Jan Žižka
Jan Žižka
Žižka was born in the village of Trocnov, located in the Kingdom of Bohemia, into a family of lower Czech nobility. According to Piccolomini's Historia Bohemica, he maintained connections within the royal court during 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.
Jan Žižka
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.
Early life
Jan Žižka was born in one of two Meierhofs of the village Trocnov (nowadays part of Borovany). An old legend says that he was born in the forest under an oak growing just next to the fields and little ponds belonging to the Meierhof. Žižka's family belonged to the lower Czech gentry (zemané) but did not own much estate. Little is known of the rest of the family. Jan Žižka had several siblings but the only names known to historians are brother Jaroslav and sister Anežka. The family had a crayfish in their coat of arms.
Reading List
Report Issue