7 – Jan Zizka (1360 – 1424)
The Czech general is one of the few military commanders who never lost a battle but is not as well-known as others on that prestigious list which include Alexander the Great, Scipio Africanus, and Subutai. Today, he is a Czech national hero and there is a fabulous statue of him on Prague’s Vitkov Hill. His undefeated streak is all the more impressive since for the most part, he worked with militia forces and peasants. Nonetheless, he was able to mold them into supreme fighting machines that defeated all-comers.
Zizka was born in the small village of Trocnov in around 1360 and little is known about his military career until 1410 when he fought on the Polish-Lithuanian side as they defeated the Teutonic Order at the Battle of Grunwald. Zizka allegedly offered his services to the Teutonic Order before the battle but the mercenary chose the winning side in the end. He probably made ends meet by working as a bandit before Grunwald. At this stage, he was 50 years old, had no known command experience, and lost an eye in the battle. Even with everything against him, the legend of Zizka only began that day.
Zizka became the leader of the Hussites during the Hussite Wars (1419 – 1434) against the Holy Roman Empire. The Hussites were a proto-Protestant, Christian group that followed the teachings of Jan Rus who protested against the system of ‘absolution of sins’. Rus also hated the church’s immorality but was burned at the stake for heresy. His death led to an uprising of the Hussites and while a temporary compromise was reached at Prague in November 1419, Zizka was displeased and left for Plzen.
His first major victory of the Hussite Wars was the Battle of Sudomer on March 25, 1420. Zizka appeared to have a hopeless task as his army was comprised of badly trained militia and farmers. Nonetheless, Zizka used his vast experience to transform his army into a well-drilled unit and also utilized some innovative tactics. One of his best tactics was to join wagon carts wheel to wheel and divide battle into two stages. In stage one, the Hussites placed their carts near the enemy and provoked them into battle. They used heavy artillery to cause damage and the infantry picked off the enemy cavalry.
In stage two, the Hussites would counterattack with the infantry and hidden cavalry attacking from the flanks. The enemy was forced to withdraw or face annihilation. It was obvious by now that Zizka was an outstanding commander and he was given the task of defending Prague against King Sigismund of Bohemia who had an army of 100,000 men. Sigismund’s attempted siege was a failure and he retreated in August 1420. Zizka was chosen as one of the Hussite leaders and at some point, during a siege in 1421, he was shot in his good eye. Incredibly, the near-blind Zizka continued to lead his men and he defeated Sigismund at Nebovidy in January 1422.
Sigismund’s men made a last stand at Nemecky Brod but were overwhelmed on January 10. The Hussites engaged in a civil war and Zizka was forced to pick a side. Despite his blindness and advanced age, he continued to earn victories using a combination of high ground fortifications and perfectly timed counterattacks. While he briefly unified the Hussites against outside threats, he was unable to defeat the plague which claimed his life in 1424. The undefeated general came from nowhere to become one of the best military commanders of the Middle Ages, even with no eyes.