The Battle of Vitkov Hill (Hussite Wars): 60 Peasants vs 8,000 Crusaders (Against All, 1956)

Battle of Vitkov hill from the Czech movie: Proti všem (Againts All), 1956. (with english subtitles) The Battle of Vítkov Hill was a part of the Hussite Wars. The battle pitted the forces of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, against Hussite forces under command of Jan Žižka (in English, John Zizka). Vítkov Hill was located on the edge of the city of Prague and the battle occurred in a vineyard established by Sigismund’s father, Charles IV. It ended with a decisive Hussite victory. The siege of Prague began on 12 June. The crusaders’ forces were reported contemporaneously by chroniclers to number 100,000–200,000 soldiers, but according to modern historian Victor Verney, it was significantly fewer, probably only about 80,000 soldiers. When the crusaders approached the city, they knew a direct attack on the walls would be disastrous, so they planned to encircle it. To do this, all of the fortifications around Prague would need to be destroyed or occupied. The crusad