m1Mi'I'

MIUTARY \IE~-.\T-.\R\IS SERIES 188

POLISH ARMIES
1569-1696 2

I{ICI! \I{() BI{Zrzl'\S~1 \,\(il S \kBI{If)L

Publish«l in 1987 b}
OsP~} Publishing Ltd
59 Gros\'~nor Slrttt, London ',"I X gOA
C Coj>yri'l;hl 1967 Ospr~} Publishing Ltd
R~pri1Hrd 1988, '991
1\11 rights reserved. Apan from IIll}' r.,ir d~llling for th~
purpose of priville lIllldy, research, criticism or r~view.
liS pCrll1illffl under tlw Cop~'right Designs alld l)atClllS
Act. 1988, no part oflhis pllblicatiolllllay be
rrproduccd, stored in a relrieval system, or transmillcd
ill an} form or b}' all} means, d~tronic, dcclrical,
chrmical, m~hani('al, oplical, phOlOOOpyillg,
Tttording orothrl'\\ is(', ",ithout thr prior pennission of
thr cop}'right 0" ncr. t:nquiriesshould Ix addressed 10
thro I)ublishcn.
Erno..
Thc author would likc to point out a handful of
inaccuracio in Volumc I (~'fAA (84): Thr sword
worn by Platc E2 is a Poli h sabre, nOt a karabda;
and KrL}'SZtof OpaJinsld, commander ofChoiilSki'
'carabinien' was in fact voivodc of Poznail rather
than Grand-manhal of the Court, the latter post
being held by his rdative, Lukasz Opalillski.
Acknowledgements
In addition to persons mentioned in Volumr I, the
author wishes to thank the Sikonki Mu§cum, London;
Michael Lewkowicz, Anna Dzieriek, Miroslaw
Ciuno",'icz, Krzysztof Barbarski, DanUla Zone:man,
Erik Norberg, Wadaw Fielder, Christine: Rolka and
the Sionck and Lewak families.

Dedication
BnJult l.lImry WJ4101Wfllll Publi€otiOlf Data To my mOlher.
Bn.n.in ki. Richard
Polish armies, 1569 16g6 (2)-(Mcn.•t1-arnu
,88)
I. Poland, Wojsko Uluiplllcnt-History
2. Pol'lIId. Wojsko Uniforms-History
I. Titlr II. &ries
355.8'09-138 UCi 65· P7
ISBN 0-85045 744 0

Filmsct in Grl'3t Britain

I'rinlt'd through Itookbuilden Lid, Hong Kong.
 11Ifrodllctioll
The first volume dealt with the sections of Polish
armies organised in an Eastern European manner.
The prcscnl volume completcs the survey by
discussing the so-called 'Foreign AUloro1mcnt' of the
army organised ancr Western models. It also
considers the Royal Guard, magnatcs' private
armies, armies of the cities, and the Tatars and
Cossacks in I)olish servicc; and also brieR)' explort:S
methods of warfare in Poland.
• • •
Poland today is a country of vinuaUy one
blood Sla\'i~ onc languag Polish; and one
religion Catholic. In contrast the 17th century
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was almost as
varied as modern America. Alongside Slavs Ijved
Lithuanians and other Halts, Germans, Tatars.
Armenian merchants, Jewish traders, and even a
remarkably I:trgc population of Scots scnlers-as
many as 37,000 according to a recent esUmate.
VIMU.la.. rv v..., kinS orpolaacl (16:J:J .8~ Af'"r • ...ulirary
Each ofthcsc peoples had theirown languages; even .pp"'''rien.hip whiclt iDduded lleVual campa.i... iD hi.
thc Slavs had no common tongue, so that I)olish, lweBlies, aad tRyel. 10 the We'iI wh"r" h" mel the r.m .....
Spaai.h S,,_ral $piaol. and ... w lhe ..... ue or hiskly trabled
Great Russian, RUlhenian, Kashub and Goralski lroo.... VI.di.lav m.de r.....re.daia. ",ronn. ia the Poli."
.nn)', •• import. ., •• III)' b), Balhory or SobiQIU. Belw_
(Highland I)olish) were all dominant in their 16:J3 .lId .&" the mere Ipre.nllce or hia lIewl)' WealeniHd
respcctive cornCr!! of the Republic, Religious .rm)' WI. oneil elllOush to iarimidale Turlu. MU~""tes,
freedom was also largely respccted at the time when
Sw....". ...d c...... r:1u. and it pa...... Ihe _y ror d,,,
unprec:ed"nl.... t"n yea,.. "Gold~n Peace'.11 lime wh~1I th~ ~I
orEurope WI. "nSlllred ill _r, EnllRylns hy Je",mi.n Falck.
the Inquisition operated in Spain, and Huguenots (PAN Ubrary, Gdan.k)
were being massacred by lhe thousand in France,
This variety of cultures had a strOllg influence on
Ihe Polish al'my_ Alongside Ihe predominantly
Polish and Lithuanian 'winged' hussars served Glossary
numerous forcignen from both within and outside Approximate English pronunciations of Polish words
are in italics.
lhc Commonwealth: Tatars and Cossacks, Wal-
lachians, Transylvanians, Moldavians, Hun-
Autora..menl (owt'o'ro'mmt): contingent or
garians, Serbians and Albanians; and from the 'enlistmcnt'; section of the army organis«! after either
West, French, I talians, Dutch, Walloons, Swedes the Polish or the Western model.
and Scots, The strongcst influence of all, however, Bulawa (boo'U,'6l'd): helman's mace,
came from the 'Holy Roman Empirc'-the loose Bunczuk (booll'claool): horse-tail or winged command
association of SUlles now called Cermany, insignium,
3
 Buzdypn (boo~'ijgQ1l): 'fealhered' mace.
Cberuni.a Wolish Cyrtmys or C~tmtrys): Finno-
Ugric teppe people; Polish Tatar.
Cbo~giew (ho'rong'yff): 'banner', nag unit,
equivalent to Western infanlry company or cavalry
troop.
eo••ack: warlike people of the Steppes; hence a class
of Polish cavalry.
Crown: 'the Kingdom of Poland'-heartland of the
Polish-Lithuanian Republic,
Orabant, trabant (Cerman/C:r.t:ch?): guardsman,
especially a royal bodyguard.
Haiduk (hai'dook): Hungarian infantryman, or Polish
infantryman in Hungarian-style uniform.
Helman: commander.
Koncen (kon'l./:t'dr). ElitOC, Tuck or PanzerlJlecher:
long sword carried on horse, Thc 'Hungarian' version
was often triangular or square in section, 'Turkish'
version often double-edged.
Komput (tom'poor): 'hudgrt' or registc'r of forces paid
by the Sc)'m and raised 011 a territorial basis after
1652.
Kwarciani (kNt,(ho'nu): soldiers of the standing
'Quaner' army, paid from frattion of ro)'al re\'enues.
Lanowe &. Oymowe levies: pc:a.",ant conscripts
raised pcr 'Ian' (Polish 'acrc' or hide), or 'drm'
('chimlley-smoke' i.e. coltage),
Livonia (English), lnHanty (Polish), Livland
(German): Baltic province; modern Latvia and
Estonia.
Palan (pa'wiuchl, Pallasch (German): usuatl)'
straight hmadsword, with sabre lMl\ern hitt.
Confusillgly, by 16io a tcrm also used for hussar
sabres, and dragoon swords.
Pacholek (Jxl'ho'wtk), POCZIOWY: sen'anl or retaincr
of a cornradt,.
Pancerni (pan'l~r,nrJ'): Cossack-style cavalry usually
wC'aring mailshirK
The Foreign Autorametlt
Germany has been Pol<tncl's traditional enemy ror
centuries. It rna)' St.OCffi odd in view of this that the
German empire wa..~ actually at peacc with Poland
for Illuch of this period. The 17th-century Polish-
German border was not the rigid racial divide that
it is toda)" and the statt"Salong it-Bohemia, Silcsia,
l\loravia, and Pomerania-were all partly Slavic.
Many Germans lived within the Polish Republic
itself, particularly ill tIl(' Polish vassal states of Ducal
'I
Petyhorcy (pt1't'lwr'tq): Circassian people from the
five Hills (Piaty Hory); hence a type of (t.'Spc,'ciatly
Lithuanian) cavalry.
Poczd (JxKh'tI): fundamental I'olish military unit
composed of a comrade and his rClaincflI, based on
the medieval 'lance'.
Pospolite Ruazenie (por/xl/u'le roo'Jhillyr): levy of
the nobility.
Pullc (poowk): 'battle', largest Polish lactical unit;
later synonymous wilh 'regiment'.
Rajtar (rai'lar) (from the German Reiler): cavalry-
man of German type.
Rota: until mid-17th century a company-sized unit of
Polish type (used interchangeably with cboJ"l\giew);
ill 'German' units a 'file' of six soldiers.
RotnUstn: (rot'muruch): 'riumcister', 'rotamaster', or
captain, commander of a thouJgitlV.
Rzeczpospolita: The Polish-Lithuanian Republic or
'Common\vealth'.
Mym, Sejm: the Polish-Lithuanian diet or
parliament.
Szyszak (shish'ale), Zischigge (German): Oricntal
helmet which developed into the 'Pappcnheimcr' and
the English Civil War 'Lobster I}ot'.
Sz.abla (!tht/h'la), Sabre: Eil.~tcm curvt.'ll slashing
sword.
Tabor: Eastern mobile waggon-lol't.
Towarzysz (hJ'/}Q'~hish): 'comrade'-a 'companion in
arms' to the rotamaster---or to stress social Status,
'gentleman' or 'cavalier.
WojewOdztwo (L,()~)'t"I'OOdrtl'O), Palatinate: the
largest territorial division, govcrnt:d by a voivode
(pal:lIine).
Wybraniecka infanll1' ('!J"hran'J'tl'ska): peasant
soldiers levied from Polish royal estau;s after 1578.
and Royal Prussia, and further up the Baltic
coastline in Courland and Livonia. There were also
many Germans in Polish cities: Dam'.ig, capital or
Royall'russia and by far the largcst and richest city
in the Polish Commonwealth, had hardly a Pole
within its walls.
Ensips or WiUiJlm Sle_" or Hou"con'. Scouiah R~s>meat,
The re!imeac or.i,.. compaaiq nuntberinsaboUl JOG "u·.n wa.
hired by Os_iS in '577-8 snd wOn V_C rsn.e ;0 f.he dey's
rebellion ssainlll Poland. Some IIlayed On 10 _rve.in che kin! or
Poland'. srmy, ... Au!ul'c 1.578, only moatha after the
res>mtac'" return from Daoz.iS' this walercolour _Ii painted
in a manuacrip1 lacer completed by de Gartter. (CopyriShl-:
Royal Libnry AJbuc I, Brwot\elaj
5
 Inevilably lile Germans had a deep influence on
Polish armies, and a section of the army was
organised entirely after the Cerman model. This
section or 'enlistment' of the army was called the
'German' or morc commonty 'Foreign Autoramrnt'.
It is important to note, however, lhal lays seldom
dislinguisht.:d between Germans and other Western
Europeans, and the word 'German' (Niemiec)
originally meant no more than 'non-speaker'. For
simplicity this convention has been used here.
'Gennan' Infantry
Until the first decades orthe 17th century Germany
supplied large numbers of mercenary infalllry to
I'oland. They were mainly paid volunteers. levied
'by the drum' and organised entirely in the Western
L.II., Germa.. 'Landsk..ed>t' infantry at the ai"s" of o....;S.
Th"Y foulJht for both Da.."lsus and Pol.,., and lat"r foUoWN
KinS 8Iolhory th" t\.h._";t,, eompais.... of IS" &t.11...."
lIamboyaDt d "olourfuUy dOlhN m"r""llaries had 10..S
been "mployed i.. Poland; th"y w".... p~om.iruo..nt.1y h.,.vily
annourN p;k"m"n, with a smsll"r number of arqu"buai,,"
aad muak"t""ra in aupport. Detail of a '577 G"rma.. prinl.
(Cd.... !&., PAN library)
'! !~{;rJT1r,~
. ~-~~~-----_~_~:::...:.-~~~c~ ~~
__
- -- ---::.- _..:--
--~,.--...;;;-
....
\ r ---
- -----
,/
6
.,
,(I
manner into 'regiments' commanded by colonels,
and divided into men armed with heavy malehlock
muskclS and five· to six·mctre long pikes. The
strenglil of regiments was calculated in 'rations'
(porcje), and 'horses' in the cavalry. As in J)olish·
organised units these included a large number of
'dead-pays' for men who did not actually exist, so
that the actual strength of a unit was about ten per
cent less than the official registcr. A regiment often
numbered as many as 1,500 'rations', and
contained up to 12 companies. Each company was
divided into three or four corporalships which in
turn were divided into threcor four falas (files) ofsix
soldiers. The soldiers were trained and firmly
disciplined by a proportion of officers which far
outnumbered the ratio in Polish·organised units.
Consequently Foreign units were more expensive to
maintain.
The Polish nobility, however, were not keen on
these foreign mercenaries, not least because senior
foreign officcrs made vast fortunes out of mor
soldiers, but also because they became more trusted
--- ---
- -
-
..... :'It..
 ~~"£jg~~
by the king than ordinary Poles. In t628 a regional
Seymik noted that: 'Even the fGermanJ captains
';1....>«:...><. \~ • '" V •• " ~ ~~
admit that, if the means occurred for our peasants!O
receive training, in a shon tim. I hey would surpass
the roreigners'. This was tried lor the first time in the
same year when a ',ooo-strong regiment of Poles
".
~~~
was raised under Reinhold Rosen.
Theacct:ssion of King Vladislav I V brought even tF
greater changes in the Foreign Autoramtl/f. In 1633,
while equipping an expedition to relieve Smolensk,
and with few German troops available due to heavy
demand in the Thirty Years' War, he filled the
ranks of his 'German' infantry with Poles. Soon such
Poloniscd 'German' unils had become the rule,
although this was only one step towards a truly
Polish army. They wcrc still organised and dressed
in the German manner, commanded by foreign
officers, and drilled in German, even though most
could lIOt speak a word of it. Not surprisingly
recruits came mainly from German-speaking areas
of Poland, or in Lithuania from the Baltic provinces
of Courland and Livonia.
