Jan Žižka
Jan Žižka z Trocnova a Kalicha (English: John Zizka of Trocnov and the Chalice; c. 1360 – 11 October 1424) was a Czech general who was a contemporary and follower of Jan Hus and a Radical Hussite and led the Taborites. Žižka was a successful military leader and is now a Czech national hero. He was nicknamed "One-eyed Žižka", having lost one and then both eyes. Jan Žižka led Hussite forces against three crusades and never lost a single battle although he was completely blind in his last stages of life.
Jan Žižka | |
|---|---|
Statue of Jan Žižka by Bohumil Kafka on Vítkov Hill in Prague | |
| Native name | Jan Žižka z Trocnova a Kalicha |
| Nickname(s) | John the One-eyed Žižka of the Chalice |
| Born | c. 1360 Trocnov, Bohemia |
| Died | 11 October 1424 (aged 63–64) Žižkovo Pole near Přibyslav, Bohemia |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | Hussites (1419–1423) Taborites (1423–1424) |
| Years of service | c. 1378–1424 |
| Rank | Chamberlain to Queen Sofia of Bavaria |
| Battles/wars | Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War |
| Awards | A castle near Litoměřice. He gave the biblical name of Chalice (Kalich in Czech) to this new possession |
He was born in the small village of Trocnov in the Kingdom of Bohemia into a family from the Czech nobility. According to Piccolomini's Historia Bohemica, he had some connections with the royal court from his youth, and later held the office of Chamberlain to Queen Sofia of Bavaria. He fought in the Battle of Grunwald (15 July 1410), where he defended Radzyń against the Teutonic Order. Later, he played a prominent role in the civil wars in Bohemia. He led the Hussites during the first important clashes of the conflict in the Battle of Sudoměř (1420) and in the Battle of Vítkov Hill (1420). In the Battle of Kutná Hora (1421) he defeated the army of the Holy Roman Empire and the Hungarian Kingdom. The effectiveness of his field artillery against the royal cavalry in this battle made it a successful element of Hussite armies.
Žižka's tactics were unorthodox and innovative. In addition to training and equipping his army according to their abilities, he used armored wagons fitted with small cannons and muskets, anticipating the tank of five hundred years later. He exploited geographic features to the full and maintained good discipline in his armies. He had to train peasants quickly to face highly-trained and -armored opponents repeatedly, who usually outnumbered his own troops. For those reasons, he is often regarded as one of the greatest military commanders of all time.
A monument was erected on the Vítkov Hill in Prague to honor Jan Žižka and his victory on this hill in 1420. It is the third-largest bronze equestrian statue in the world.