When in July 1419, Czech Hussites threw Catholic members of the Prague city council out of the window of a town hall, very few expected 17 years of bloody religious war would follow. These so-called Hussite wars brought forth several Czech national heroes. Among them was Jan Zizka, a great general and strategist. He withstood several crusades sent against him by King Sigismund of Hungary.

Against all odds and always heavily outnumbered, Zizka used modern tactics such as armoured battle wagons to take on much larger armies. Early on during the war, he was fully blinded, yet he commanded his forces for four more years, with incredible success.

Consider supporting HoH:
►Patreon:   / houseofhistory  
►Become a channel member:
   / @hoh  
►Leave a tip: https://www.paypal.me/HouseofHistory

►Webshop: https://houseofhistory.co/shop/
Use code "HISTORYBONUS5" for a 5% subscriber discount!

Check out House of History: the Podcast
►iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/ho...
►Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/71f9cyl...

Socials:
►Check out my blog: https://www.houseofhistory.co
►My Twitter:   / oscar_hoh  

My videos tend to get arbitrarily demonetized. That is why I decided to open up a Patreon where people can support the channel. If you decide to pledge as little as 1$/month you will gain access to a monthly series exclusive to my Patrons!

Chapters:
0:00 Introduction

Watch my documentary series:

►History of Prussia playlist:    • History of Prussia  

►End of Empire - Downfall of the Qing Dynasty playlist:    • End of Empire - China's Last Emperor  

►World War 2 playlist:    • World War 2  

►Hitler's Spies playlist:    • Hitler's Spies  

The content of this video covers events, people or concepts via a lecture-style presentation that is educational and historical in nature. Every video is original content by House of History. The events relating to conflict in this video are portrayed in their historical context without either value judgment or an ideological message attached to it. There is no intent to shock, upset or disgust. The goal of my channel is to make interesting lecture-style videos, no more, no less.

Thank you for taking the time to check out House of History, I hope you will find the films informative, interesting and enjoyable!

Around this time is when Zizka rose to prominence in the incredibly complicated political area of Bohemia. There were several split-offs from the Hussites. Zizka joined the so-called Taborites named after the biblical mount Tabor. They were an apocalyptical branch who throughout the war would often be at odds with the moderate Ultraquists.

After the defenestration, royal forces did everything they could to fortify Prague, increase garrisons, root out and execute Hussites and barricade entrances. Still, Zizka saw an opening and countering an ambush, with a bunch of followers, he captured the royal castle Vysherad and ransacked it. The fighting now spread through Prague, with eventually just two castles under royalist control. Things got heated to the degree both parties negotiated peace, and Sigismund guaranteed Hussite worship if the Taborites retreated and returned the castle. They did so, albeit against Zizka’s wishes.

But another significant event happened that month. Zizka, together with twelve wagons, a cannon and a group of loyal rebels, made their way to Tabor. What followed was one of the most spectacular and essential victories for strategic warfare as a whole. At the village of Sudomer, Zizka’s troops were ambushed by royal forces, outnumbering them 5-to-1. Making clever use of the wagons, something that pioneers in the New World would later use, they inflicted heavy losses on the royalists. Then, under the guise of fog, Zizka’s troops managed to leave before any counteroffensive could be organised, leaving behind a heavily battered royalist force. It ensured radical Hussites could remain in Tabor and elevated Zizka to one of the rebellion leaders.

If you have any feedback, questions or criticism feel free to leave a comment. Your opinion truly aids me in improving the content of the channel! If you have a question, feel free to leave a comment and I will either write a reply, answer your question in a Q&A video, or make an entire video about it!

Sources:

Written by House of History

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

Photos, paintings and imagery: Public Domain, Wikicommons

#HouseofHistory #History