Hussite Wars, Part 5 - cavalry

    Following Ziska's defeat of the "Iron Lords" at Sudomer, his party continued on to Tabor, where he was greeted enthusiastically. The Taborites chose 4 military captains - with Nicholas of Pistny as senior officer, followed by Ziska, with 2 others as Junior captains. Civil administration was left to the priests (which included some women, women also fighting alongside their men at times, too). Before long Nicholas became the chief political leader in Tabor, acting as a sort of Prime Minister, while Ziska took charge of military matters. He this became effectively Minister of War and also foreign Minister of the Taborites. It was Jan Ziska  who was in charge of organization, recruitment, training, and discipline. He was also the main one responsible for deciding who to assist and who to fight.

   Much of Ziska's own military experience prior to the Hussite wars had come as a glorified highwayman, and throughout April, 1420, he lead a series of small raids against anti Hussite forces, essentially a form of training exercises. In so doing, he gradually nurtured the experience and confidence of the men (and women) fighting for the Hussite cause, as well as acquiring hand guns, crossbows, polearms, horses and guns from enemy supplies.  This included the reconquest of the town of Pisek from the Royalists. Ziska also arranged to make Tabor a roughly hexagonal fortress, with triple walls and tower bastions at the corners, which, combined with the natural strength of its position,  would render it nearly impregnable. Finally, Ziska also promptly started training peasants and townspeople in mounted warfare, contrary to the expectation that only nobles fought mounted.

Hussite Light Cavalry, which would have consisted chiefly of trained, mounted peasants.

Other than scouting, the Hussites generally kept their limited cavalry safe behind the barriers of the Wagenburg, unleashing them only in the later stages of the battle, when their enemies were exhausted and demoralized from their many failed assaults. 

This was often sufficient to convert the defeat of the enemy into a full scale rout.

The Hussite cavalry would usually not attempt to match up against their better mounted and equipped enemy counterparts!

    Meanwhile, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund had hardened his line against the Hussites, insisting that hey submit to his authority and obey the dictates of the Church and Pope. He attempted to separate the pro Hussite nobles from the rest of the Hussite movement, figuring that he could deal with them once the popular rebellion was quashed. On March 7, 1420, Sigismund issued a call to arms, and the following day the Papal legate declared a Crusade against the Bohemian heretics. promulgated edicts making heresy a capital offense, with forfeiture of all property as well, and forbade criticism of either himself of the execution of Hus. This hardened the resolve of the various Hussite factions, and additional executions of Hussites horrified even the most conservative among them. Finally, he adjudicated a long standing territorial dispute between the Teutonic Knights and Poland in favor of the former, making lasting enemies of Poland and Lithuania, and strengthening the perceived and real ethnic (Slav vs German) nature of the conflict. 

    In Prague, the various Hussite factions pledged mutual defense, strengthened their positions, and appointed military captains. They sent messages to the other towns of Bohemia, requesting delegates to coordinate mutual defense. They denounced the Papal Bull and appealed to Slavic nationalism. Despite Sigismund's efforts to woo him, once he left his presence, Cenek of Wartenburg declared for the Hussites, taking many of the wavering pro Hussite nobility with him. Cenek would change allegiances so many times over the course of the Hussite wars that it is difficult to keep track of them all. Regardless, all of this, on April 20th, Cenek issued a manifesto denouncing Sigismund and making ten specific accusations. It closed with what came to be known as the Four Articles of Prague: 1) The freedom of all Czechs to take Communion in Both Kinds, 2) The right to the free preaching of God's word in Czech throughout the Kingdom of Bohemia,  3) The obligation of all priests to lead holy lives, devoid of materialism and sensuality, and 4) The denial of all charges against Czechs as heretics. Coming as it did from the Regent of the Kingdom, these words had tremendous impact. 

    The Armistice expired on April 23rd, and many pro Hussite nobles, lords, and knights declared their opposition to Sigismund despite their otherwise conservative political views.  Obviously, Sigismund could not delay armed intervention any longer if he was to have any hope of retaining the crown of Bohemia in anything more than name. He invaded Bohemia on May 1st with 20,00 men, mostly Germans. Meanwhile, faced with unexpectedly united opposition, he gave the appearances of being willing to compromise. He invited a delegation from Prague to negotiations, and viewed Cenek's turnabout as an opportunity. Secret representatives were sent to Cenek, and it transpired that in exchange for simply allowing communion in Both Kinds throughout Bohemia, he would return to the Royalist fold. Sigismund promptly agreed (although it is doubtful that he had any intention of honoring the terms any longer than he had to). Cenek arranged to have the Prague Castle open its doors to 4,000 German troops, despite having just encouraged the Prague delegation to treat with the even more untrustworthy Sigismund. Prague was demoralized, and with Sigismund entering Kutna Hora in triumph and both of the Prague castles now in enemy hands, the Praguers arranged a 6 day truce on May 12, 1420. When their delegation met with Sigismund, they offered to surrender the city and demolish part of its walls through which Sigismund might enter and be officially crowned King of Bohemia, in exchange for only being allowed to practice Communion in Both Kinds. Sigismund was hostile and abusive, and refused to even address the religious issue. He demanded demolition of all of the fortifications, complete disarmament of the population, after which he, Sigismund, would enter the city and grant its citizens whatever grace pleased him. 