The Cossack rebellion in 1648, and Vladislav's
death, forced hi.~ successor John Casimir !O take up
the opportunity of an improved supply of foreign
mercenaries after the Thirty Years' War, thus
delaying changes for many years. Dnly in the late
IGOOs and early ,6705 were the first serious attempts
made 3t a more complele Polonisation. These were
backed mOSt fervently by Andrl.ej Maksymilian
Fredro, caslCllan of Lwow, and many of his Odd_I_Io.;nl: 'Polish soldi",r' from. rather uoreliable coslume
published iD Antwerp I.. '57a. baRd On. Frencb work of
recomlllendations were followed up, especially after abook decade urlier. The G",rma .. 'pluderbOH-O' IrOUllf:rtl and
Sobieski began to have greater control of the army j.olssary_like be.dSe.r sUUKI thai _elle ....ertl visualised
Pol... • s aero"" bel....ec!o Germ.os ....d Turks.. (Uolv"'rs;ly
from about 1673. UbMl.ry, W."'..... j
The 'German' infantry were re-dressed in Polish
uniform, more suit<:d to warfare in the East. Polish
drill was adoptt..'d by a few regiments, and and not restricted to siege operations as lhey seem to
Foreigners were forbidden to bccomesenioromccrs. have been in the West-several sources suggest that
Regiments, now rt..'duced to four companit."S of6oo in the t660s they were used to break up cavalry
men or less, were renamed pulk.J, and companies charges. Flintlock muskets crept in slowly; although
became thQrqcitw.J. The division of the army into mOSI dragoons and the newly formt'd grenadier
'Foreign' and 'Polish Autoraments' was abandoned companies had them in Poland by 17°3, they did
in favour of simply ;infantry', 'ca,'all'y' and not stan 10 replace infantry matchlocks until '707.
·dragoons'. Like tht."SC new names, which were still Bayonets also seem to have lx.-Cll used to a limited
used intcrchangeably with the old terms, many of extent in Sobieski's army.
the changes were little more than cosmctic; and
foreigll influence continued 10 be dominant. 'Gernlan' Cavalry
Sobieski realised that tile \-Vest still had things to The contribution of German-style cavalry fighting
teach Poland. Grenadt"S were used by his infantry, in the Polish army has been largely overlooked in

7

Silk colou... of an unldentHied 'German'_Il'yle infanlry
compolny lhat probably foulhl i.. Pola.. d. The red RQ{(w)· or
'nued' eron of BU'JundY appeared On Ih" flaSa of ...a ..y
Calhollc Illal.,. indud.nl Poland. Top and bollom npe"la
(a...boWd bere) are .. ky blue, aid.,. arc while. The hUle
dimc...lo....-,'S .. 2.tScm on a 3,oem 10"1 bafi_re Iypical
for lale l6Ih to nrly 1,Ih cenlury infanlry flal.' (MWP)
rt.'ccnt timcs. One Polish military historian, Gorski,
eomplaint.,'d that he was unable 'to gain the slightCSl
cluc' about them cven from German studies, and so
concluded that their role in Poland must have been
minimal. In facl, cOlltcmpontry I>olish genct'als
rt.'garcled their German cavalry vcry highly. In the
J 6505 KingJohn Casimir preferred them to hussars,
and in 1652, after the disaster at IkllOh, he cvcn paid
them more than hussars: 65 zlotics per quaner
compared with ol1ly 41. For more than a decade
after 1652 German cavalry actually outnumbered
hussars by a considerable margin.
In Poland, W<.."Stcrn cavalry were called reiltrs (or
rajtars)- literally 'horsemen'. This name covered
the classes of cavalry term<..'CI in the Wcst 'lancers',
'cuirassiers' and 'arqucbusicrs', although these
tenns were also used on occasion in Poland. Polish
rtitus differed lillIe from their Western equivalent.
They roele heavy Frisian horses, unlike the liglller,
hot-blooded. huss.,r horscli, and were equipped in
Western style. Much of the <..'<luipmcllI was
purchased in Silcsia or Prussia so units were orten
raised, or at least periodically qunncn.'CInear these
provinces to enable them to re-(:quip more easily.
Many rtittfS wore heavy three-quarter armour,
some being {.'<Iuipped to the high standard of
Western ·ctlil·assiers'. Indeed the castcllan of
Cracow, Zbaraski had cvcn suggested raising 2,000
C\liras.~icrs (kamqr) in 1629. By the I 64OS, hO\\'ever,
8
heavy armour began to be replaced by bufr coats
and simpler brea.~tplatcs worn with felt hillS.
It seems likely that one portion of the 'Cerman'
cavalry-the Polish 'arquebusiers'-were organ-
ised after the Polish 'comrade' system, and dressed in
Polish style. 'rhe 'Bassano' engraving of ~"ichal K.
Radziwill's entry illlo Vienna in 1679 surprisingly
idemifies as 'arqucbusicrs' a unit dressed in hussar
armour with wings on their backs but without
lanCL'S. In lhe 16g0s it became common for hussar
units to be converwd to arquebusiers, again
suggcsting that their <..oquipment may have been
similar. It is clear though, that most 'German'
cavalry in the Polish army remained equipped in
the '''''estern manner, even at Vienna, and this led to
many complainlS from the noblcs lhat German
rtiltrs were being kept under the guise of Polish
'arquebusicrs'.
Dragoons
The first dragoons appeared in Polish employ in
1618. This \Vas nothing novel, as they were simply
infantry lIsing horscli to allow them to move more
quickly-the Ukranian Cossacks had fought in this
way for many }'ears. Ukranians, in fact, soon
formed the bulk of dragoon recruits into the Polish
Army, causing chaos when they dtsened wholesale
during the Cossack rebellions after 1648.
The dragoons were lhe dogsbodics of the army,
one anoll}'mous account of Ihe Vienna campaign
calling them 'horsemen fit for c\'ery service of war,
\vith musket and sword, first ratc pillagers'. They
were raised almost exclusively from peasants, and
performed all lhe dangerous and unpleasant tasks
which lhe noble hussars and pallumi cossacks
refuscd to do. They proved to be invaluable because
of the great distances to be covered in lhe I'olish
Republic. They .scouted, foraged, and dug and
constructed camps ;md bridg<..'S, making usc ofax{.'S
carried as general issue. These multi-purpose
soldiers were consequently often atlached as
independent 'free companies' to regiments of
infantry, cavalry or artillery.
Dragoons were organised almost idelllically to
the inrantry, although usually in smaller regiments
of 200 to 600 'horses'. They were armed, initially,
with short pikes and light muskets in Ihe same
proportions as the infantry, but by the mid-17th
century pikes were abandoned and all wert armed
wilh muskets, On occasion they fought on
horseback, but they were always considered pan of
lheinfantry rather than the cavalr)', As late as 171o,
Karwicki noted that 'the dragoon, though riding 011
a horse, in ,he old manner fights on foot',

Artillery
In the cady period the Polish artillery was largely
staffed by foreigners, particularly IIaHans, although
many of the gUlls were actually cast in Poland.
There was, however, some influence from Ihe East:
King Balhory, for example, was creditL'<.l in
contemporary literalure wilh the ill\"entiOll of'fiery
bulleLS' a type of incendiary ammunition used
with great eni't:l during the 1579-82 ~Iuscovite
campaigns, The secret lay in a wadding of sand or
ashes, followl'<.l by moist gl'l;cnery,to prcvt:nt a prc-
heatl'd ball from igniling the powder charge. The
Muscovites finally countered them by constructing
their fortl'l'SS walls from thin layers of wood backl'(l
with earth, which smothered the hot ball quickly,
Major development of the artillery occurn.'(1 in
the five years aCta Vladislav became king in 1632.
A new tax, the tll/plfl or 'new quarter', \vas devoted
entirely to bringing thc artillery and engincers up 10
Wcstern standards. The artillery was reorganised
ilHO separate branches of'Lithuanian' and 'Crown Teodor ~nho(f-f....m ,61, \'oivode orp alld rrom ,i20
artillery'. Ncw 'generals or artillery' w("re appoin- orW"nd""-;,, one ora 10"S H"e oro.,Dhoff. r m Livonia who
Rrved in Ihe Poli~h army, hom ,Gog he _a colo"el or a
ted, the most famous being Kr.r.ysztor Arciszcwski German inrantry rr«;n,cllitha, ro"sht in moat orlhe Swedillh
(1646-50) and ?Iarcin Kqtski (1666 1709)i the and M"aco""e caunpaiSll1l .. ntil hi. d ... tb ill ,6lI2. In tbi.
ponra;t nowa. Wilanow, War. .w, heweart W,,"ern 'tla.hed'
latter had t'arlit'r servcd Conde in Fram;t'. Nt'w military c1othi"S with a lorset and Ooral patteroed ...h,
arsenals and laundries were built as well as vast
quanlities of new guns. The pride of plaec went to
two scries of 12 Dcmi·Kartauns (24·poum!crs): one Vienna, mainly two·, three·, or four-pounders
named after the 'Twelvc Apostles', cast ill \·Vanmw harnessed to teams of three horses,
during 1635 39; and the olhcr cast in Danzig Artillerymen in Poland were generally issued
c.1633, <tnd named in pairs after animals-'Wolr, wilh cloth for uniforms, although how they cut it lip
'!kar', 'Uumdo', 'Fox', 'Hawk' and 'Unicorn', varied over the period. The 1577 German print of
Many other sizes of gUll were produced, their the siege of Danzig shows drcss of haiduk slyle with
terminology lollowing that or lhe West, so that by nUlgierkfl caps, although in the earlier period
1654 over 600 gu ns \\'ere distribut(:d throughoul the \Vestern dress was morc usual. La leI' SOllrecs suggest
Republic, In the 16505, small field guns were alien a mixture of Western and Eastern drcssi before the
aHached to inf:ullry 'squadrons', and deployed ill Vienna campaign, for example, coloured i;upan
lhe intervals of the haltlc linc in the Swedish gowns were issued 10 the Crown artillery, A 'frce
manner, I-Io\\'cver, during 'the Deluge' much of this company' of dragoons, and in 1673 (only two years
preparation was destruyt'd by the Swedes. Sobieski after their first adoption in France) a whole infantry
relied rathcr less on artillery LImn his predecessors, 'n'ginwnt of arlillery" werc raised to provide
mainly becausc it was unsuited to the fluid warfare additional muscle power anc! protection; these were
ht prderrccL Sobieski took only 28 light gUllS to also probably uniformed,
9
 the main formations which had this honour were as
The Royal Guard follows:

The Royal Guard or Coun Army was raised The Drabant Guard and King's Reiters
independently of the state's army and was paid The Drahants or 'guardsmen' werc thc king's
from the king-'s household treasury. In IX'acctimc personal IxxlYKuards. They were made lip of
the Cuard \\ as Ii mitcel to a bOlIl I ,200 Illcn, more for genllemen and trllSlt"(1 veterans, rather like the
political reasons than economic, as the nobility modern British 'Yeomen of the Cuard'. They
fcared that what was c1lcclivcly a private army existed throughout Ihe period, though at various
would enable the king to seize absolute 1)()\\'Cf and times were called sl/jm/orts (halbcrdiers), IwrettO'
take away their privileges. In lime orwar, however, (archers), or morc commonly drabanls.
full advantage was taken ofthl' Guard as a source of One of the first references 10 them occurs in IS6S,
highly trained men, pal'licularly officers; and it was whell an Italian, Ruggieri, mentioned a Ixxlyguard
usually greatl)' expanded and paid for by the state. of ISO draballl halberdicrs, receiving fox fur-lined
Guard units were distinguished by the prefix uniforms twicc a year, and accompanying the king
'j.K.l\I.' (His Royal Higlllll.-'SS's) bcfol'c their title; on the road, when they oorrowed horses, boots and
spurs frOIll the royal Slablc..'s. In lhe ISBos men li'om
Mid"7Ih unlury volive .nyU plalf! off",.-I 10 IbeJalnll GO... these 'trusted harcer{Y' wcrc frcquently appointed as
MO_I,ery a' c.'lilOCho_. The donor, probably Gfl)'"A'"
Ouoliil.1ti, it! purt...yed afl ..r the conveneion of ehe Ii",.., ia rOlamaSlers of w)'braniuka inlhntry.
eon'pt..e.. Welil armOur wieh h......tdic: h ..ln...e, ..",..n ehough
he probably n r WOre chern In Uf... Hilleori"all "re Iilill
Ancr Ihe 163°5 the Draball(s became closely
bam.... by lJ>e "eardey of porl...ie" Iihowin!: hun.r .r",our, connectcd with a regiment of Cerman reiltt
though ..."'.. Ealilern ilem_ rn.ee and ... b..-re depieeed
here. c<lvalry thc combined unit often being called

10
 Drabant-Rfitrrs, although only a small proportion Germ... 'r"it"r,,' (horli"m"n) dudlin~. Th"y w".r blac.k ( ...11
hata, tw.ffeoat" ...d tall bootat·ypiClit for th.. mid-17th ""ntury
was cXpe<:It:d todo guard duty with halberds at any and huld their pi"to". with wh«lIoclt. upward. to f.dlit.t ..
ofth" powder d1.I'J .... M ...y Germ... ...,it..u ..,rv~ in
onc time. The unit, whieh included many foreign !i!htiZl!Po"nd, p"'r1i"ularly pnllOnera for"ed into PoU.h ."rvi"..
prisoners of war. fought mounted, and distin- d .. ring th.. Swedi"h Del..!e (.655 ,660). Det.il of. G.. rm.n
painted rond ...lllhi"ld--th"hol.. for th .. c"nt....l bo.. ill villibl .. in
guished itself Oil many occasions. In 1663/4, lor the pict....... (MWP ,,8.·)
example, during a haltle :'lgainst the Muscovitcs,
the son of the r:.unous French Marshal Grammont The Royal Footguards
was relieved to see this 'Rl'gimcl'll of King's RcilCrli From the ,6308 lil{' Royal Guard contained at leasl
composed of 1,000 horses making up six large one large regimcnt of'German' infamry, known as
squadrons ... thc elitc of the old German cavalry of thc King's Footguard or Lifeguard. It was kept at a
Ihe KingofSwcden, and ... abovc all the cavalry in strength of bet\...cen 600 and ',200 men half of
Ihe world; since one call say that troops ncvcr did which were pikemen, the other half Inusketecrs-
what lhese men did during this action'. and all wore blue uniforms ofWeslCrll paltern lined
with yellow. Like the colours of most uniforms of the
The Court Hussar 'Banner' Polish Vasa kings' guards, these were clearly an
This unit was composed of ambitious young allusion to their claim to the th,'onc ofSwcden, sincc
noblemen and courticrs, \...ho served for hOlloul' the SWl'dish flag was blue and yellow.
rather than money. Each nobleman providcd a Sobieski also raised a Quccn's Foolguard for his
PO«.tl of mell to follow lhe Coun drcssed, wife, and Prince's Footguard for his son Jacob. In
apparently, as magnificently as he could afford, in 1676 the King's Footguard was slill dressed in blue
an}' colour he likl,(1. The}' played a promincl'll part Western-style uniforms, and had blue flags with rcd
in ceremonies, in which lhey were preceded by the and while (probably 51. Andrew's) crosses; lhc
Banncr of the Realm which was carried on Quecn's had green na~ wilh whitc crosses.
horseback by lhe Crown Standard-bearer. At
various times thc unit numl>ercd bel ween 1,000 and Dragoons
100 horses, all hough after Vladislav's reign il The King's Dragoon Regiment was probably first
tended toward the 10\\'(,'1' figure. forml'd in the 16305, and continucd to exisl with few

"

Wflil Euno~n ••ddh: oflbe llIte l71b or uri)' 18dl eh'llury,
m.de fnom dar" l"lher 0" • woode.. ""eldo... wltb • yellow
_I.
