Jan Zizka
and the
Hussite Wars
1419-1434

The Man

by Michael W. McGuire

Jan Zizka of Trocnov was the man destined to assume leadership of the Hussite movement following the death of John Huss. Little is known of this remarkable man with any certainty. Some historians say that he was born about 1360, while others place his birth about 1378. It seems most accurate to place Zizka's birth at sometime between 1360 and 1362 making his age consistent with the time period of his later service to King Wenceslas IV. Historians also dispute his family background; some describe his family as poor, and others characterize them as well-to-do.

Again the nature of Zizka's service to the royal court sheds some insight on the type of family into which he was born. It is highly unlikely that a young man from a remote portion of Bohemia would be given an opportunity in the King's service unless his family had significant status in their local community, and perhaps even had members of the family already in the royal court. Additionally, there are some circumstantial records indicating that perhaps his father was once employed as a food purveyor to the royal court. Evidence suggests that Zizka's family was part of the ruling class in their village, and they owned a large amount of land.

Court records of Wenceslas IV show Zizka entering the King's service in 1380. The nature of his duties are unspecified, but it would have been reasonable for a young man of eighteen or twenty to be hired as a royal hunter. Salary records for the year 1392 list a Zizka as a hunter for the King. As Wenceslas IV was an avid hunter it is not unlikely that he may have met and come to know Zizka rather well during the frequent hunting expeditions. This might account for the rapid promotions Zizka later received at the royal court.

Bohemian history is a panorama of in-fighting among the nobles of the land. The situation was no different during the reign of Wenceslas IV. In fact, matters became even more difficult when the lords took to hiring mercenary bands to harass each other. Beginning in 1389, for nearly twenty years, the Bohemian countryside suffered depredations from the guerrilla bands in service not only to the local lords but to King Wenceslas IV himself. Sometime near the end of the 14th Century Zizka joined one of these bands. There is no explanation why he suddenly left the King's service and became a mercenary, but one important clue is the fact that Zizka joined a band loyal to Wenceslas IV, quite possibly at the request of the monarch.

Guerrilla

Whatever the reason, Zizka spent many years as a guerrilla, and his name is prominent in the records of those times. By 1409 the suffering towns and villages joined together to offer an organized, effective defense against the marauding bands. Soon, the leader of Zizka's band was captured and executed by the people of Budejovice. This act signalled the demise of the mercenary forces.

Zizka might have shared the same fate had not Wenceslas IV intervened on his behalf in mid-1409. Zizka was offered a full amnesty so that he might participate in an expedition to assist the King of Poland against the invading Teutonic Knights. At this time Zizka would have been an excellent potential troop commander. His guerrilla experience had taught him a great deal about military tactics, leadership principles, and the conduct of operations with limited resources of men and materiel.

As a member of the large Bohemian contingent of the Polish army, Zizka fought at the bloody rout of the Teutonic Knights at the battle of Grunwald-Tannenberg on 10 July, 1410. Later he participated in the successful defense of Radzyn Castle against a Teutonic siege where it is believed that he lost an eye.

The Polish campaign had a profound effect on Zizka. Because of his friendship with Sokol of Lamberg, Czech commander of the main Polish army, Zizka enjoyed a unique opportunity to observe the entire sweep of the Tannenberg battle. He noted the effectiveness of the new gunpowder weapons, the ability of well-entrenched troops to shatter massive onslaughts of noble cavalry, and the large-scale use of wagon trains not only for supply but for defense as well. These Polish lessons he would effectively employ a decade later in the Hussite wars. The campaign also awoke Zizka's latent nationalism. For the first time in his life, he was fighting side-by-side with other Slavs against the common German foe.

Returning to Prague from Poland in 1411, Zizka became a member of the royal bodyguard of King Wenceslas IV and Queen Sophia, and shortly thereafter the regular escort of the Queen. It is alleged that as the King was plagued with failing health and preoccupied with affairs of state, Zizka became the Queen's lover. True or not, Zizka spent much time with the Queen, frequently escorting her to Bethlehem Chapel to hear the sermons of the popular, controversial John Huss. Zizka's interest in these sermons grew, for Huss was imbuing the people of Bohemia with a sense of national pride, uniting them behind a banner of ideas, and more important, advocating a life of Christian piety based upon the Scriptures.

Huss' fundamentalist preaching made a deep impression on Zizka. For when Huss was executed in 1415 and the Bohemian people searched for a new popular leader to replace him, it was Jan Zizka who emerged to lead his people on the most important struggle in their country's history.

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© Copyright 1976 by Dana Lombardy
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