The Battle of Vitkov Hill (Hussite Wars): 60 Peasants vs 8,000 Crusaders (Against All, 1956)

Battle of Vitkov hill from the Czech movie: Proti všem (Againts All), 1956. (with english subtitles) 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. It ended with a decisive Hussite victory. The siege of Prague began on 12 June. The crusaders' forces were reported contemporaneously by chroniclers to number 100,000–200,000 soldiers, but according to modern historian Victor Verney, it was significantly fewer, probably only about 80,000 soldiers. When the crusaders approached the city, they knew a direct attack on the walls would be disastrous, so they planned to encircle it. To do this, all of the fortifications around Prague would need to be destroyed or occupied. The crusaders committed most of their forces to these raids in an attempt to prevent the defenders at key points from being reinforced by the Prague garrison. Vítkov Hill: One of the most important of these fortifications surrounding Prague was Vítkov Hill, which dominated the area east of Prague and overlooked roads needed for the crusaders' supply lines. The fortifications on the hill were made primarily from timber, with the walls reinforced with stone and clay and moats dug around the base of the hill. On the southern part of the hill was a free-standing tower made from timber, and the remaining northern flank was covered by a steep cliff. Traditionally, the fortifications were said to be defended by Žižka with only 26 men and 3 women under his command, but it was probably higher- 60 or more soldiers, according to J. Durdik- and it is unclear if Žižka was on the hill. The men on the hill were armed mostly with guns and flails. On 13 July, the crusaders' cavalry crossed the river Vltava and began their attack on the outer ring of fortifications. Vítkov Hill was attacked by a detachment of Austrian and Meissen cavalry under Heinrich of Isenburg, governor of Meissen. An hour before sunset, the horsemen advanced from the south towards the hill, but the terrain and fortifications of the hill forced them down a narrow path and prevented them from utilizing their greater numbers. The tenacity of the defenders held the attackers off for some time, but the heavily outnumbered Hussites were slowly pushed back. Shortly thereafter, reinforcements from the garrison of the New Town broke off and headed towards Vítkov Hill, outflanking the knights and attack through the vineyards on the southern slope. Trapped between the counter-attack and the steep cliff on the northern slope, the crusaders quickly panicked as they were forced off the hill and began to rout. As they retreated, many knights drowned in the Vltava. The battle was a clear victory for the Hussites. The crusaders lost between 400-500 knights. In honour of the battle, Vítkov Hill was renamed Žižkov after Jan Žižka. As a consequence of the Hussite victory on Vítkov, the crusaders lost any hope of starving the city into submission and their army disintegrated. The National Monument still exists on the hill, and in 2003, local officials were attempting to replant the vineyard. Sigismund and his troops then held the castles of Vyšehrad and Hradčany. However, they soon capitulated, and Sigismund had to withdraw from Prague. The crusaders later withdrew to Kutná Hora and began local warfare. #battle #movieclips #history