"h•.nlol. luther "","'ered (MWP 1750-)
interruptions until the end of the period. In 16,,6
they wore uniform rcdjackcls lined yellow. Sobieski
rai$(.'d a second unil of Guard Dragoons for the
Vicllna call1p;tign under the command of the
QUL-cn's brollll'r. Louis de ~laligI1Y, Marquis
d·Arquicn.
Light Cavalry
During the Ibth centur)' these \\'cre provided by
unit of light-:trmt.'d hUSS<"ln. ..-\1 some stage before
the end of the 16th centul) thl') were replaced b)
Tatan alld CoOSSacks. and were used foreseort duties
and as mt.'SS('ngcrs for Ihe CoUl'l. In 16..6 they wore
red uniform.
Hungarian Haiduk Infantry
King Balhory was ptobably the finil 10 lISC haidu}a in
his guard. and Sigismund III, in his 11Inl, had a boul
4,00 of them. Some companies were dn.'SSL'CI enlirely
in bIlle, ollwrs in red; they carried rL't1 flags Ixaring
Ihe cross or '1. Andrew in white all probabl)'
rderencc.'S 10 Ihe rt'CI/while and blue/yellow colours
of Iloland and Sweden. In Sobic.'Ski·s reign therc
"ere two companic.'S, nill dresst-"d in a mixlure of
blue and rt.'CI, but onl)' olle of them was actually
molclt' up of l-IunK'lrians.
Swiss and other Western Guards
Guagnini mentions that in 1574 the newl) e1CCted
King Henri Valois of Frana: amvt:d in Poland with
a personal bod)guard of 40 Walloon muskctccn
and 60 S\'I!iss halberdicrs, drCSS(.'t1 in baggy
p/udtrhoJOI panclll'tl ill yellow and grccn silks.
Sobit-ski's wife ~Iarie-Casimire (Marysienka)
also had her OWI1 Swiss bodyguard, The)' were
aimOSI ccnainly introduced by her father ~larquis
Henri de la Grange d'Arquicn, who moved to
Poland from Fmnce in 16i8. He had previousl)'
bttn captain of the Swiss lxxJyguard of Philippe
Due d'Orlcans, brother of the 'Sun King' Louis
XI V of Fraua:, Thiny of them were cmployed to
guard thc QUL'Cn and the Ro)'al c.'\Stle in Warsaw
in 1681, and were dressed like Louis XIV's own
'Ccnt uisscs'.
Janissaries and Segbans
Small unilS of janissarics dressed in TUI'kish style,
each wilh thdr own livery colours, were kept by
wealthy magnalL's, Iltllllt1l, and the king until the
end of the 18th century. The first one appears LO
have been raised from prisoners taken at Chocim in
1673 by Sobieski, but others \,'crc recruiled from
Ruthcnian. Moldavian and Wallaehian JM=asollHs
specially selccted for their dark features and long
moustaches. A second company was added to
Sobi<.'Ski·s Guard in 1681 after it descned from Ihe
Turkish-occupied fonress of Kamicniec in Ilodolia
'complelely with ilS anns, colours, mone)-ehcst,
and officers, and came to offer their services to the
King of Poland'l. Both companies, numbering in
lotal about '200 men, accomp;tnicd Sobieski to
Vienna, and were under the command of
Gorzyrlski.
Private Armies
The great I)olish and Lilhuanian magnau..'S owned
vast estales, where they ruled almost independently
of any cel1lr,,1 '1llthoriLy of the Seym or lhe king.
'Thcy havc the liberty', commented Bcauplan, 'of
we'lring little crowns o\"enheir lC03lS0r] arms ... to
cast as much cannon as they please, and to build as
considerable fons as they arc able, , . they only want
." <rtUtn _ _ ~ tunf_ tftK"' ....... II. _I.. Tloty ..no- CA" ')
odnII.ohtd _ MOWOO.'Y.. ....I Al <lIho:r """"" _ _ A -"-d'lif/J-' A
~ b """,,-,, '-oll'1O'I, ..rr.boil....... S - "an, lip '1"l<rfrtqlOtl\thl oumck
thr Ro,-.Ie-ra. ........... _ .....,...t 1atJd-' &om 1M 0.-:.... nor, Apoponr
to h............ .......IftI .. "h.~ :ond 10 Iw... '".too _ draftol-..
thc privilege of minting coin to be absolute
sovereigns', The better-known of these magnatial
families included Opalinski in Wiclkopolska;
Lubomirski, Potocki, Ossolillski, and Zamoyski
in Malopolska; Koniecpolski, Sicniawski, and
Ulkiewski in the Ukraine; and in Lithuania.
Sapkha, Chodkicwic-.... Pac and Radziwill.
These magnates raiJled lheir own privalc armies
numering anything up 10 10,000 men. On occasions
such armies aClllally oUlllumbcred the combined
strength of the ·Quaner' ann)' and Royal Guard.
Evcn lhc Church raiS{'d soldiers from its own huge
cHates: Francis Gordon, a British aA"cnt in Poland,
noted thllt the bishop of Plock, Stanislaw Lubiellski
had, at the 1632 l'oyal eJection, an escort of 1,000
W ...ery offic"'r of. «;"'r....n' r",sim",nl c.• 666. A nOli",,,, '9th
tmllu·y copy by Kicti.ii"lilU probably .f.u. 10lil pIlintins by
JaB d", Ba"'D onU in Podho,..,,,, P.h..:",. Th", h.1f pal"'_ Ul
r....hu, bn.liepl.I'" .nd w.JIll .. fth.11 iodi.,.l", hi. rank. Th",
As!> whicb ili n:d, 10S"'lhcr wi.h """'ral ....su" wriUftl MurcH,
IIIAn. I..... th", Pol"', Ole ,hi. eim" ofe"'n wOr'" ritd Ii• • heli ••
lield ,iso. prob.bly in imi'.lion orlb", Calholic AUlitri.nli • .ad
Span.i.h. (MWP)
dragoons, 2,000 infantry and ten guns. Incviwbly,
with such armies at thc disposal of the quarrelsome
nobilit y, family feuds sometimcs developed into full
blown 'little wars'. with pitched battles and
considerable loss of life.
Thc magnalCS wen· somcwhat more h(:sitalll,
however, to usc their armics to assist thc stale, and
did so only whcn the)' fclt thcir own intcrcsts were
threatened. They werc generally not paid directly
for their sccvic(,'S, unless the)' could obtain
commissions to lev)' troops as part ofthc state army;
instead reward was given at the king's discretion in
lhe form ofland or civiltilks. Only foul' maglllllial
fhmilies had to provide military contributions by
law. their properties being 'ordained' by the Seym
to prevenl dispersion, by ensuring that they were
passed on to the eJdest son. From 1589 Ihe Zallloyski
'ordination' had 10 provide 200 mcn; the Radziwill,
6,000; from 1601, the Conzaga.Myszkowski, 150
men; and from 1 Gog, the Ostrogski, 6,000. In
addition, each 'ordination' had to maintain
fortresses for lhe dcfence of the realm.
Noblemen's armies \Vere usually dressed in livery
uniforms, in colours often relatcd to the nobleman's
c1an·badgc. It is diflicult, however, to trace the
livery colours of any particular nobleman or family
throllghoutlhe period as they secm to have altcred
fre(llIelllly.
TOWI? alld Cit)1 Forces
The larger towns and eitics raised forces quitc
independently of the state. These consisu:.'d or a
small professional town guard, for keeping order in
peace timc. and a large militia recruited from the
townsfolk as a la5t line of defence in war. Only
Danzig was able to withsUtIld a protracted siege
without the heJp orstate armies. Danzig had stron~
and modern fortifications. and the means to hirr
several thousand mercenaries if needed; she CWII
maintained a Aeet which formed the core of the kin,!.:
of Poland's navy. Foreign visitors who stopped
regularly at this 'Amsterdam of the Baltic' were
always impressed by the arsenal and its vast stocks
of weapons and artillery.
By 1646, in addition to llloullled troops ra.ised by
the merchants, journeymen and hUlchcrs, Danzig
'3
had al its disposal over 6,()(X) mell ill five infalllry
regiments raised by the burgher.;. Each regiment
was composed of 1'2 companies. They were
cOlllmon!}' referred to as the While, Blue, Orange,
Red and 'Mixed' regimellls. (The last of these,
raiSl..'d from outside the town walls, was also for a
timc called the 'Green Rcgimellt'.) Their namcs
were connccted wilh the colours of their flags rather
than unifonns: eontcmporary paintings by Milwitz
'4
show the regiments welcoming Queen Marie-
Louise in 1646, and there is little correspondence
between flag and dress colours. Intercstingly, the
soldiers arc dressed in Western clothes with little
uniformity, though many have Polish·style fur caps
as a concession to February temperatures.
Danzig's army gave enemy generals more Ihan a
fair shue of headachCli: Danzig held Olll against
King Bathory during the Danzig revolt without
ever having her defences penetrated; and again in
the 16'205 rCliisted a long siege by Gustavus
Adolphus's Swedes. Gustavus's successes in Europe
would, no doubt, have been even grcater if he had
not made the mistake of ullderClitimating Danzig.
Gustavus's famous biographer, Harte, noted that
GustavllS was forever furiolls 'that a pacific
commercial rabble should beat a set of illustrious
fellows, who made fighting their profession'.
Tattlrs
In 1'24'2, after barbarically laying waste to Poland
and Hungary, the Mongols headed home to clect a
new khan. They left behind them, however, a
Sll'ong Mongol presence on the Russian Steppes
which has lasted to this ccmury. The Tatars, or in
carly literature 'Tartars' were the dircct des·
cendants of these Mongols and allied Asialic
peoplcs. By the 17th ccntury there were t1wee major
groups ofTatars still in Europe: Crimean, Noghay
and Budzhak.
The most powcrful of these was originally part of
the Mongol 'Great Horde'. In 15°'2-3 thcy had
migrated to the Crimean Peninsula, and in the
rdative sccurily it offered they adopted a semi.
settled way of life. They bccame known, therclorc,
as the 'Crimean Tatars', although their khan
retaincd his title of'Khan of the Grcat Horde'. The
old lands of the 'Creat Horde', the north and the
cast of the Crimea, were thcn filled by the 'Noghay
Tatars'. The Budzhak Tatars, a fierce offshoot of
the Noghays, roamed further west in the early t 7th
celllUry, to the plain between the mouths or the
MUJlket aad berd;",b all .. ofa type used by Sobiuki'"lnrantry.
The berdi"h whicb ....rved a. a mu"ket ft"', a wood axe, ...d an
offensive w .... po... occurred I.. ",any ahapea and abe., aad
ofle.. had "trap" tiO tlt.at i' could be "Iun! on 'be .boulder.
(MWP, photo: Mlrost.... CionowiCill)
 Dniestcr and the Danulx'. Each of these groupings
was further divided into tribes, the main Crimean
tribes being the Shirin, Mansnr, and Bahrin.
Sometimes, as with the Bialogrod Tawrs, sub-
divisions \\'cre also called ancr their n:gion of
settlement. Most ofthcsc Tatars were dependent, to
some extent, on the Crimean Khan.
The Tat,us retained the brutal nomndic tem-
perament of the Mongols. They spent most of their
time either looking aner their cattle, or raiding Slav
lands in search of booty and slav(.'S (yasv'r) which
they then sold in Black Sea p0rlS. These raids had a
severe effect on the Russian Steppes and the Ukraine,
turning a vast agricultural g<ll"den imo an under·
populated, balt!c·lOrn desert. The lhet that thc
Tatal'S were forbidden by their Islamic faith to
touch pork led many irriwlcd Slavs to take up pig-
famling! Inccssant raiding also made the Tatars the
chief military opponent of Poland in the 16th and
17th centuries, and this had a d{'~p innul'nce on all
aspects of lhe I'olish military system. The Tatars
were, after all, Ihe chief reason for the cxistellee of
the Pok'S' permanent 'Quarter' army.
In recent years it has become clear thai the huge
numbers quoted for the strength of Easl<orn
armies--oftell ill their hundreds of thousands arc
not as exaggeratC'd as previollsly SliPIXlsed: such
figures have usually become distoned by being
quoted out or contest. A Tatar arlllY under the
personal command of the Crimean Khan was often
reptlled to number 200,000. It could, in reality,
easily contain 200,000 ho1'St.'S, but since each TalaI'
usually had several horst..'S this meant about 80,000
men. Not aU or these, however, were actually
combatants: in 1594 the Imperial agent, Las.~Ota,
learned rrom a Tatar prisoner called Bellek that or
the Crimean Khan's army of 80.000 Illenllloving
on Poland 'only about 20,000 were fit for battle'.
