The Hussite Wars 1419–36

Osprey Men at Arms #409

by Stephen Turnbull, Stephen Turnbull

In 1415, the judicial murder of the religious reformer Jan Hus sparked a major uprising in Bohemia. His death led within a few years to the 'Hussite' revolution against the monarchy, the German aristocracy and the Church establishment. For two decades the largely peasant Hussite armies successfully defied a series of international 'crusades'; they owed many of their victories to the charismatic general Jan Zizka, and his novel tactical methods based on the use of 'war wagons'. This remarkable episode in medieval warfare is remembered not only as the Czech national epic, but as an important forerunner to the wars of the Reformation the following century.

Genres: History, Military History, Medieval

48 pages, Paperback

First published May 25, 2004

About the author

Stephen Richard Turnbull is British a historian specializing in eastern military history, especially the samurai of Japan. His books are mainly on Japanese and Mongolian subjects. He attended Cambridge University where he gained his first degree. He currently holds an MA in Theology, MA in Military History and a PhD from the University of Leeds where he is currently a lecturer in Far Eastern Religions. He has also written a number of books on other medieval topics. He is semi-retired but still holds the post of Visiting Professor of Japanese Studies at Akita International University in Japan.

Reviews

[Adam McPhee · Rating 5 out of 5]

So friggin cool, highly disciplined peasant armies–– you love to see it, folks! wish i'd known about jan zizka before. The war wagons especially kick ass. It's like combined tank and urban warfare but in the medieval world. insane. i would definitely be a pavise boy, protecting all my bros (and the ladies––they fought too!) from enemy arrows. Wild.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Hussite Wars are one of those pivotal events in world history that most people have never heard of, not unlike the Albigensian Crusade or the existence of John Wycliffe. How important are they? Well, they shaped the czech national identity to this very day, they foreshadowed the Thirty Years Wars, and they probably helped cement the seeds of the Reformation (you don't do that with seeds but it's the best I can come up with). If you try enough, you can even detect Hussitism, which was more than the thought of Jan Hus, in national socialism and italian fascism.

If you're interested in the political and religious background of the Hussite Wars, you'll have to look elsewhere. The book barely talks about Jan Hus, for one, nor about his ideas. Here is what it says on indulgences:

An indulgence was in effect a 'safe conduct pass' to heaven for someone who had died; such blessings had often been bestowed upon crusaders in the past by guaranteeing them the forgiveness of sins in return for their military services in some supposedly holy endeavour.

Wrong, indulgences have nothing to do with the forgiveness of sins, they only reduce the penance one has to undergo for ones sins. Equally misleading is this passage about Ultraquism:

One of the elements of religious reform already practised in Bohemia by Hus's priestly followers had been to share the consecrated wine with the congregation, thus giving them 'Communion in both kinds', as it was termed. As the Council of Constance had roundly condemned this ritual, it rapidly became the touchstone for expressing support for Hus's views.

Briefly, what the Council of Constance condemned was the doctrine that receiving communion under both species, bread and wine, was obligatory, that no grace was conferred unless one received both. The presence of Christ is whole and entire in each species, however, as Corinthians 11:27 indicates.

If, however, you are interested in medieval warfare, tactics and firearms, then this book won't disappoint, except perhaps on count of the brevity it owes to its small pagecount. Wagon warfare is described very well and some misconceptions about it are cleared up, for example that Zizka would create a labyrinth of wagons and guide hapless knights through it, or that he would encircle enemy armies with impromptu wagon prisons. The different types of firearms used by the Hussites are also described, and I must say I'm surprised how many there were, and by the fact that not only the word pistol, but also howitzer comes from there. All of this is illustrated with both contemporary and modern pictures, and the latter in particular look gorgeous. So for what this book is, and what it purports to be - a book on medieval warfare that you can read in one sitting - I can fully recommend it.

[Emerson Stokes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something about the Hussite Wars feels so cool to me. Peasant armies fighting crusading legions of plate-armoured cavalry with mobile defence wagons? Pretty cool. On top of that this army was led by a one-eyed (and eventually no-eyed) small-landowning captain. I guess also the proto-Protestant reformation politics that surround the war appeal to me as well.

[Danny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent and concise history of the Hussite wars and history. Great illustrations and diagrams.