    Faced with terms like those, the various Hussite factions in Prague once again united. Recognizing that they could not resist Sigismund's army by themselves, they sent out an appeal for assistance to Hussites all over Bohemia. The request was received by Tabor and Jan Ziska on May 16, 1420. He assembled 9,000 well-armed men and many war wagons, as well as several hundred cavalry, and covered half of the 40 Km march to Prague in a single day. A first attempt by Royalist forces to stop him on Ma9 19th was thwarted, and Ziska and his men bypassed the fortified monastery that the Royalists had retreated to. They encountered stronger Royalist opposition after fording the river Sazava near the village of Porici.  While making camp that afternoon, Ziska's scouts informed him that 2 strong Royalist columns from Kutna Hora and Hradec Kralove were approaching his positions with a third, smaller column from a different direction. The Hradec column was led by Wenceslaus of Duba, and the Kutna Hora column by the well known and highly regarded Condotierre,  Florentine Count Philip (aka Pippo Spano).Together, they considerably outnumbered the Hussites.  As dusk approached, Ziska drew up his men and wagons on a low hill overlooking the river Sazava, and had a quick ditch dug around their positions. The Royalists attacked shortly after sundown, and were repulsed. It was apparent that they would be unable to penetrate the Hussite Wagenburg, and thus the Royalist retreated after the single attack, leaving their dead and many standards behind. hereafter Ziska and his men proceeded to Prague unhindered, arriving there on the 20th of May, where they received an enthusiastic reception. 

"Ye Who are the Warriors of God", the Hussite hymn said to strike terror into the hearts of their enemies. It is quoted in the last 2 movements of Bedrich Smetana's well known collection of six symphonic poems, Ma Vlast ("My Country"). 

    On May 22, 1420, Ziska lead a raid and captured a large Royalist supply train of badly needed food, more so as additional Hussite troops had arrived from the countryside. Ziska then set about trying to retake one of the two Royal Castles in Prague, the Hradcany. He planned to starve the garrison out... the supply convoy he captured had been meant for them. To defend against the more strongly held Vysehrad castle, he had the Hussite wives, as well as the women, children, priests and Jews of the city dig a new wider, and more distant moat around the Vysehrad to protect the city from it. These works were completed on May 30th, and garrisoned by Prague militia and  Orebite soldiers (Oreb was a new, rural Hussite community similar to Tabor). 

    Ziska's Taborite troops had begun the siege of the Hradcany castle on May 28, forcing Sigismund to act. After making some diversionary attacks, Sigismund's men marched in a wide arc Northeast around the city of Prague, As the castle's food shortage grew worse and the Hussite guns damaged the walls, large numbers of Czechs deserted from the Hradcany castle and morale plummeted within. Sigismund approached the Castle with his entire force and another supply train on June 12, 1420. Knowing that the Hussites were eager to fight, he deployed so as to offer battle. As the Hussites arrayed themselves to accept the challenge, the supply train used the distraction to slip into the castle, whereupon Sigismund and his men quickly withdrew. The successful resupply of the garrison meant that the castle could not be starved out before the main Royalist forces converged upon Prague, and thus the siege was lifted on June 14, 1420, and the Hussites concentrated on strengthening the defenses of the city.

    While the Praguers made their preparations, Sigismund ordered Ulric of Rozmberk to attack Tabor, providing him with some elite Austrian troops to assist the effort. The Taborites dispatched 350 men, probably their entire mounted force, which was of little use in the city anyway, back to Tabor under Nicholas of Pistny. As he approached Tabor, he was able to sneak a message into the besieged fortress city, telling them that he would be attacking at dawn on June 30th 1420,and directing to h at that time. This simultaneous attack from both sides proved extremely successful, and the Royalists were defeated with heavy losses, leaving behind large numbers of weapons, siege guns, supplies, and money. 

    The Hussites gained another success where they recaptured he strategically important town of Hradec Kralove in July 1420, situated where the Elbe river first becomes navigable. This was the work of Ambrose, a Hussite priest who was the leader of the Orebite faction. Even before the Hussite movement, Ambrose had  been critical of the Catholic Church, and eventually the Queen was forced to remove him as chief priest of Hradec Kralove. Instead, Ambrose began preaching on the hillsides, an established a religious settlement that they named Oreb, another biblical reference. Ambrose effected the capture of the town by mobilizing and arming the peasantry of the surrounding region. He was [perhaps the best politician among the Hussite priests, bringing a number of Czech nobles to support the Hussite cause. He and Ziska became friendly, and regularly cooperated, although the Orebites were somewhat less radical than the Taborites. 

