Battle of Tábor explained

Conflict:Battle of Tábor
Partof:the Hussite Wars
Date:30 June 1420
Place:Tábor, Bohemia
Result:Decisive Hussite victory
Combatant2: Hussite coalition
Combatant1: Holy Roman Empire
  • Austrian mercenaries
  • Rosenberg forces
  • Catholic crusaders
Commander2:15px Mikuláš of Hus
Commander1: Oldřich II of Rosenberg
Lipolt Krajíř of Krajek
Strength2:Unknown
  • Reinforcement of 350 cavalry
Strength1:4,800 cavalry and infantry
  • 4,000 Austrian cavalry
  • 500 mercenaries
  • 300 Rosenberg gunmen
Casualties2:Unknown
Casualties1:Considerable losses

The Battle of Tábor took place in the early morning hours of 30 June 1420 in a locality between and the Lužnice near the walls of a newly emerging Hussite village called Tábor. Between 3,000 and 9,000 Taborites, including women and children, remained in the village after a Hussite detachment left for Prague. Taking advantage of their weakened state, Oldřich II of Rosenberg laid siege to the village. He commanded a force composed of his own gunmen and Austrian mercenaries led by Lipolt Krajíř of Krajek, the governor of České Budějovice.

Learning of the siege, Mikuláš of Hus left Prague with 350 cavalry and returned to Tábor. In the early morning of 30 June 1420, he attacked the sleeping besiegers. Oldřich II of Rosenberg and his allies were caught off-guard by the attack and scattered, suffering heavy losses in their retreat. The Hussite victory lifted a week long siege, while Oldřich II missed the opportunity to eliminate the base of radical Hussites in the immediate vicinity of his estates.

Further reading

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