Under the leadership of the talented general Jan Žižka, the Taborites adopted the latest weaponry available, including handguns, long, thin cannons, nicknamed "snakes", and war wagons.

[2][3] Originally employed as a measure of last resort, its effectiveness against the royal cavalry turned field artillery into firm part of Hussite armies.

At Kutná Hora in the early winter of 1421, the Taborites were encircled by the superior forces of the Holy Roman Empire under King Sigismund.

Even though Sigismund's elite heavy cavalry was kept at bay by Žižka's artillery, the Taborites apparently faced imminent destruction.

[2] His manoeuvres were quite successful, and, as a result, by the end of the month, Sigismund's demoralized army, constantly harried by Žižka's seemingly invincible soldiers, fled Bohemia.