Warrior of God (Paperback)
Jan Zizka and the Hussite Revolution
Pages: 256
Illustrations: 32 black and white
ISBN: 9781526766700
Published: 25th March 2020
Last Released: 30th January 2024
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Born in 1360, Jan Zizka was a formidable figure whose life and military career was set amidst the whirlwind of monumental revolutions - military, religious, political and social - that engulfed medieval Europe in the 14th and 15th centuries. The leader of Bohemia’s Hussite Revolution, the first of the religious wars during the Protestant Reformation, he was a forward-thinking military genius whose record is virtually unmatched.
Zizka fielded a peasant militia, initially untrained and unequipped, and faced down the Holy Roman Empire’s huge professional army of armoured knights known as The Men of Iron. Among his numerous innovations was the armoured wagon fitted with small cannons and muskets, presaging the modern tank. All this was achieved despite the fact that for much of his later career he went completely blind.
Yet remarkably, beyond central Europe, very little is known about him, though today he is he is widely considered a Czech national hero. In this original and engrossing study, historian Victor Verney combines an authoritative analysis with colourful anecdotes to reveal the incredible exploits of this forgotten military genius and the fascinating cast of characters who surrounded him.
Review as featured in
VaeVictis Magazine, March 2024
This is a very useful addition to the very small number of general English-Language works on either Zizka or the Hussites. It was a fascinating period and there is still much to be said and written about it - but this is a good place to start or even just to give you an idea of the era. A good read and well worthwhile.
Stephen Ede-Borrett, The Pike and Shot Society
The fight of the Bohemians against forces stronger than them in the Hussite War is one of the great feats of history. In the book, Warrior of God Jan Zizka and the Hussite Revolution, Victor Verney covers both the revolution and the life of one of the generals that made there victories possible. The reader is given a look at the political and social turmoil happening in Bohemia as the revolution rolled on and the military beat the odds time after time under the leadership of Jan Zizka. The author also gave a good in-depth look at the religious tensions that divided the Hussite communities.
NetGalley, Justin Staley
About Dr Victor Verney
Dr Victor Vincent Verney, Jr. PhD, the grandson of Slovak and Greek immigrants, grew up in Buffalo, New York. He served in the US Navy and is a former college professor and newspaper editor, and is now a full-time writer residing in Des Moines, Iowa.
Victor was asked to attend the Czech Cultural Fair in Omaha in April 2009 to present and give a talk on his new book Warrior of God - Jan Zizka and the Hussite Revolution.