Battle of Vitkov Hill

Battle of Vítkov Hill

Adolf Liebscher - Battle of Vítkov Hill

Date	12 June – 14 July 1420
Location	Vítkov Hill (outside Prague, Czech Republic)
Result	Decisive Hussite victory

Belligerents

Crusade

Hussites

Commanders and leaders

Sigismund

Heinrich of Isenburg †

Pippo Spano

Jan Žižka

Strength

7,000-8,000 knights

about 100

Reinforcements:
50 shooters
Unknown number of militia

Casualties and losses

100-300 killed

Unknown

Crusade

The Battle of Vítkov Hill was a part of the Hussite Wars. The battle pitted the forces of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor against Hussite forces under command of Jan Žižka (in English, John Zizka). Vítkov Hill was located on the edge of the city of Prague and the battle occurred in a vineyard established by Sigismund's father, Charles IV. The battle ended with a decisive Hussite victory.

On 1 March 1420, Pope Martin V published a papal bull in which he ordered that Sigismund and all Eastern princes had to organize a crusade against the Hussite followers of John Hus, John Wycliffe and other heretics. On 15 March in Wrocław, Emperor Sigismund ordered the execution of Jan Krása who was a Hussite and leader of the Wrocław Uprising in 1418. On 17 March the papal legate Ferdinand de Palacios published the bull in Wrocław. After that the Utraquist faction of Hussites understood that they would not reach 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 1420, Taborite forces destroyed Catholic forces in Mladá Vožice. On 7 April Taborites under command of Nicholas of Hus captured Sedlice after which they captured Písek, the castle Rábí, Strakonice, and Prachatice. At the end of April, the crusading army crossed the Bohemian border. At the beginning of May they captured Hradec Králové. On 7 May, Čeněk of Wartenberg surrounded Hradčany.

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