Aside rrom raiding, the Polcs came into rrtquent
contact with lha Tatarli in rull scale, wars, as both
enemi(.'S and allil.'S. Alliances were traditional1y
cemented by the I'oles' annual COlltribution of
10,000 kok.,uchy (sheepskin coaLS). Agreements also
usually included a clause allowing Talars to keep a
An ~.rly '7th C"'.'·"ry "plit t ...illlUD earri.ge recovered from
t.he bot 10m of the Vi",,,I. rh,er near W.rnw in '9'3. The "llIe
ohhe wheet ""lI..ltf!1ll" • ";",_pound,,,r gUD of 27 ca1ibr.... I"'..glh, of
• Iype known in Poland a. 'Okl.....Karla"..'. A barrel of"imaar
.iile b•• bee.. added bere. (MWP)
'5
proportion of prisoners captured by the Polish
army, which they could dispose of in their own
sinister w;), y.
Apart from such allied Tatarll, many Tatars also
,6
served in the Polish army. This was especially so in
Lithuania, where Grand Duke Witold had scttled
large numbers of Tatars at the end of the 14th
century-principally around Wilno-and allowed
them LO imennarry with the local population, In
the [6th cen[ury there were about 200,000 Tatars in
Lithuania, and all hough they still worshipped
Allah they now spoke only Byclorussian or Polish.
The main Lithuanian Tatar tribes were the UysJwn,
Naiman, ]aitl,ir, Kongut and Bahrin, as well as the
tribal aristocracy the Uhfflll.S. Each tribe owed
milita,'y service for their land, which they had to
pl'Ovide when a Levy of the Nobility was calk'd, or
when so required by the king of Poland. Many
Tatars were also hired directly for the Polish and
Lithuanian state armies. In contrast to the Tatar
Khan's armies, which were organised after a
decimal system, they were formed along the Polish
'comrade' system into 'banncrs' ofbetwccn60 and
200 men. Such a Lithuanian Tatar soldier was often
called a 'Lipka' from the old word for Lithuania.
Several other martial Steppe peoples were also
considered by the Poles to be Tatars. The
Chcrcmiss (c'ct'rt'Tll)ts) mist,."d.a small number of units
of 'mounted shot' (arqllcbllsicrs) from '574; but
they had less ofan impact than the cavalry raised by
the Circassian Ptl)·horcy tribe, which later became
the standard 'medium' cavalry of Lithuania.
PetyhoriallJ; were tributaries to the Tatar khan and,
because of their talclll:s as scoutS and guidcs, they
formed a "ital component of most Tatar raiding
parties. By the 15705 they began to appear regularly
in Ihe Polish-Lithuanian army. One famous rota
under Ihe Poloniscd Talar, Tcmruk, had .1Il
illustrious history Ia.sling over 30 years, and
contained Petyhol'ians as well as Circassians,
Cossacks and Talars. At various tim(,'S it was called
by all of these lIamCl>~as though they werc all
diOcrcllt descriptions of the same type of c'lvalry.
Again, it is interesting to note lhal lhese 'Tatar'
Petyhorians and Chcremiss were armed in
.cos.~ack . -st).lemail-shins.asindeed were may
wealthy Tatars.
'D...blUll'lKMl)'pnd ofSiS;lImu.nd U.I. m«linll orthe Serm.
Theile su.rdsmen rormed the core of ct,e Roral Gu.rd
throuShuul the p.,..iod, and w",re .rmed wil.h halberd., a .. d
ulluaU)' wore Wnle.... clothe_here MillO' Germ... 'plud",...
ho.....' IrouHrtii ...d rele loalJi.. Deuul or II woodeul br Wendel
ScharlTe.. ber'!; from Jan Ilubun'. hook published .... C...eow
in 1570-
Tbe ZajJoroz/liatl Cossacks
Th~ Cossacks or the Russiall Stcpp(,'l\ were llot a
scp.:'lratc race, though their beginnings can be
traced back to v,II'ious nomadic Tatar, Circassian
(Chcrkess) and Kipchak peoples. I\s latc as the 161h
century tht,), w('re still oflen referred 10 as 'Tatar
Cossacks', the tcrm '/t"u?akh' itsclf originally
meaning simply a common Tatar. Scourillg the no·
man's-Iand of the Steppes Ilurtured a strong
tradition of independence and miliwfy prowess
among ,Il(' Cossacks, and their entire way or life
became geared to warfare and piratical activity. In
Turkish cyt'S the term 'Cossack' quickly look on till.'
o\'crtonc of 'n·Ccl.>oOlcr',
The Don Cossacks arc perhaps the mOSI famOliS
of the many Cossack groups, out in this period
rarely camt' Elf enough \Vest to have much COlHaCt
with the Polish Rq>llblic. ~lore active and fin more
interesting were the Cossacks based in the I'olish
Ukrainl"-tht: Zaporuzhians.
The Zapol'Ozhians livt:d 'be)'OIld the cataracu'-
.(a PQrok....----.on the islands of thc Dnieper River,
where tht')' wen' virtuall)' invulnerable to attacks
from the Tatars. OIl(' of the first bases of the
Zapomzhi:llls was established in the 16th century
on the Dnieper island of Khortytsia; this bec.lme
known as the ·Scch'. The Zaporozhians spent mOSI
ofthc year seeking advcnture 011 lhe Dnieper River
and Black Sea, on the notorious 'Wild Plains', or
somet.imes e"cn furthcl' afield, but returning to the
Sech in willter.
Important decisions were takcn in the Scch by a
curious form ofanarehic democracy, described here
b)' the Imperial agent Lassota in 159+: 'They broke
up into two groups ... and formcd two circles. One
consisted of t1}e officers, and the other of rank-and-
file whom they call (11m/. After a lengthy discussion
the ,II,m .. in their traditional sign of consent,
t lirew their caps into the air. Then the mob rushed
ovcr to the othn circle, that of the officers, and
threatened to throw into the river and drown
anyone \\'ho disagreed with them',
The Zaporozhialls displayed many of the traits of
the rebellious fi'inges of model'll society, such as a
delight ill bizarre hairstyles, and a love of drink,
song, and (panicularly) fighting. Fi1111 disciplinc,
howcver, kepi this unruly mass together. The
notoriously promiscuous Cossack women were
forbidden to enter the St..-ch itself, and men were
banned from taking alcohol on milital)' expcd-
King Sigi..nu.nd W witb hill D ... bant bodypllrd,ln .60S they
kid'
num1H.red 66 halbf,rdien, .nd .. ur....unded tbe wbenever
he .ppell.red in publir:, They wore blue npell, an red velvet
G..nnan'lIlyle dcothing, Delail rrom the 'Con.l.nli.' or
'Stodthcolm Roll', (Royal Clllllle, W........)
,7
 intervention from Poland. The only reason il did so
was because the Cossacks provided an effective
early-warning system against Talar raiding by
keeping an eye on the main crossing points on the
Dnieper, and the Polcs, initially at leasl, thought
the Talars the more dangerous.
As Cossack disruplion in the Ukraine got worse,
Ihe Poles cstablished a central regisler 10 limil the
number of men allowed 10 pursue the Cossack
lifcslyle. A lll\it of300 Lowland Cossacks had scrvt:d
in the Polish ann)' in 156g; but the Ilrst lrue
'Regislcr' of Cossacks was SCI up by King Bathory in
1578. It conlained the names of 500 Lowland and
Zaporozhian Cossacks, organised into a military
unit commanded by a Ukrainian magnate, ~'lichal
Wisniowiccki, slarosla of Cherkassy and Kaniv.
Regislcred Cossacks were paid a small salary,
largely in cloth for uniform, to be distributed
annually in relUrn for a promise ofmore responsible
Crim...,n "'Iin Inlmpel banner of Vladit;la.. IV'a SlOard. II ia
painled wilh the qlOarlered 'Easle' and T",rl",it' anna of behaviour. Ralhcr misleadingly, the Poles iden-
Pola..d.Lilh",ania w;d, V... '\\'belliaheal' in etU:"'tche(lo. II"'..... tified all Cossacks on the Regisler as 'Zap-
ro.. nded by I.he Chain of the Golden Fle«e and Vladi.lav'a
title: 'RD Polonla.. Mapul 0". LitlOaniae a ....ia.. PnllIllle orozhians', even though most were raised in the
Ma_";ae Samosiliae U"oniae Smoleo.ciae ~en>ihovl.ae
S.. w.e Golo..... m Vandalor.. nlque H.erell'. The la"'" of • nonhern Ukraine, and Ihe comm;:mder himself
....fe....oee to bill M .. lleo";le thro..e dalea the banner 10 afler Ibe soon became known as the 'Hetman of the
,6,.. Irettly In wlLieh he .ba..doned hi. p .... u ... io.., but be Itill
cl.imed. Ihe Swedi.h Crown .. nlil bil dUlh in .6..8. Zaporozhians',
Dimeliliona: 54 >< 54 em, (MWP 11.4'191")
The Register could do lillie, however, to halt
ilions. In lypic.d Cossack slyle, orrl'ndcrs wcrc Cossack expansion: in 1583 the Regislci' was
drowned in the lll'<tfcst river. increased 10600; in 1600, to 2,000; and by 1619 it
Such freedom allractcd lllally outsiders, The so- contained all of 10,600 nam(,'5. Only 1X:lwcen 1625
called Ni~owcy or ·Lowlander.; Litlle Russian and 16'18 was thc Rcgister rl'duced to between
pcasanUl from the llorthern Ukraine and lownssuch 6,000 and 8,000 after sevcral costly rebellions had
as Kiev and Cherkassy mi&'Tatcd south to becn plll down. The 1648 rebellion llllder Bohdan
'Zaporozhia' for thc summer. They returned home Khmclnilsky (Chmic1nicki) caused an explosion in
only to become c1is<lrrccted with their liws of virtual the Register; aftcr several Cossack mililary suc-
slawry 011 CSt:\II'S OWllcd hy I>olish or Lithuanian cesses, the Polcs agreed at lhe Truce ofZborow in
magnatcs. Zaporozhian rebelliousness spread in- 1649 to expand it to 4°,477 Cossacks. Thc 1649
creasingl)' llol'lhward, and gradually became rcgistcr (sec below) was organised inlO ImlkJ
prcdnmilHlllt ill lhe Ukraine. III a shon space of (regimellls), which were both tcrritorial and
time the bulk or Ukrainians had in cflcct also rnililary units. Each regimcnt was divided into
beeome Cossacks. Peasant.'i, tOO, Oockcd from
oppression in Poland, Lilhuania and Muscovy; and Regiment Men Regiment Men
as the halian Gambcrini 1101t:d in 1586: 'Desperate Chyhyryn 3,220 Kicv 2,002
men who, havi ng cOllll11i ttpd various excesses, could Cherkassy 2,990 Perciaslav 2,986
nOI livc seellrcl)' elsewhere' came from as far as Kaniv 3, 16 7 Kropyvna '.993
Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Korsun 3,47° Myrhorod 3,009
Tilt' lands of the Zaporozhians were at leasl Bila Tserkva 2,990 Poltava 2,97 0
ll'chnically pan of the I>olish Commonweallil. It Urnan 2,997 Pryluky 1.996
may appear remarkable thaI such an anarchic Uratsl"v 2,662 Nizhyn 99'
society survived at all with the constant lhreat of Kalnyk 2,050 Chcrnihiv 9gB
,H
J(Jtnias ('hundreds'), the strength of which varied forced to go at a snails pace to keep its essential
bet\\'l"Cn roo and 250 men. Despite such increases waggon train nearby. A dire fate was in store for
there wa.s not enough room for everyonc on the troops who lost their waggons or exhausted their
Register, ,md during the I'cbcllion some regimel1ts supplies. While the cavalryman had his horse to
expandl'<l up to tClltil1les thcirorigillal size with the help him forage for food, the miserable infalllryman
innux of irregular recruits. was left to starve. During the 162 t Chocim
The Cos.'~ack rt'bC'llion lasted from 164.8 to 16;)4, campaign, for instance, the German cavalry
and for a short time the Cossacks had a degree of escaped with only minimal casualiti(,.'S, whereas the
indepcndellcc under Helman Khmclnitsky; but the German infantry lost 5,000 out of 8,000 men.
cost was high. Hug<' massacres were perpetrated b)' These eUlubcrsome waggons were eXlremely
both Polcs and Cossacks. At Batoh in 1652, ancr the useful, however, on the battlefield iLSelf, parti·
bulk of the Polish 'Quarter' Army had becn cularly 011 the open plains of the Ukraine. They
captured by a force of Talars and Cossacks, the were used to construct the lllbor or mobile waggon
Cossacks actually paid the Tatars to hand over their
III'. Ilu..garian h.idu" gu.rd On paol.ce .... tch.
traditional shan- of the prisoners so that Ihey could Sigi.mund
Detail of a '589 prine by Adolf Laule.... c...
be executed. Among the dead was Marek Sobieski,
the brother of the futlll'!' king of Poland.
In 1654 Khmclnitsky was forced to seek
protcction from ~Iuscovy. Under Muscovy, how-
evcr, the Cossacks found themselves much less
tolerated than they had been uncleI' the Iloles. The
Muscovitl's ncutralised the main purpose for the
existence' of an independent Cossack state-the
Talars: and in 1775 thcy levelled the Scch. The
Zaporozhians nC\'el' I·ecovered.

IHlljare ill Poland

The Waggon Train and WaggoD Fort
Polish generals worried little about their supply
lines-as they have done in modern wars-and
there was little in the way of il cenlraliscd
distribution s)'stem. In the Polish-organised section
of the army each comrade was responsible for all the
ctluipmellt, ammunition and food required by his
small /KJr':'fl, and mOSt ofthcsc supplies were c:uTied
in his own waggQlls. In the Foreign Auloramml the
situation dinered oilly in that quartermaslel'S on the
payroll supervised the regimental train. The n:slllt
of all this was that Polish armies were encumbered
with huge baggage trains, and both waggons and
camp scrvants orten outnumbered soldiers.
Whell speed was vital detachmenLS of cavalry
and dragoOlls travelled in Iwnuwik-without
waggolls a tactic on en used in wars against the
Tat:trs, and to an eXlt'1ll during the Vienna
campaign. At other timl.'S, however, the army was
'9

II.Hluk of Sobi."...i'. Gu.rd. Accordink 10 11." .ccnmpanyink
iJUlC;ript;oo Ih"y 'Ilu.rd 11." k.inll ofFol.nd'. orri.llu' and.n!
