July 30th, 1419 - The Battle of Prague

Conflict: Hussite Wars

Combatants: Catholic forces vs. Hussites

Location: Bohemia (Czech Republic)

Outcome: Hussite victory

Rebelling against the persecution of John Huss by the Catholic Holy Roman Empire, Hussite Jan Zizka formed and trained an army to confront the troops of the Emperor. After claiming the throne of Bohemia, Emperor Sigismund marched on Prague. Ziska and his Hussite troops drew Sigismund from the city and threw back the Imperial attackers. Sigismund was compelled to withdraw entirely from Bohemia.

Utok Pražanů na Malou Stranu roku 1419 by Adolf Liebscher

Points of Interest:

• Jan Zizka lost one eye while serving under King Wencesluas IV and the other at the Siege of Rabi in 1421.

• Although blind, Jan Zizka continued to command the Taborite faction of the Hussites until he contracted plague and died in 1424.

Portrait of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor by János Blaschke

Jan Žižka z Trocnova by Jan Vilímek

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sources:

Dupuy, Trevor N., Johnson, Curt, & Bongard, David L. (1992). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military Biography. New York: Castle Books (HarperCollins).

Dupuy, R. Ernest & Dupuy, Trevor N. (1993). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military History. New York: HarperCollins.

Eggenberger, David (1985). An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.