Jan Žižka

Czech Hussite military leader (circa 1360 - 1424)

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Fame61.4
Momentum6.4
Politicians rank#93
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Lived 1360–1424, aged 64

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Wikipedia
48 languages
Cross-language footprint
Era
1360–1424
Aged 64

Summary

Updated 2026-06-10

A one-eyed Czech commander who never lost a battle, then went fully blind and kept winning. Žižka turned peasant wagons into mobile fortresses, crushed three crusades sent to destroy his Hussite rebellion, and died undefeated — his tactics studied in war colleges six centuries later.

Biography

About

Born around 1360 to minor nobility in Trocnov, Žižka served as chamberlain to Queen Sofia of Bavaria and fought at Grunwald in 1410, defending Radzyń against the Teutonic Order. When the Hussite Wars erupted, he led the radical Taborite faction through the battles of Sudoměř and Vítkov Hill in 1420, then shattered the Holy Roman Empire and Hungarian forces at Kutná Hora in 1421 with field artillery that broke royal cavalry. He equipped armored wagons with cannons — primitive tanks — and used terrain reconnaissance and ambush to offset enemy numbers, recruiting nobles and peasants into a discip…

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