'v"ry f.;lhful dOmetllic: HrVUlI.'. Clnrly 11." d"lene....dnn of
11... h.;dulu ;'110 n'''re nobl"n'"n'.lack"y. w •• in fun.winll by
11." end of II." 11m c"nlury. A French pr;nl publisbed by Le
Blond (dif'd 1109). (MWP)
fort, bcillg ;lI'I'all~ed in a ring or sqllarc al'QlIlld thc
army to protect it against faster or superior forces.
~Iost waggorls du 1I0t sc.:em to have becn specially
con\'('rtcd for the purpose, though wooden screens
could easily br improvised to givc additiOllal
protection, all(1 ditcht:s and ramparts ofcarth could
bt' construcl(,d during longer slOps.
It is ortcn s,lid that the lahor was invented in
Bohemia durin/{ the Hussit<.· wars. In lact it
originated much earlier 011 lhe Russian Stcppt.'S,
:.!tl
and was used \'cryearlyon in Poland. Knowledgeof
thc tahor was probably taken to Bohemia by Jan
Zizka WhCll he had served as a merccnary in Poland
in the early 15th century, The Poles, and
Zapol'Ozhian Cossacks ill particular, were certainly
as talCllti'd in using the tahor as wcre thc Hllssite::s.
Tactics
Polish tactics were developed over ccnturie::s ofh,lrd
fighting against all manner of opponents. East met
WCSt in Poland, wht're warfllre in the:: Eastern
tradition of the Mung-ols, characterised by brutal-
ity, trickery and carcful co-ordination of attacks,
was mixed with lhe Wcstcrn traditions of infantry,
and the charging lance-armcd knight. The lancer,
in the guise of the Polish hussar, pcrsistcd in Poland
almOSI a CClllLLl)' aftcr his skills had been forgollen
in the \Vcst. Weslcrn cavalry preferred instead to
shoot incffcctively at a distance with pistols.
The way in which Lithuanian Hctman Chad-
kicwiC"1. dealt with thc Swedes at Kircholm in 1605
is typical 01" this combina tion ofinflucnccs. His army
was drawn up in l\'longo[ style ancr the 'Old Polish
Order'. First hc triekt~d the Swcdes illlo thinning
OUI their battle-order by pulling back in it feigned
..elfl'at; thcn he l:tunchtd a wild charge with his
huss,lrs in mcdie::val styk'-'Kilt first, calculatc
afu'rwards' was his mOIlO. The Swedish army,
Oliginally over three times the size ofChodkiewicz's
lorce, was butchered almost to a man during
Mongol-sl}'le pursuit.
It took 20 years before the SWt.'des dared to filct:
I)olish cavalry in the open again, but thcir
humiliation brought an opelHnindcdll(:ss which
allow.. .d Ihe soldier-king Gustavus Adolphus 10
introdu(;c major reforms. His cavalry abandoned
the pkx:lding 'caracolc' and instead adopted the
unrestrained chargc in I'olish style, Gustavus's
great rival and anOlher great general, the
Imperialist I'appenht'im, was also much influenced
by Polish cavalry tactics.
The I)oles, toO, werc ready to adopt what was
1x.'St frolll the Wcst. Under Helman Stanislaw
Koniccpolski a marc flexible battlc-order was
dcveloped, Wilh deep checkerboard formations of
Western troops protected by neld obstacles,
eombille<! with large Polish cavalry blocks-an
aHempt to mix \OVcstern discipline and solidity with
Eastcrn spe::ed and shock. Higher-lcvel formalions
 and cOlnmancl('fS wcre introduced, including
general-brigadiers, general-majors, and gcncral- Tne Plates
lieutenants. By 1650John Casimir W'L~ dividing his
amlics into tl1rt'(' divisions each called a korplls; and A: Sit'g' oj J)an~ig, 1578
in 1683 Sobieski was combining his infantry A,: EnMgn, I "jl/jam StfflJart's Scottjsh Regimttll, 1578
regimenl.~ tOKt'lhn illlo 'b,·igadcs'. I nail, S("\,l'I'al Ihousand Scots, English and I,'ish
The end of I'oltlnd as a major milital')' power wcn' raised vcr}' eagerly for service in I'oland, wilh
came 1101 li'\nll a Itlck of willingness to learn, bUI the supply nc"CI' mecting the greal dcmand for
rather !i'om a lack of funds. A state in which the them. Scots wcre valucd cspecially for their skill ill
personal fi·{'{-c:!om of the nobility was valued so musketry, and as King Bathory's secretary Piot·
highly could not survive whell f:.tt:ed wilh new
powcrs preparcd to sacrifice every thinK to build
bigger and lX-lilT armies. It is oflen forgotten lhat
threc of the grcatt'st military powers of the 18th and
19th cellluri{,s Prussia, Austria, and Rus.',ia rose,
literally, oul of tl1<' lands or lhe Old Polish
Commollwcalth.
Bibliography
This is only a small selection of works treating Lhe
subjcct from v.lriowi angles. For a real trcat
intCft'Stro readers shuuld track clown J an Chryzos·
tom Pasek's All'Il1oin, available ill several recenl
translations.
Fcclorowi"o;, J. K. (·d.) A Republi€ of Noblts,
(C:lrnbrid1{I', 1982)
GembarJ:('wski, B. ZtJlnjerz Polski, vol, I, (Warsaw,
,g60)
Laskowski, O. I.'art militlm: Polarmis all XVIt' t'l au
XVII Jitdr, and SawcLynski, A. us Instjtutjons
militnirt /HJlonaij't's (/II X ,-'(('lit' sitdes; Rev. int. d'hist.
mi/it. nr. 12. (I'al"is, (952)
Mailkowski. T. 7lir /njlunlrt oj Islamic IIrt in Poland;
Ars hl(lfllim, "/I, 1935
Nadolski, A. Polish IImil, Sidt Arms, ("Vroclaw,
'9i4)
Paszkiewicz, ~I,il.,
Polislt II'llr !-/(lmmrrsj ]. II/"/lls (lml
Am/our Soc. Vol. 1"111.110. 3, 1975
Sto)'c,John, Sirgr cif J'ienml, 1683, (London, 1964)
lyglliski, Z. Jr. BrOT, w Dawn,;" PoISet, 2nd t'dn.
(Wars,lw, 1982)
Zyglliski, Z. .J r. Stam /),.OT' w Polskirh Zbioracll,
(Wars"lw, 198,~)
Zygulski, Z.Jr. Tilt Winged I-IlIssarsojPo/(md; Ar/llS
Qnd IlrmofJr Annllal, I, (Northfield, Ill, 1973)

SwITHOI.': (Pil"'r) of SObi....k;' .. j ...i ..... riuj .. nlik.. olh.. r I"llnkl>, W t .. rn ohllerver. ali " ..ry odd; the Frenchman Gram.mont
offiur nd m .. Mid.nM I..nded to w r I.. rban ... Th.. Pol"M f d the." 'in I.ruth a litde .... vag.., b .. t if on.. doe....·t h r
.. dopted y c•.,.lon". from Ih.. T .. r mong th.. m • I...t.. th ..m in cold.blood,on"lhink" I.h ..m .........I1 .... t'. Frnm ••·r ch
for [alit.. rn m .."iol ;n"lr"lIl.. nhl. Th in I.. rn .-truck prinl publi"hed by Ii. Bonnarl (died '7")' (MWP)

2<
rowski noted, ht'cau",' the)' had ;S(um:thing above
the Gcnllan~ ill \\illinp;l1css \0 light and ill bl'avery',
This Scottish ('I\sign with his com pall) 's colours is
b..IS("(1 on til(' 'dt' (;orll("r' watercolou~ ufSa'wart's
regiment ill 157ft H(, \\ears fashionable European
rostum(' rather than the Highland tartan so prized
b) Ih(" ScOI~ in ren'n1 limes. Until at least the mid-
17th ccntut) lartOln was regarded as primiti\c and
unci\ ili~ rHn in Scotland; and Ihuugh man)
Hi~h1:,"d('I""I. rrcruited as mercenari('<i, Illa) have
bet'n 'ihil}I,.:d <Ihmad in ii, thc) wcre usuall) rc·
dr("SS('t1 in, ur tlwir tartans \\t:re U',UI into,
cOlHempora'1 European 51) Ics as quickl) as
possible. C:t'rtainl). Scottish ofliccl"S in portra.its
d..n ing from Ihcirst:nice abroad iTlthis lx'riod never
\\('ar I .. Ulan.
He w('ars a 1i.,1t hal, a 'pinked' {dcroralivcl)'
holed) doubl..t ed/{l'd wilh a lidling ruff ,md cuff
rumes, hn'!·cht·s, tight stockings and dc('oralivd)'·
Enlou"'II" of J.n...... IUdl'.iwm. C ......d H"unan nf Wllluan;'
i"'cludi"'ll hi. buBnuk.bearer, and omun ofhnt.h Polilih and
ron;,,_ Coali",,,,,_•• m.rchi_1 mlo Kit:" in 16s. dun_II Lb..
Co el rebt:lliua. )),pl.il of. I_I oil pa... t .... t:iLh.. r by
Ab W...... t: ....·..ldl or ... ~ On hi••ketchnl.
slashed shlX'S, togt,tht'r wilh all {'ady form of the
Scotlish b'lsket-hill sword. ~Ian)' SCOIS officers
probabl) wore heavy armour in banle; according to
the Gefllmn chronicler, Bornbach, thc Scottish
Caplain Gourlay fell imo a rl\'cr ncar Danzig \vhen
\\oumkd ;Iud was drowned by the weighl of hi
armour, The \\earing of fashionable- Western
costume i also borne out in Polish sourccs: in 1581
Piotrowski 5a\\ Ihe 'silk stockings and sculptl-d
doublcts' of the Scots \\ hen thc)' marched 10 I'sko\'
at Ihe onSC't of the bitter Russian \\illtcr, adding
r.Jtherdh-cnilH;ly'( can sec thc) 're going to find it a
littk ("hill) ".
...12: /Jtm:";!: C1li.:;t'/1
The bllrg!wrs of Danzig were n.'qllired to equip
th('mS('I\'I'li lor dcf(:ncc or their cit)', Wealthier
citil.cns such as this 011(' wcrc initially orgnniscd into
separate 'patrician' companies. !-It' wcars CermOln
J.:f1~d/{Jltlmisdl armour, and is armed with a long,
'h" ~ Mlnn ,i d llmnll III .., 'hr lllllno,", "lid"" on lint.....
~I.....- .....' .... '" thr """... ,~,t>8,' 11r./u.ry I~*" , ... tab l-.don,
,~, '7
ornate whedlock llluskf't willl a lllllskeu;(,f's published between '575 and 1581, with del.ails
powdef Oask and lock SP:Il11Wf. The fed and whitt: added from port raits of nobles in \'\'allaehian clrcs!>.
sash, with ullwiual gold tassf'l, is in the COIOlll1i of the Wallachian lashion differed littlc rrom Ihe Hun-
city's arms a gold ('I'OWll over two white crosses on gm;an, though Wallachians preferred their own
a red field. The figurt· is ba..<;('d on a w:llcn;olour in large fur hats and long rounded beards. They were
the register ofcitizl'lIS in the Dallzi~ Archives dated also famous as breeders of fine 'ambling' horst'S
15gB, SOlll(,\... hat I:llrr lhall th\." Danl.ig campaign. Utdnochodlliki) which I.x:sides the usual '\\'alk', 'Irot'
Militnr)' dress, hO\\C\'I'r, did not change' sub~ and 'gallop', also had an 'amble' pace in which both
wUllially exccpt li.>r the linen Cl.mwherJ run: which legs all one side of the body wcnt forward at the
often grew grOtl'SCllIcly large nnt'r 1580. 111 1598 Lilt: samc time. W.. Uachians fought as light c.avalry,
Englishman, Fynes ~Ioryson, was supriscd nil! to apparcllI.ly spurning firearms which they can-
Set 'this madde fashion' in Dalll.i~, which 'the sidcrC(1 unmanly, preferring Lilt' how and spear.
English u$('(1 oruld, and hav(' long since laid aside'. Ccfali mentions in 1665 that only the wealthit.."St
It is intercsting to note thaI ~ loryson thought the wore mailshirts, but during ont: ceremony as laiC as
citizens of Danzig \\01"(' 'mon' rkh apparell lhan '700 an emire hundred-strong Wallachian unit
any other Gel'lTlans', wore them; they also carried d<.ida lances with red
penllallts bearing a yellow cross.
A3: I,'allorllioll (fl1'(l{'Yllall An unusual alternative guide to soldiering, TIll!
PolesoHen fought alollbrside troops li'orn the Slatt"S of Sofdirrs Shield publishl'tl in 1667. has a curious notc
modern Rumania \Vallachia, Transylvania, and on Wallachians in a section titled 'Instructions on
Moldavia and occasionall)' from furthcr into the how to talk with the various nations', II readsj 'You
Balkans, amll'vl'l1 from Albania. Inlhe ('ady period cannot have a friendly chat wilh the Wallachians a.~
separate unil.~ ofWallachians appeared only r:lI'c1)'
in Polish pay, but they OCc:.Hnt'morc popular in the Th~ Iowa lI.rn,)' of Cracow in .6oS eon~iiled of ,,600 m~n in III
16505, and hy 1(i7(i ,h('l"t' \\'('re ~5 ullits on Ihe arm)' or '3 eompa.n.lu .n in blue .nd )'~Uow W~.I""" d ....." .. It
included d ..t.ebm.... I" from ,h.. lrade .nd erafl pild.. wh_
rtglstcrs OI-ganist'cI in the same \\a) as Pulish inbuih o..,..ni...don m.d...hem ide.1 for th.. d ..fenc.. of ..il.1
cavalry. • .,.,Lio... Oflhe lOW" _It•. ller... h ..,. carry Ihe hug~ flag. ofth..
t1uild. of (fr/t to ri/:Ilt) .... itu~r.. gold.mi,h••nd ,.ilon. (Royal
The figure is hased on tllgravillgs by de Bnl)'n Call1t.., W..... w).
they arc thievish people, so start any conversation no comparable helmet is known 10 survive. At his
first \vith It pUllch to the mug'. Clearly Wallachians waisl he wcars a Hungarian sabre, and all his horse
werc far from popular ill Poland. an carly 17th·celltury !mlasz.. restored from one
probably captured from a Polish hlls.<;ar and now in
11. Cru{olt'. /605 lhe SWl-dish Royal Armoury. He wears a 'wing'
The figurl'S Iwre <In: again ba.\{'d on Ihe unique made from bird feathers at the real" left side of the
painted 1"011 of the welcoming of King Sigismllnd saddk, <IS well as rowsofostrich feathers a(lached to
Ill's bride, Conslall1ia (Constance) of Austria. his Hungarian wing-shalx:d shield, and further
dyed OSlrich feathcrs on his horse.
