Battle of Kutná Hora
The Battle of Kutná Hora, occurring in December 1421, was a significant military engagement during the Hussite Wars, marking a confrontation between King Sigismund’s German-Hungarian forces and the Hussite troops led by Jan Žižka. The battle took place near the city of Kutná Hora, where the Hussite forces employed artillery effectively against repeated attacks from Sigismund's army. Despite initial resistance, the situation deteriorated when elements of Sigismund's forces infiltrated the city, leading to violence against the local Czech population. Žižka's tactical acumen shone through as he orchestrated a night attack, allowing his troops to escape and regroup despite the pressure from Sigismund's forces. This engagement is noteworthy as it represented a peak in Sigismund's campaign in Bohemia. Ultimately, the Hussites would regroup and retaliate in early 1422, launching a counter-offensive that would decisively defeat Sigismund’s forces and drive him out of Bohemia. The battle is a pivotal moment in the larger context of resistance against external authority during this tumultuous period in Czech history.
On this Page
Battle of Kutná Hora
Type of action: Ground battle in Hussite Wars
Date: December 21-22, 1421
Location: Kutná Hora, Czech Republic (about ten miles from Kolín)
Combatants: 12,000 Hussites vs. 30,000 Germans and Hungarians
Principal commanders:Czech, Jan Žižka (1360–1424); German-Hungarian, King Sigismund of Hungary (1367–1437), Pipo Spano (c. 1370–1430)
Result: Sigismund’s forces take a crucial city in Eastern Bohemia
In December, 1421, King Sigismund launched a crusade from Hungary against Bohemia, directed at Kutná Hora. On December 21, German-Hungarian forces engaged a Hussite force under Jan Žižka to the north of the city. Hussite artillery repulsed repeated frontal attacks throughout the day, but the city to Žižka’s rear let in elements of Sigismund’s army and the Kutnohorian Germans began massacring the local Czechs. Pipo Spano placed a ring around the small Hussite force, preparing for a mini siege. However, Žižka made use of his cannons in a night attack and breached the German-Hungarian line by charging Sigismund’s camp. He managed to flee with his troops to Kaňk Hill, and then to Kolín, leaving Sigismund in command of Kutná Hora.
Significance
Kutná Hora was the German-Hungarian high tide. After Žižka’s retreat, Sigismund placed troops in the surrounding area, with a detachment placed at Nebovidy. Little did he know that Žižka’s reprovisioned army would lash out from Kolín in January, 1422, in a multiday campaign that would destroy his army and run him out of Bohemia completely.
Bibliography
Bartos, F. M. The Hussite Revolution, 1424–1437. New York: Columbia University Press, 1966.
Heymann, Frederick. John Zizka and the Hussite Revolution. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1955.
Kaminsky, Howard. A History of the Hussite Revolution. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1967.