Battle of Vítkov Hill
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Battle of Vítkov Hill | |||||||
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Part of the First anti-Hussite crusade, Hussite Wars | |||||||
Late 19th-century depiction of the conflict by Czech artist Adolf Liebscher | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Hussite coalition | |||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Sigismund Heinrich of Isenburg † Pippo Spano Oldřich of Boskovice | Jan Žižka | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
~7,000–8,000 cavalry |
At Vitkov Hill: ~80 soldiers under Žižka[2] Reinforcements from Prague: ~50 bowmen Unknown number of infantry, including axemen and flailmen[2] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
~400–500 killed | 2–3 killed (traditionally) |
The Battle of Vítkov Hill was a part of the
Background
On 1 March 1420
The crusaders assembled their army in
Battles in Benešov and near Kutná Hora
The Crusader force of 400 infantry and knights, commanded by
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 and Vyšehrad. Meanwhile, the crusading army captured Slaný, Louny and Mělník.
Battle
The siege of Prague began on 12 June. The crusaders' forces were reported contemporaneously by chroniclers to number 100,000–200,000 soldiers, but according to modern historian Victor Verney, it was significantly fewer, probably only about 80,000 soldiers.[3] When the crusaders approached the city, they knew a direct attack on the walls would be disastrous, so they planned to encircle it. To do this, all of the fortifications around Prague would need to be destroyed or occupied. The crusaders committed most of their forces to these raids in an attempt to prevent the defenders at key points from being reinforced by the Prague garrison.
Vítkov Hill
One of the most important of these fortifications surrounding Prague was Vítkov Hill, which dominated the area east of Prague and overlooked roads needed for the crusaders' supply lines. The fortifications on the hill were made primarily from timber, with the walls reinforced with stone and clay and moats dug around the base of the hill. On the southern part of the hill was a free-standing tower made from timber, and the remaining northern flank was covered by a steep cliff. Traditionally, the fortifications were said to be defended by Žižka with only 26 men and 3 women under his command, but it was probably higher- 60 or more soldiers, according to J. Durdik- and it is unclear if Žižka was on the hill. The men on the hill were armed mostly with guns and flails. On 13 July, the crusaders' cavalry crossed the river Vltava and began their attack on the outer ring of fortifications. Vítkov Hill was attacked by a detachment of Austrian and Meissen cavalry under Heinrich of Isenburg, governor of Meissen. An hour before sunset, the horsemen advanced from the south towards the hill, but the terrain and fortifications of the hill forced them down a narrow path and prevented them from utilizing their greater numbers. The tenacity of the defenders held the attackers off for some time, but the heavily outnumbered Hussites were slowly pushed back. Shortly thereafter, reinforcements from the garrison of the New Town broke off and headed towards Vítkov Hill, outflanking the knights and attack through the vineyards on the southern slope.[4] Trapped between the counter-attack and the steep cliff on the northern slope, the crusaders quickly panicked as they were forced off the hill and began to rout. As they retreated, many knights drowned in the Vltava.
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
Sigismund and his troops then held the castles of Vyšehrad and Hradčany. However, they soon capitulated, and Sigismund had to withdraw from Prague. The crusaders later withdrew to Kutná Hora and began local warfare.
References
- ISBN 978-963-9471-25-2
- ^ a b Vavřinec z Březové (1979). Husitská kronika; Píseň o vítězství u Domažlic (in Czech). Praha: Svoboda. p. 89.
- ^ Verney, Victor (2009). Warrior of God: Jan Zizka and the Hussite Revolution. Frontline Books.
- ISBN 978-1-134-71984-6.
- Piotr Marczak "Wojny Husyckie" (English, "Hussites Wars") pages 61–67 published 2003 by "Egros" Warsaw