Ziska, or ZIZKA, JOHN

Ziska, or ZIZKA, JOHN, the famous leader of the Hussites, was born of noble family at Trocznov, in Bohemia, about 1360. Brought up as page to King Wenceslas, he embraced the career of arms, and it was his desperate courage at the head of his Bohemian and Moravian contingent that decided the dreadful battle of Tannenberg (15th July 1410), in which the Grand-master and 40,000 Teutonic Knights were left dead on the field. Ziska next fought with the Austrians against the Turks, and distinguished himself at Agincourt (1415) against the French. Returning to Bohemia soon after the murder of John Huss (q.v.), he became chamberlain to King Wenceslas, and joined the extremist party of hatred against Rome. After the outbreak at Prague (30th July 1419) Ziska was unanimously chosen leader of the popular party, and the first great religious conflict of Germany began. Wenceslas dying, his brother, the faithless Emperor Sigismund, sent 40,000 men into the country to obtain the throne, but the Hussites defeated his army with a hastily levied force of but 4000 men. Ziska quickly completed his conquest of Bohemia by capturing the castle of Prague (1421), and secured his hold of the country by the erection of fortresses, chief of which was that of Tabor, whence his party derived its name of Taborites. Ziska armed his followers with small firearms then little used, and made up for his lack of cavalry by the protection of the Wagenburg, or 'cart-fort,' constructed of the baggage-wagons. In 1421 he lost his remaining eye at the siege of the castle of Raby, but though now totally blind he continued to lead on his troops to a succession of twelve victories almost unexampled in history. Indeed his one defeat (Kremsier in Moravia) was almost a drawn battle. The victory of 18th January 1422, when Sigismund's second invading army was driven in headlong rout into Moravia, and 2000 drowned in attempting to escape across the frozen Iglau, was his greatest battle; and next year at Aussig he overthrew the German army, commanded by Frederick the Warlike of Saxony and the Elector of Brandenburg. Sigismund, now convinced that to conquer Bohemia was impossible, offered the Hussites full religious liberty. But the war-worn old soldier did not live long enough to complete the treaty, for at the siege of Przbislav he was seized with the plague, and carried off, 12th October 1424. He was buried in a church at Czaslav, and his iron war-club was hung up over his tomb. An apocryphal but characteristic story was long told that by Ziska's express command his skin was tanned and made into a cover for a drum, that even when dead he might be a terror to his enemies. Ziska was cruel, but less so than his enemies. See HUSS; also the study by Tomek (in German, Prague, 1882).