8/: ScoIII ;11 !}(lI"lul, flus}, Go~/oll1.sk;'s p,.;mlt Iroop qf He carrie.s all Eastern kopia lance with the
J-Iussars pennant of Goslomski's lroop, but in blue rather
Undoubtedl)' one or the strangesl sights during the lhanthe red used by the l"(;5t ofthl' troop, (Note that
1605 ceremony was Ihat offollr men riding at the ordinar)' comrades' lance pcnnanLS of GoslOl1lski's
head of Gostomski's private hussar troop with hussars wcre, ofcoursc, single-tailed, not two-tailed,
Shined cagk's on their shields. However, even this as mcntion<.-d in the photo caption in Volul1lc I.)
biza ITl' speclacl(' must have been nOI hing com pared The pennant bears Gostomski's quartered coat-of-
to the sight. during a ccrClllony in 1592, of similar arms: Nolfrz./Gryfl, a variant of Topatz..(?) Jtlita,
shielded riders StrugKling under the weighl of Normally onl)' a single clan-badge (htrb) was used
stlllf(.'d panlhers! in I)olish heraldry, though Gostomski Ill:!}' have
The hUSS:lr wears a helmet adorned with picked up theeoll\"CllIion ofquartering when SCIll as
Turki.~h·styll' plumes, which is apparcllIly a cross an ambas..'ktdor to the German Empire, where a
ocl\'>'ccn a Polish Sl,ysz.ak alld a German SllIrmhoubt; complicatcd coat-ol:arms was a sign of high
breeding.
'1.., milh'" or .h" 10_" ""IlIhbourin,; C...",ow-Slradom,
Kl"pan .nd KJa1timl"..-"re, unllk" !h" Cracow militi., 82: Cracow miJilitlma/l
dreued I" Pol"'h.lfunprla" ItaidIlA' r...hiOD nllb",...han The slrongly Germaniscd naturc of man)' Polish
Gum h.hllullb 10 !h", Pm" blu" .Ild >,,,,1111'" colours. (See
• lllG pl , B] io "lIlun,,, I.) (Rllpl Cali.I", W... nw) towns h'ld an innuencc olltheclress dthe lownsfolk .
. .olo-ac. &1711
I: ........ ~­
I:Drudldt. . .
3,~

A
 Cracow, 160~:
1: SClMll. Goewn18k1',IIIdll&l'5, parade dre88
Z: MlIlllaman

B
Radl.lwiU'.Uthuanlan Army, c. 1650:
I: JllJlUSl. Radl.lwlll
2: 'GeTman' CIValT)' or dragoon ~fTk:eT
3: Infantry musketeeT

c
D
 I

I!I! E
F
 flap:
I: Colonel', colour, King'. Footguard, 1655
2: Ufecornet, Kll\J('8 Reiter Regt., 1655-60

• 6

3: Pancernl c.-ck IItandud, late 17th C. .t

4: Bannerorllie Realm, King John Caslmlr
IS: 6th Co. colour, Danzig BI~ Kegt., 1646-60
6: 2nd Co. colour, Danl.ig White Regt., 164&-60

H
 Here an illr:llltl)'man of Cracow is drc.."SSt:d in
Western clothing which was uniform for the cmire
militia of the town. He wears a large, soft, felt hat, a
'slasht:d' doublel over which is a jerkin wilh falling
sltt\'cs, and shouldcr wings to cover the scams, and
Ioosc breeches and hose. 1\ large falling collar and a
silk sash worn as a field sign complete Ihe outfit.
Since this uniform had to be supplied at the citizen's
own expense the (IUality varied considerably, somc
men being rich cnough to aOord velvet and silk.
Men on thc roll arc anned with an assorlment of
firearms-somc wllt'c11ock, others matchlock- ,
I
~

I
most of them with stocks that arc unusually
decorative for military-issue weapons, and a dear
indication oflhe wt'alth of the I>olish towns; this is
reprcscllted by a contemporary German matchlock
hunting musket (t\IWP 268*). An esscntial part of
musket C<luipmclH was a n.'St-hcrc with a curious
I!·.··
tassclk-d cord loop. A 'bandolier of chargc~' is not • --<1-.
•
shown, though would probably have been worn in
action, His dress is typical of military fashion
popular throughout Western Europe; only a fc\, 11 ~_

men on the roll show Eastern influenccs in their -e;. :; ;:

))olish-Hungarian sabres, while thc majority, a:-
hrre, wcar Italian or German rapiers. /. • I.""

c: janus?, Rad.?,iu'ill'J Lillwollian Am!)', c. 1650 The ...."ipn.enl ora heavy Wneern ta..cu diU a. e8eh c".e"ry
copy or On" ofJohann Jacobi ofWallha"s"n'. ramo". military
Thr Radziwills were the wealthiest and mOSt ma....I" whicJ. circ"l.e..d widely in Europe. W.Uh...>len W1I••
capeain' in ehe 0....,08 army, and «rtainly played a
JX>wcrful magnatial family in the Polish Republic 'principalpart in ...aklng O.""'g On" of Ih" bt:tol d"f_d..d cie;... in
over much of this period. Thc)' ruled ovel' huge E.. rope.
estates, ami at most times had lllore comrol over
Lithuania lImn the tillllar grand duke-lhe king of portrait of, or by, Adolf Class burg, once in the
Poland. Radziwill collections al NicSwiei, and so probably
From 1648 Janusz Radziwill led a Lithuanian l'cprc..'Scnting a soldier in the service of the
ann)' of 10,000 men, including detachmellts from Radziwills.
his own private army, in several campaigns againsl S{ys.?,ak·typc helmcts wcre worn by German
the Coss:lcks. His initial successes, howevcr, Illl'lled cavalry, as well as Polish. Descriptions from 16+6
illto dtofe;us ,...hell rt.'fuscovitcs, and eventually mcmion lhat the King's Guard Dragoons wore
SWOOt.'s, invackd Lithuania in 165'~ and 1655. bUl'l1ished s{ys{aks, so lhey may also have been worn
by bcllcr-c..·quippcd Polish dragoon units. In
GI: jamlst 'tIll' !JIork' Rat/?,iwill, G'rt/lld Hl'fnul1I oj Southern Germany and Austria these helmets were
Lilhllanio, r. 1654 called 'Pappcnheimers' aficr lhe nllnons Imperialist
This figurc taken {i'om a portrait by an unknown commander. Flemish rapiers, also called 'Pap-
paillU'r is thought to repn:sent Radziwill in about pcnhcimcrs', were common officers' weapons
1654. He wcars a silk ~tlpafl, and over this a fur-lined throughout Europe during Ihe Thirty Years' War.
dt/ifl cloak fastened by a dccorativc b,·ooch. The remainder orthis onker's dres,'l and eqllipmelll
differs little from that used as far away as England
C2: '(,'mmlll' cal!ol~)' or dragoon oJfiur, c. 1650 during the Civil War. Most notewonhy arc the
This olTieer is based on a linc drawing of a lost cmbroidertd jacket and trousers with matching
33

V.lr.nlin "On WI ..'er (1608 71), colonr.l .nd eommllndr.r or
Dan";8'. army, foullht with ",me "u«r." _pin .., hi. rormer
m ••t..... the Swr.du durinll the 'Or.JOllle'. Ur. w ....... t.he three-
quarter armOOlr virtually ob...lr.le by this t.imr. thoullh uil!
ofle....how.. on port....it., .nd around hi. ned< the newly
·.'_n
r.lIOhion.ble lace e .... ,tern tradit;on.Uy r.opir.d by the
F~ch from ,he,r Crmlt (h"nce 'C......,,) ...eree... ri ..... A ,6711
"1111"'''''''8 by J. fknIlheimer .fler .n earlier port""t. (PAN
Library, Gdan..k)
glo\'cs, blackened back· and breastplates, and the
decorative C<lrbine. The colour of the waist sash is
unCt'rtaill, and could alternalively have bccn while
as in Wcsten:eklt's picturcs of Radziwill"s illfalllry,
or rt.'d as shown in de Baen's pictures.
C3: In/antry IfIlIskrlm, {. ,650
I tl the middle of the 17th century the bulk of Polish
in[antry wel'(~ organised into large rcgimellls staffed
by Germans, commanded in German and even
dressed in German fashion. This 'German' mus·
keteer is based on sketches made by the Radzi\.'ill·s
Court artist, the Dutchman Abraham van \,Vester·
\'c1dt, who accompanicxl Radziwill on his cam-
paigns between 16.~9 and 1651,
Soldiers gcnerall}' wor(' two pairs ofstockil1gs, the
lower pairoffitw, usually, white material, lhe upper
of thicker malt'rial. TIlt' upper pair is h('ld "l' hert'
just below the knee by stin'linen ;cannons', intended
to give the impression of the expensive high-topped
boots which infantry could rarely afford. The buff·
coloured cloth jacket is perhaps a similar imitalion
of the 'rcallhing', The black lining which shows at
the turned-back cuffs is probably related to the
trqby clan-badge ofJanusz 'tbe Black' Radziwill.
Below the jacket he wears ribboned pelticoat-
breeches. His musket is similar to models used
during the EI1glish Civil War; 10 work encctivcly it
required a musket-rest and powderflask, a ban·
dolier of measured charges in wooden container.>,
match and leather bullet-pouch. A Western rapier
all a buff leather shoulder belt completes the
equipment.
D: Sobitski's h!fanlry fwd Dragoolls, VitntlO 1683
During the Vienna campaign, Sobieski's infantry
were shoddily dressed. In the rush to mobilise there
had been little time to worry about such nicelies as
uniform for new recruits, and although many
regiments were dressed 'as well as those of
Germany', Sobieski was so ashamed of the
appt::trHncc of the remainder that he usually
marched them by night to keep lhem out ofsiglH of
the Allied generals, BruliK, a German monk, caught
a glimpse of them and thought them 'more like
gypsies than soldiers'. Dalcrac, as usual, also had
some forlhright words: 'The infantry above all is
pitiful, more dilapidated than all one has heard said
of the Spanish and Italian: some have bonnets,
other halS: some have cloaks, other.> none at all.
They arc all wilhout swords, but lhey carry
berdishcs, the use of which has always struck me as
aelmirable ... These soldiers ... are nevertheless of
an inconceivable solidity, that I would call bravery
in reasonable men. They resist all discomforts,
nudity, hunger, wounds, with a heroic steadfast-
ness; they bear aU burdrns of war, .1IId endure all
the dangers ... I have seen these soldiers dying of
hunger, overwhelmed with weariness, lying on the
ground to load muskets that they can barely lift,
and that nevertheless lhey fire incessantly'.
The hardiness of lhe infantry, and also of the
dragoons, was tn(:d to the full in the days before the
battle of Vienna, whell they hacked a palh fOI' the
cavalry and artiUery against heavy Turkish
opposition through the densely ">'ooded hills orthe
Vienna Forest.
 The ligun:s here arc baS<.'(i on copies made by
Bruchnalski of German watcreoloulll dal(,'d 1680-3,
which sadly disappeared during the last war.
D,: .Huskttur
This musketeer wcars the long Eastern garments
introduced to 'German' regimcnts in the early
167OS: a ~ufHm and over this a short-slccved braided
dilia or ;'01llusz. He is afmed with a matchlock
musket with the lIsual accoutrements-a 'bandolier
of chargt:s' paillu'd black. and a bag for other
necessaries. The 'berdish· was rarely used by Polish
infantry before 1660 (until then they used other
TRANSYLVANIA
WALLACHIA
,----<.'..,
BLACK
types of axe); they sc(·m only to have bccll
imroduced as part ohlle 1670 uniform Id"lll1:', ami
were still being issued into the 18th century.
These figures arc identified on the Bruchnalski
drawings as JAnOWt pcasant levies. D)'fllowt and
Lotlowt levies, who werc generally organised in the
German manner, were often added to regular
infantry and dragoon regiments at this time. As
early as t655 the Seym had recommended thaI
Dymowt recruits be uniformed in the colours of the
districi in which they were raised. Slefaitska has
suggested that this musketeer wears the black-on-
yellow colours of Ducal Prussia, though the main
part of his uniform remains dthe blue cloth which
TATARS
Tatar &
Cossack Lands
SEA c.l640
o 100 '.'lItes
I
2OO'km
EMPIRE @ R.Brzezlnskl 1987
35
Tala... wilh win8-..robabl)' pa... of d.e force .......1 by the
Crimnon Khan to aui" the Pol... apin..1 Ihe Swede.. One of
!levenl pa; in8" of ... act;OD near Warsaw in 1656, in which
"even Tata nn...ly capIU""" Ihe Swedh,h KinA Karl X
GUIIIIIV. P"inled in 16&t by Johann Philip Lempke ....der
dir<l1:don fron' Erik Daldber8, " Sw.....illh ...ns;ne...r who look
pan in Ihe campa;lIn. (MWP 651·).
was siandard for Ihe regular infantry throughout
the century. Sev('ral rccords survive of purchases of
bluc doth for infantry regimclll uniforms: Kqtskj's
(1679), Buller's (1688), and Aclam Sicniawski's
(, 7°3).
f):l: PikmwlI
The introduction of tile berdish axe, together wjth
improvements ill the musket, allowed Sobieski to
reduce the pmportion of pikemel1 in his infantry.
