Battle of Hořice

Battle of Hořice
	Part of theHussite Wars
	; Battle of Hořice
Date	27 April 1423
Location	Hořice
Result	DecisiveHussitevictory
Belligerents
Orebites	Bohemian nobility
Commanders and leaders
Jan Žižka; Diviš Bořek of Miletínek	Čeněk von Wartenberg
Strength
2,700 infantry; 300 cavalry; 120War wagons	3,000 cavalry with some wagons and cannon
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Heavy

TheBattle of Hořice(German name:Horschitz) was fought on 27 April 1423, between theOrebitesfaction of theHussitesandBohemian Catholics.^[2]The Hussites were led byJan Žižka(who was completely blind at the time of the battle),^[3]while theCatholicswere led by the repeatedly-convertingČeněk of Wartenberg.The battle took place on the Gothard plateau, nearHořice.Thanks to a strategic position, which allowed perfect use of Hussitewar wagonsand Žižka's tactical skills, theHussiteseventually won the battle.

Hussites took thehigh groundand built theirwagon fortthere. The Catholic cavalry could not ride up such a steep hill and was forced to dismount. The cannons owned by the nobles could not fire effectively uphill. These circumstances made it a battle between infantry behind fortifications and heavily armored infantry in the field. Žižka's men held the Wagenburg against repeated attacks by dismounted cavalry. Then, Žižka decided that the time was right to counterattack. With some cavalry, the Hussites charged downhill and swept catholic forces from the battlefield.

References

^TOMAN, Hugo (1898).Husitské válečnictví za doby Žižkovy a Prokopovy(in Czech). Praha: Nákladem jubilejního fondu Král. České Společnosti Nauk.
^Thomas A. Fudge; Helen J. Nicholson (2002).The Crusade Against Heretics in Bohemia, 1418-1437: Sources and Documents for the Hussite Crusades.Ashgate. p. x.ISBN 978-0-7546-0801-1.
^The Slavonic Review.School of Slavonic Studies in the University of London, Kings̓ College. 1925. p. 283.

The Battles of the Hussite Wars
"The Hussite Wars (1419-36)", Stephen Turnbull, Osprey Publishing (ISBN 1-84176-665-8)

50°21′53″N15°38′40″E/ 50.36472°N 15.64444°E/50.36472; 15.64444

[toman-1] TOMAN, Hugo (1898).Husitské válečnictví za doby Žižkovy a Prokopovy(in Czech). Praha: Nákladem jubilejního fondu Král. České Společnosti Nauk.

[2] Thomas A. Fudge; Helen J. Nicholson (2002).The Crusade Against Heretics in Bohemia, 1418-1437: Sources and Documents for the Hussite Crusades.Ashgate. p. x.ISBN 978-0-7546-0801-1.

[3] The Slavonic Review.School of Slavonic Studies in the University of London, Kings̓ College. 1925. p. 283.

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