Hussite Heavy Cavalry; like the infantry, the Chalice was their most common emblem. These men, few in number, would usually be composed of pro Hussite nobles and their retainers. Ambrose's diplomatic and political skills helped to bring many of these to support his Orebite faction and the cause of Slavic nationalism. 

    Back at Prague, Sigismund was assembling a vast host to capture the city. He still controlled the two main fortresses of the great city, the Hradcany and the Vysehrad. These controlled the roads to the Northwest, West, and South of Prague. On  the East bank of the Vlatava river, where the bulk of the city was situated, there was a stretch of unfortified ground almost 5 km wide between the Vysehrad castle and the walls of the New Town. This area was dominated by two  natural elevations, especially the Vitkov hill, a step, long, narrow ridge running parallel to the river.\ North of the Vitkov was a narrow strip of flood plain known as Hospital Field. The main road from Prague to the  NorthEast ran through this area, while the main road to the East ran South of the Vitov ridge. Ziska realized that as long as the Vitkov was in Hussite hands, it would be very difficult to blockade and starve the city into submission. 

    The only structure on the Vitkov ridge was an old watchtower located at its crest, originally constructed to protect the vineyards on the Southern slope. Ziska had 2 fort built out of wood, along with a long earthen wall, reinforced by rocks, constructed to the North of the Watchtower, along the steeper Northern slope of the ridge. The position was further strengthened by digging a moat in front of it. As these preparations were completed, a huge host approached and camped North of the river. Sigismund had assembled a vast army of Catholic "crusaders" numbering some 80,000 men, and drawn from 33 nations in Europe. Most of the army was composed of Nobles and clerics with their retainers, along with many mercenaries. 

    Sigismund also realized that if he could seize the Vitkov position, he could effectively cut of the city from outside supplies, turning the large number of defenders into a liability instead of an asset.  Even though he outnumbered the defenders by 4 or 5 to 1, this was certainly preferable to a costly assault upon the city itself. 

More Hussite cavalry, ready to seize the initiative when the proper moment arrives.

    On July 14, 1420, several thousand of Sigismund's Heavy cavalrymen crossed the Vlatava river North of the city, and proceeded up the eastern, more gradual slopes of the Vitkov ridge. At first they went unnoticed by the forces in the city, but Ziska had placed a small garrison on the ridge, figuring that the strength of the position would allow the defenders to hold off any attack long enough to allow reinforcements from the city to reach them.  The "Crusaders" captured the old watchtower, crossed the moat, and began attacking the earthen wall. It was held by a tiny force of 26 men, 2 women, and one girl. They lacked guns and thus had to hurl rocks and discarded lances at the attackers, which they did with great bravery. The narrowness of the position prevented the attackers from making use of their numbers or flanking the defensive position. 

    Seeing the attack from his position in Prague, Ziska mobilized the Taborite and city militias, and ordered them to attack from the South slope of the Vitkov ridge. This was steep, but not nearly so much as the Northern slope. Ziska himself then proceeded to the earthen wall with a picked band of his personal bodyguards and long time comrades in arms, and was soon in the thick of the fighting, the situation having become critical. Indeed, defeat seemed certain until the main body of Hussites appeared from the southern slope. Hidden from view by the ridge until almost the last minute, they sang their war hymn and attacked. The "Crusaders" were thrown into the utmost confusion and rapidly became severely demoralized. As men and horses fled, many were killed as they attempted to descend the very steep northern slope of the Vitkov ridge, including the commander of the assault, Count Henry of Isenberg.  

The Battle of Vitkov Hill, July 14, 1420

    Although the losses of the Crusaders were only about 500 men, they didn't make any further attacks on the Vitkov position, which Ziska strengthened further. The various factions in the Royalist army soon fell to disention. The Bohemian faction argued with Sigismund for the dismissal of the German contingents, whilst the Germans accused the Czechs of insufficient zeal in pursuing the capture of Prague. In Tthe end, the increasing issues with feeding so vast an army, as well as mounting sanitation problems convinced Sigismund to agree to dismiss the foreign contingents and rely only on his "loyal" Czech nobles. Seeking to save face, Sigismund had himself crowned King of Bohemia in the St. Vitus Cathedral in the Hradcany castle. Lacking the planned booty from the plunder of Prague to pay his foreign mercenaries, Sigismund looted the gold and jewels for the Hradcany's churches and monasteries, promising to restore them when the war was over.

    

These crass action further damaged Sigismund's standing with the moderate factions in Bohemia,. After being paid on July 30th, the Crusader army broke camp and withdrew. It is notable that, although there would be many more waves of anti-Hussite invasions, "Golden Prague" itself was never again seriously threatened.