The pike was entirely abandom:d in many
regiments, whil\' in others lhe numbers of pikemen
wcrc reduced from 33 per ccnt to betwccn ten and
IS pcI' celli of till' unit's strength; and pik<.'S wcre
shortened 10 aroulld 4.5 metres. Ik'Sidcs a pike this
36
pikcl1lan c.arries a sabre and woodaxe, and is
c1rcs.~cd in Polish garmcllts, with what appears to be
a dyt.'(1 falling collar. Stefallska has suggcsted that
the green items were originally black which has
faded, and yellow and black colours hint at levying
in Prussia as in the case of D I, The long hair would
also support origins in a Cermanised area.
/)3: Trumptf"r, Crown Filld Hilman S;miawskj's
Dragoort Rtgimtllt
The surviving Bruchnalski drawing is marked 'Pulk
v. skyi 1683 AD', the commander's name a
frustrating blank. The trumpet banner which bears
the I'olish LLliwa clan-badge, howcvc,', giv(,'S a rairly
reliable means or identification, since Mikolaj
Hieronim Sicniawski, Fidd Hctman of the Crown,
was the only dragoon commander of this dan to
take pari in the 1683 campaign, At the outset ofthc
campaign the regiment numbered 595 'rations',
and was commanded in the field by Colonel Strem,
Foreigners wrile little about Polish dragoons,
 usually only mcntioning that they dilTered liulc
rrom dragoolls in the West, though Brulig states
that they WOI'C 'German unirorm'. Such a UnirOflll is
shown here in the red which was the most common
colour ror Polish dragoons. It consisted or a jackct
wilh turn back cuffs and bUtloned·back skin,
together with a rur Call-probably worn by
dragoons instead ora brimmed hat because it made
slinging a firearm over the shoulder easier. Latc
17th-century Western cnvalry boots have been
restored, though simpler PolislJ.Stylc boots wcre
chcaper and so probably mOl'C common. Dragoons
wcre arllled with a type or sword which the I)olish
military rcrormcr, Frceh·o, called a 'palashcd
sabrc'-a cross betwcen an Eastern sabre and
Wl:StCfIl broadsword.
A long ,,,hecllock arquebus, convellien t ror use by
trumpeters, has been added, although Brulig
mentions that some dragoons at Vienna had
flintlock muskets, while most used cheaper ligtll
matchlocks. It was the need ror constantly-lit
matches ror these malchlocks that led to an
unrortunate incidcnt at the first battle orParkany a
month ancr Vil'lInll. Uldzi{lski's dragoon regimcnt
wasdismoulltcd intheopcn ahead orthe main army
when it was charged unexpcct<:dly by TUI'kish
cavalry and cut to "ibbons berore the men had time
toliglil matehcsor remount. Remnants fled back on
to the Polish cavalry, spreading panic and c.ausing a
near-disastrous rout.
Dragoon horses were genernlly or poor quality,
mainly becausc they were only allolted ollce the
cavalry had becn supplied. The dragoons were
always the first to suller if there was a short rail, and
wcre onclI rorced to scrve wiLhout horses, evcn
during Court ceremonil'S, ,...hcn particular care ' ' ,IS
normally taken to ensure troops appeared at their
best. 11lIcn:stingly, ho,...e\·er, Dyako,...ski mentions
lhat each company ofBidzit'lski's dragoon rcgiment
had horses of a differcnt colour.
restored rrom items in Polish collections. At his
coronation in 1676 Sobieski rode an 'applc.grcy·
horse presented by the Persian ambassador;
Dyakowski mentions, however, that his ramous
horsc Palasz, ridden at Vienna, was a bay.
The most interesting part orSobicski's dress is the
longjacket, very similar to the one worn by \Vestern
dragoons. Sobi(.'ski was particularly rond or his
dragoons, and this may evcn be the unirorrn orhis
own dragoon regimcnl accountS orhis coronation
SUggl'Sl that this was either blueo.· ,·ed. Itis ol"Polish
cut but with unusual \·Vesteru·style culT and skirt
turnbaeks, and could perhaps be the 'missing link'
in the evolution or the long Western jusu-au-corps
military coat fi'om that or the long I-:astern gowns.
Intcrestingly, many Frenchmen seem to have
served in Polish dmgoons regiments and many
morc visited the Polish Court; all returned to
T.t.r of the NOllh.,. Horde. few det.il....rv;ve of the d..-.
worn b,. vario..a Tat.r peopl... and tribes, ...d m ...y of the
urly piclu..- like !.hia o"e are ....r"Ii..b1e. Buddl.k T.u.....
w"re s"""rally dr..."f:d more poorly th... !.he .emi--.eule<!
Crime.... Tat.r.. thoullh ~aupla.. al..... that tht!y mad" up for
thi. by bf:inll bf:u"r ",ounte<!. Lil.hualli».. T.t..... p ....bably
dn.-.ed lik" oth"r T.t.r.., .hhoullh !.h"y w"re more inOue.ct:d
by POtilih fuhio•. Woodcut from T"lii:sd," &lu4upiu/:.,
Hambu"!l, ,685-

E: &hifSki's Guard
EJ: King John Sobifski, mIld 167r¢
Sobieski's face is copied rrom a port rail made for the
Capuchin church in Warsaw which his son Jacob
considered to be the closest likcness. His drcs." is
taken mainly rr'om a 16705 portrait. He wears a
golden salih, particularly fashionable by 1700; and
carries all elaborate mace and Turkish sab,'e
37
 France fascinated by what lhey had seen. This may sultan's 0\'''11 janissaries. Late information suggests
give a due 10 the origins of many Weslern uniforms. thaI the coal should in fact I.x: green, not blue as
France, ofcoursc, was the fashion capital of Europe, shown. Several eyewitnesses, including Dalcrac,
and ill the 16605 and '70s was the souree of the new stale thai they wore green uniform with white
long~coated uniforms soon adoptt'd as standard by headgear, although one refers in 1677 to 'brown
all European armie.:s. This new style, 'n /a Polaqllt' as I'olish coats lined yellow'. The case for a green
Ihe Frcnch called it, was probably inspired by these COSlume lined yellow is made stronger by the fact
many French eOlllaCIS with Poland. Polish military Ihal 50 janissaries escorting the Lithuanian vice-
fashion also seems 10 have had a direct influence. In chancellor, Mjchd K. Radziwill, to Vienna in 1679
December 1683, only lhree months after the baltic \o,'orc green .with gold trappings; and Sobieski's
of Vienna, John Evelyn mentioned in his diary that successor. August II of Saxony, mailllained a
the king of England 'had now augmented his janiss<lry bodyguard with, significalllly, a green
Guards with a new sort of Dragoons, who earriL'CI uniform wilh yellow facings.
also grenados and were habited qfter lite Polish The janissary here wears parade dress, recoll-
/lIanller, with long pickL'CI caps very fierce and structccl frOm various 17th-century sources. On his
fantastical'. head is the charactcl;stic 'sleeve of Mahomct', 011
which is the illlercsting zig~zag design shown in one
E:.>: Janissary French prim; zig~zag patlerns became a typical
One of lhe two janissary companies of Sobieski's (ealurt' ofjanissary dress in the 18th century, and
guard wore costume inspired by the Turkish Ibulld their way illl.o other military dothing-
notably that of uhlans and hussars. He wears the
Mina All Giray, IHJD uf !.he Crin'l'aa Tatar Khan, aDd long Eastern coat, which some sources show with
comma.ndl'rorthe T.lar r"rCl'.nitilinS lhl' Tur". al Vil'DD. in exaggerated skirt corners to allow them to be tucked
168]. Hi•• rmour, IhouSh probably nUl drawn from lIfl'. til'll iJl
w"ll whh wrlltl'n l'v;d"nc:e which SU5g0t8 IMI m.ny wl'ahby up more easily into the waistsash, but this may bc.a
T.t.... wore ",et.1 protection. The sinSle Po(j",h bu."'......lyll'
'winJl' .Vpn.rI 10 be .".ched tu the ....m .. ur bou:"pl.t". misinterpretation. lk;sidcs this he wears tight
EaJlraVu.g by Jacob S... d .... rt. '684. (MWP) Eastern trousers and Turkish footwear, and is
armed wilh a Turkish sabre of the type known in
Poland as karabtla. His main weapon is a janissary
musket, in I'oland onen called aja"c{arka, wilh a
Miquclct snaplock, preferred for guard duties since
it did nOI require a constantly-lit match.

1£3: /Jraballt-Rtiter
The /JroballtJ formed Sobil:ski's personal bodyguard
011 state occasions. They were part of a large
regiment of reiter cavalry commanded at Vienna by
Colonel Jan G6rJ.:ynski, starnsta of Slarogard. The
J)f(lb{mt~Rtit"s-also sometimes known as
'arquebusiers'-played an active part in the battle
of Vienna, their colonel being one of the few senior
I'olish ofTicers killed in the battle. It was also
probably a trooper from this regiment who saved-
at the COSt of his own-Ihe life of Sobieski at
Pal'kan)'.
The drohalll wears a unilorm of entirely Western
style; the slccvt.'<! buffcoat is copied from a surviving
example in the C7.arloryski collections in Cracow,
while the large cape is reconstructed from several
Polish sources writtCIl descriptions S.lY it was
 L

inscribed with til(' cmwllcd roy;\1 cipher:J III R'. CO....d •• on a map or •. he Ukraine n'ade lOft"r d ...winsa by lh"
Fr"nchlDan B..auplaa., who aer"H1 ... a to;)ilary .... Jinur in
The decorative pnrtis.'l.11 (Wawcl 358) is engraved Poland ... the .6JOt1I publlilhed by Janli80 ...Wa_b..rS lOnd PIli
... Am.t.,rdalD, ,660. (MWP)
with Sobieski's Jat/intl clan-badge (the curvcd
shield), Othel' equipment is restored from Western
sources. A sash would probably have been worn, unit of Tatar.; .. with wings at thcir backs for
though the colour of this is uncertain; it may have scaring the enemy horses'. HowcvCf, the Italian
been white under French influence, or as Fredro might havc mistakcn a unit of unarmourcd hussars,
recommended in 1670: 'alier the white of our cagle because of their Tatar-influenced dress. The scope
011 a red ficld, hall' a breadth of white and half a of thc practice was probably very limited. The
breadth of I'cd talleta·. Tatar officcl' is based mainly on Lempke's 'Tatar.;
aHacking King Karl X Custav'. He wear.; a Ihick
F: Tafars padded ,tllpan-typc garment and the curious
Tatars were born horsemen-in the saddle almost 'Scythian'-style cap, together with a Circassian-
as soon as they could walk-though they were Tatar sabre based on a sword traditionally
somewhat morc reluctant soldiers. and preferred belonging to Sobieski and now in the Historical
shooting with bows f"om a dislance-t'Spccially if Museum in Dresdcn. Tatar noblcs typically rode
the odds were not in their favour, or if faced by swift, hot-blooded Turkish, Caraman and Arab
firearms. The PolL'S called thcir skirmishing 'the horses. Such a horse is depictcd here with full
dancc of the Tatar'S'. Eastcrn trappings, including high saddle with wing
attached at the rear Icft side of Ihe saddle,
FI" Wingtd TaMr UIiJ01l, 1656 ornamental h01'SCtail and crescent pendant, and
Several contempornry pictures, rather sUl'pl'isingly, small pillrtloc(. mace kept in a special holder.
show Tatars wearing wings. A~ IHtlian accoullt of The use of lances by some Tatar.; gives a rarc
the emry of Aldobrandini (later I)ope Clement insight into the cvolution of the uhlan lancer so
VII I) into Cracow in 1588 also mentions a 'si7.eable fashionable in the West from the mid-18th century.
39
As early as 15gB the Englishman George Carew other light cavalry in Polish service, became known
noted that Tatar officers used lances, and in 1683 simply as ·uhlans'l.
Brulig added that the lance (spim) was wielded
overarm like a boarhunter's spear, and was r'2: Talar sialldard·btarrr, lar( 171h mlfury
regarded as the Talarofficers' badge of rank. Tatar Brulig mentions that he saw T""m; in Polish service
officers came mainly from the young martial Tatar marching to Vienna carrying 'horselails on long
nobility, the so-calltd 'uhlans'j and though in the poles instead offlags'. The tllg slandard, shown here,
early lGoos the Polish SCylll had banll(.-d them from is based on an example taken from the Tatars by
lx.'Coming rotalllastcrs in the army, many uhlans Sobieski, and now at the Jasna Gora Monastery,
nevertheless held such posts throughout the 17th Cz\"Stochowaj colours (faded on the original) have
century. Since units were known after the names of been restored frolll similar Turkish standards ill
their commandcrs, Tatar cavalry, and eventually Viennese collections. The Talars also used flags,
particularly green ones wilh inscriptions from the
UnlU,e man)' Ta,au depicled in I:On'empo.... ry WH'e....
SOlinH who oflen IOGk more like IIndenl Cella ,han A5i.licll., Koran, and others bearing the princes' personal
,hi.. Ta'.r (rom. 1703 co.n.me book w... probabl)' d .... wn badges such as scorpions, griffins and birds.
from life. lie weara ,he (u~p n,en,ioned in wriuen IIccoun,a
t...d copied by Ihe Po'eah "' well ."" boWCllIIe, IImok,n! pipe The basic form of tile Steppe nomads' drcssscems
and Circa""i....T.'ar "wnrd. tBrili.h Lib.... ry) to havechangc.:d little over thousands of years, so the
dress of this Tatar, rc<;onstrucled partly from
Dudin's photographs taken in 1899 of nomads in
Ka1.ahkistan, is probably not too dissimilar from
Ihat of 17th-century Tatars. He wears a quilted and
long-sleeved coat-richer individuals wore items
made ofcotton and silk-and a large fur cap. Tatars
rode with short stirrups with their weight forward
and knees bent, a manner copied widely in Eastern
Europe and quite diIT'ercnt from the straight-legged,
dl.'Cp seat of Western horsemen. They orten used
high • rarchak' saddles which Wcstern observers
thought distinctly unstable, made even more so
since clothing and food were usually slOwed under
them.

P3: Commo" Talar, 17th untury

This Tatar has been reconstructed mainly from
eyewitness descriptions. The Frenchman Halite-
ville, who visiled the Crimea at the end of the 171h
century, noted that Tatat'S 'wear no !Urbans as the
Turks and Persians do, but caps, like the Polanders',
and that common Tatars wore 'sheepskins, with the
woolly sides next their skin in winter, but ... turn
them outwards in the summer or rainy wcather'.
