Battle of Domažlice

1431 battle of the Hussite Wars

Battle of Domažlice

Part of the Hussite Wars (The fifth anti-Hussite crusade)

Retreat of Catholic forces at Battle of Domažlice, romantic painting

Date	14 August 1431
Location	Domažlice (Taus), Bohemia
Result	Decisive Hussite victory

Belligerents

Crusade

Holy Roman Empire
- Margraviate of Brandenburg
- Bohemian Catholics
- Duchy of Bavaria
- Electorate of Saxony
- Swabian cities
- Electorate of Cologne
- Electorate of Mainz
- Duchy of Austria
- Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg
- some Imperial cities
Italian contingent
Papal States
Kingdom of Hungary

Hussite coalition

Praguers
Orphans
Union of Žatec and Louny
Taborites
most of the Hussite cities
Hussite nobility

Grand Duchy of Lithuania

Commanders and leaders

Frederick of Brandenburg

Cardinal Cesarini

Jindřich of Plavno

Jan Vircburský
Albert II of Germany

Prokop the Bald

Sigismund Korybut

Strength

30,000–50,000

20,000

Casualties and losses

>1,500

unknown

The Battle of Domažlice (Czech: Bitva u Domažlic) or Battle of Taus (German: Schlacht bei Taus) or Battle of Tausch was fought on 14 August 1431 as the part of the 5th crusade against Hussites. The crusade was sent to Bohemia after negotiations, held in Pressburg and Cheb, between Hussites and the emperor Sigismund had failed.

Outcome

Iconic battle between Hussites and Catholic crusaders, probably Battle of Domažlice, illustration from the Jena codex (15th century)

Hussite Wars
(1419–1434)
and afterwards

According to legend, the Imperial army was besieging the city of Domažlice since 8 August, when the sight of the approaching and singing Hussite relief army led by Prokop the Bald and hearing their battle hymn "Ktož jsú boží bojovníci" ("Ye Who are Warriors of God"), led to mass panicking among the crusaders, who fled through the Bohemian Forest. The Hussites immediately set after the fleeing Imperial army and annihilated its remnants. Reportedly, 8,000 wagons and all the equipment of the crusaders were captured. The crusader army was accompanied by papal legate Julian Cesarini who escaped, but lost all of his luggage in the retreat, including the secret correspondence and the Papal bull charging him to hire crusaders.^[1]