad
Vyšehrad ( Czech for "upper castle") is a historic fort in Prague, Czech Republic, just over 3 km southeast of Prague Castle, on the east bank of the Vltava River. It was probably built in the 10th century. Inside the fort are the Basil ...
. Meanwhile, the crusading army captured
Slaný,
Louny
Louny (; german: Laun) is a town in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 18,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river Ohře. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
Administrat ...
and
Mělník.
Defence of Prague
The siege began on 12 June. The crusaders' forces, in the opinions of the chroniclers, consisted of 100,000-200,000 soldiers (according to Victor Verney, a modern historian, they probably had only 80,000 soldiers).
One of the most important points in the fortifications of Prague was Vítkov Hill. The fortifications on the hill secured roads on the crusaders' supply lines and were made from timber but were consolidated with a stone-and-clay wall and
moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...
s. On the southern part of the hill was a standing tower, and the northern part was secured by a steep cliff. The fortifications were said to be defended by 26 men and three women, but in the opinion of J. Durdik, it was probably about 60 soldiers. On 13 July, the crusaders' cavalry crossed the River
Vltava
Vltava ( , ; german: Moldau ) is the longest river in the Czech Republic, running southeast along the Bohemian Forest and then north across Bohemia, through Český Krumlov, České Budějovice and Prague, and finally merging with the Labe at ...
and began their attack. The next day, Hussite relief troops surprise-attacked the knights through the vineyards on the southern side of the hill on which the battle was fought.
The attack forced the crusaders down the steep northern cliff. Panic spread among them, which resulted in their rout from the field. During the retreat, many knights drowned in the Vltava. Most of Žižka's forces were soldiers armed with flails and guns.
The battle was a clear victory for the Hussites. The crusaders lost between
400-500 knights. In honour of the battle, Vítkov Hill was renamed
Žižkov
Žižkov is a cadastral district of Prague, Czech Republic. Most of Žižkov lies in the municipal and administrative district of Prague 3, except for very small parts which are in Prague 8 and Prague 10. Prior to 1922, Žižkov was an indep ...
after Jan Žižka. As a consequence of the Hussite victory on Vítkov, the crusaders lost any hope of starving the city into submission and their army disintegrated. The
National Monument
A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure.
The term may also refer to a spe ...
still exists on the hill, and in 2003, local officials were attempting to replant the vineyard.
Sigismund and his troops then held the castles of
Vyšehrad
Vyšehrad ( Czech for "upper castle") is a historic fort in Prague, Czech Republic, just over 3 km southeast of Prague Castle, on the east bank of the Vltava River. It was probably built in the 10th century. Inside the fort are the Basil ...
and
Hradčany
Hradčany (; german: Hradschin), the Castle District, is the district of the city of Prague, Czech Republic surrounding Prague Castle.
The castle is one of the biggest in the world at about in length and an average of about wide. Its histo ...
. However, they soon capitulated, and Sigismund had to withdraw from Prague. The crusaders later withdrew to
Kutná Hora
Kutná Hora (; medieval Czech: ''Hory Kutné''; german: Kuttenberg) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. The centre of Kutná Hora, including the Sedlec Abbey and its ossuary, was design ...
and began local warfare.
References
*Piotr Marczak "Wojny Husyckie" (English, "Hussites Wars") pages 61–67 published 2003 by "Egros" Warsaw
External links
Bellum.cz – Battle of Vítkov Hill 4 July 1420
{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle of Vitkov Hill
1420 in Europe
Vitkov Hill 1420
Vitkov Hill 1420
Vitkov Hill
Battles in Bohemia
Conflicts in 1420
Jan Žižka