The French engineer Bcauplan mentioned that all
this fur made them look like fearsome 'while bears
on horseback'. Some worc simple mocassin-like

rn", "'l1l~""·101'1 .... II"~"'" kal til" r~.,u... hKh lJ«oI",.. Polish nalionallwaddroo
in 1M mid-,lllb (Cnlu'1'. a"d .............i.,rd "·;lh laM~ allc;u1 frum l.... ,l;mc•
_.1:.0.
...... :obu ....''''.. n''* ,.,.11ed a It clearly ru.d Talar links, hUI ""mal'"
lII;ginalM futft>a ~:a" au cat!) l<M-rn ..·u ....... n in 1M 17th no"'ury I»
Mnngolian Kalm)u' S,1 ....' ...."I'I'M "'"1'...... ft,1\ worn;" lhe 1'01"'" arm) u><tal

I"
IOotwear, othcrs leather boots generally without
spun, since Tatars considcn:d them cmel and
prOcrmi "hips. a practice: imitated in Poland.
Poort:r Talars rodc 'ugly and ill-shaped' but
Ilt\'cnhdcss remarkably hardy steppe ponies
Wiunol,. On raids each Tatar had sc\'eral of these
\\htch he rode ill turn, allowing him to cover huge
distances rapidly. Herc the pony has an improvised
saddle and bridle. Though the Tatani rcli(,..d heavily
011 archery 110t all were t"quippt,<1 with bows;
Guagnini, an Italian officer serving in Lithuania in
tlK 15605/705 noted of one distinet..ly habb)
Tatar arm)' that 'hardly half the mcn had ooW5',
\\hilc the rcmainder 'tit'C! marc's bones to ticks in
platt of,\("apolls·.

G: Cossotks
The popular image of Cossacks as irregular lancer
cavalry is quite diOcrcnl from their actual
appearance in the 17th century; 10 begin with most
CClMacks werc in fact infantl)' at this time, and not
ca\'alry, and lhough many had ho~ they usually
dismoumed to fight.
In the background Cossacks arc depicted in their
fa,'ourite occupation ofsailing along Ihe Dnicper in
their '(huiku' boats, These arc reconstructed from
ketches made by Beauplan; they were oftcn up to
60ft in lenglh.

G,: l'nijofmtd Cossack, (. 16JO

In the early period, it Sttlml that 'Registered
Cossaek . wore dre "cl)' irnilar to that of the
Polish hoidul-type infantry. The emblem of the
Zaporozhians the so called 'Cossack Knight with
~Iusket' hows dress dearly of this stylc. Rcg·
istcrcd Cossacks were certainly uniformed by the
Polish Treasury, perhaps in the s.:-r.me bluc-grcy
colOllr as for the: reSl of lhe Polish infantry.
In addition to uniform, rcstorL-d from drawings
made by Beallplan. this Cossack is armed with a
Western matchlock musket with a Turkish powder
flask, and a Polish-Hungarian sabre on makeshift
slings. Hoots arc restored from recent finds at the
bailIe site of Bercstccz.ko, where a rebel Cossack
amlY reputed to number 100,000 was virtually
wiped out in 16,1)1 b)' lhe Poks. Other finds on the
batllcficld, incidt'nwlly, suggt"St that the Cossacks
wen' receiving vast qU3nutil'S of equipmenl from
the ~lt1§covit("S.
P'in--: m.Cft. The CoIl.. d... &Ad T.la.... i. poortic"lar
r.\'O",ed .m.U m.~ •• i... ;!";a or ....OIk; IheM exan'plell are
olll)' "cm ••d "Bcm 10..S «lmpoored wich the 60 co ?Oem or
blllil ..'11 .... c.... (MWP)
G2: Cossack offiur. 16p-jO
~'Iuch of the krain(' was actually owned by Ilolish
magnates, and quite naturaJly wealthier Cossacks
imitaled their dress, so that Polish and Hungarian
features gradually filtered down even to the lower
classes. Large (IUantities of line clothes were also
Strippt'C! from em'rny prisoners and dead, or taken
on raids. Descriptions of Cossack forces after their
viclories over the I>oles during Khmclnitsky's
rebellion confirm such practices on a large scaIL·:
I'
.' ..
~.~ ,

"
before the CtJ~cks were M:rulry <Illd almost entirely
on fOOL; ancrw;lrds, richly dressed and all with
several hofSCS.
The l·lungarian.l)olish dl'C::ss of this Cossack
officer is bast.'(1 on decorative figurcs on maps of the
Ukraine. made mainly in Amsterdam. probably
aflcr Beauplan. In addition he wears armguards.
and carries a Polish·Turki h katahtla sabre, and a
Jlimtac::. mace as a sign of rank.
Gj: Unsotk t. 16jO
This figure is b.'lS4..'Cl on drawings by Wcster....e1dl.
~·hich how the mOC;:tssin·like postol.! shoes. and the
loose Eastern overgarment. ~lany Registered
Cossacks during the Khrnelnitsky Rebellion wore
uniform, though it is 1I0t known if this was coloured
in any systematic way; Zaporozhians, howe....er. are
known to have bcc:n partial to red. His hair is cut in
tht t) picaJl) Coss.'lck (huh or osoltdtls herring
CUt haved e1<<<"pl for a long lock on the lOp,
usually combed fornard mak.ing a tcar-drop shaJX
on the fo~head, or occasionall). c\'cn wound round
c.....dl(1') Waalry 0" tM mJU'd.. 1A thi. pnioct m_1
an ear; Ihis"as tlsuall)' worn with a long drooping po.1A'''.
Cos...d.s Jla Uy (_stll Oft foot. 011 by aa.-..-......
mouslache, especially by Zaporozhians. He is IJIte '7flo or rly .8th ~.u.ry .nlil•. (MWP)
armed with a Turkish matchlock musket, together
~ith a ~lllsco\'ite 'bcrdish' axe from the Sikorski
far the Cossacks" fa\'ouritt: weapons. poorer
~Iuseum in Lundon. Holstein. a German mer-
Cossacks used an assortmclll of improvised anns
ctnary who ser....ed as a rtit" in Poland from 165610 including war-nails. spears, slaffs, half-pikes and
1663. was wounded by a Cossack using a berdish, clubs.
",hich he callt-d a "half-moon"; he mentions Ihal G5: Cossatk t. 1700
bcrdishcs cau$t'd frightful r1amage 10 his cavalry. This figure is based on an engraving by Caspar
Luyken who worked in Nuremberg. published in a
G4: Cossark, f 71h (mfury costume book of 1703. Fur. Iamb and shecpskin
This Cossack is rcconstruclt.-d from several 171h co.1.l!l were worn by mallY Cossacks in cold wcather.
centul") sources and wears items influcnced by the
Tatars: a Caucasian/Crimean burkn C~IPC madc H: Flags
from goat or camel hair; and the curious 'melon' While nags of the I)olish section of Ihe army were
hal, which QCcllrn..-d in various shapes and in the oftcn on ol'llalcly·patlcrncd lances, and tipp(."(l with
18th century was OliC'1l worn by C.ossack infill1lry. gilded balls or largeopell-work heads in the Turkish
TIle Krakus regimellt rai~d along Cossack lines by slyle, those of the 'German" formations differed little
Ihe Duchy ofWarsm\l during lhe Napoleonic wars from those in the Wcst, except in the manner in
also wOI'e H form 01" Ihis hat. He wcars a loose shirt which they were atlached to the haft by a series of
and b..'lggy Turkish shnroL'ary trousers, togcther with nails.
Cossack boots. Apart from muskets, which werc by
HI: Colontl'J colour, King's Footguard, 1655
Zaporo..hi.a.. Coto..C'1o. d ....... boalll fisht....S TlIrlo..i>ih p.llC'Y. in Thc colours of seven companies of the King's
.... BlJlda Sea. T'heT..r". were M Hd conlliantly hyCos. .d<
0'JIid. 0" Iheir BIJlt'1o. H- poru. 11Ie Krlpl was copted in Footguard Regiment, commanded by Fromhold
......1 I ':to, • dJlle whiC'h IOu .... weU with Ihe Cos"'C'''I:CHiI.. mK Wolf von Liidingshauscn, \\'crc captured by the
btiDS "'''-': blJlt''' Sler... nptlo, •• <1 t'OalS o(_riou• .,..Ioura.
l......... m .., S'- »11. BriLlsh Ubruy} wcdcs al 8<;dzin in lovember 1655.
43
 Each WCSII:1'I1 infalllry company had for a long Talau, Di"mo,uuoed Polilib liShl ca.... lrym~." poc:rhap. WlilbchUloli or
in allc~ne from li paio,i.,S oflbe ballleofVI~.,.... Maoy
limc had il.~ own flag or 'colour', but lhe first Tatar ..";1. In Poli.,.b ~mploy d ...~rloed d .. rinS tbe .6701<, lind
Hd CD.,.id~... bt.. dlimliS" by pldln! Tlilar nldlnS par1i...
dccades oftbe 17th l'CllIliry saw the introduction of ca.. inlO Pol lind lilo.,S th .. be1l1 roulH. Bru 'S nporloed Ihlil "'i/lhl
a system in which infantry companics' flags "orry-lookins Talar ..nill< III th .. Potillh lirm)' mlirehed 10
Vle li without hou..-po."ibly li precaudon '."",n by
followed a pattcrn common for till' entire regiment. SObi ki lin",r l.h6e ..arli.. r eJ<pt:rlenc.... (Hcer....s ....
The colond's or 'life' company flag was normally s<:hichtllcb... M ...e"m, Vi.. n...)
white, II'hile othcr companil'S' flags werc a single
common colour in the King's Footguard sky- (revcrse) shown here, bears the armoured hand
bluc, AI Ihe centft' ofthc sewn in St. Andrcw's cross emblem which in I'oland referred specifically to the
\\'cre paimed KingJohn Casimir's arms, quartcrl),: king; it also appeared on Polish naval flags as a
Polish cagle/Swedish lhree crowns (Ialcr associated national emblem, The motto translales as 'For
with lhe province of Svcaland)/Lilhuanian King and Fatherland', The frOIll (obverse) or the
'Pursuit'/Swedish lion arms (Ialcr associated with nag has been published in Wisc and Rosignoli's
Gothlandl, with the Vas.1 wheatsheaf badg(' 'Military Flags of tile World, 1618-1900' (1977), albeit
ill ("t'utdH'on. 'rhi, 1\,1' all 'lllTl'UI1(lc-d II~ Ilw in incorreci colours-Ihe sleeve should be red,
painlcd letters: {IJlIn \<":Ja~irnir RJcx I'Joloniac brround green, TheemblelllS datc the cornet to King
(ET) (S)ueciae. The flag had an openwork gilded John Casimir's return from Silcsia in 1655/56;
finial. Dimensions of lhe various companies' flags and suggest that it belonged 1.0 the Ro)'al
val')' bctwt'cn: 173 181 x 19o 2lBcm. (S1' 28:34) Guard, probably to Ihe King's German 'Drabant-
Reiter' Regiment, Dimensions: approximately
J-I:!: Lijtcomrt ojt/', King's' R,itu' C(l1J(llry R,gimt'1ll (?), 54 x 54cm. (ST 29:115)
/655-60
A Western ca\'alry regimclll was divided up into H3: Stalldard of a Pallcml; Cossack ulI;l, lote 17t1l cmfury
troops cach with ilS own flag called a 'standard' or The majorit), of Polish standards were relatively
'cornel', Each cornel bore diflcrenl emblems. The uncomplicated, bearing only a simple device on a
white colour Oflhis eomel suggests lhat it bclongt:d plain fidd, and diOcrcd from each other ani)' in the
10 the 'life:' 0" colond's lroop; t he remaining COnlets coloul' of the background and device, Square,
seem 10 havc been blw.' for this regiment. The back unfringcd Slandards ofthis size bearing the Knight's
Cross, seem to have been conneCled mainly with the dream ofa united Polish-Swedish state under their
panumi cOS&1.cks; a 1661 inventory of the contents of control. The 1...1.tin mottos-PrQ Gloria Cruas (To the
Wisnicz castle, chief scat of the Lubomirski's, glOl)' of the Cross) and Sub Tllo Praesidia (Under
spccificall)! l11Clllions two 'cossack standards' as if Thy protcclion)- arc restored from an cady
they werc of a distinctive style, one while. the other description of the flag, The reverse is charged
red and bolh rhal'gcd with a Knight's Cross, Hussar instead with lhe full len-fielded reversed eoat-of-
standards were also alien very simplc, though arms ofVladislav IV orJohn Casimir. The nag may
gtllerally much largcr than 'cossack' ones; they have been made originally fOl' Vladislav before
often had tails or a tongue-shaped Oy, The silk John Casimir's election in 1648.
standard survives as IWO identical pieces, which arc Daniclsson notcs lhat a three-tailed nag ofsimilar
probably different sides of the same nag, Dimen- appearance, which could only have been the
sions: 1'26 (height) x 115elll. (MWP, '24'290· and Banner of the Realm, appears on a Dahlberg
24-29 1.,) engraving of the taking of Cracow ill 1655 by
the Swedes. Such Banners werc carried by the
fJ,,: Bmlll" oj tilt Realm oj King ]olm Casimir Crown Standard-Bcat'er (in 1655, Alexander
This bears the lraditional emblcm of the patron of Koniecpolski) al the head of the Court HlIS&1.I'S.
Catholic Poland. the Virbrin Mary. standing Oil a
Pol..- and Liu..... niaalli und..r Sobit'lliki .Iorm Turkilib_
cresccnt moon and surrounded by a sunburst. The l)Ccupi<!d Chocim in 1673- lnterelldngly, d.i", con...mporary
blue background wilh while and yellow crossbars ....Sray;..8 by Kuc:><oaowig dt'pi..l. b.llili.... wiu.oul wi"g.,
...d Lh.. i.uanlry in Ions Polish 0l0a11l and rur o:apa, and olh..u
rather intcn.'Slingly shows the Ilolish Va.sa kings' .till in uniform of Wt'IIl..rn cuI.. (Nalional MUlit'unl, W ......w)

45
 LEFT WING CZELNV (FRONT) RIGHT WING

ff.J ~ HUF
ff.J ~
D8t'l11OYv1cz <BOO'
CrOONn Field Helman Mare!< SObIeskI 0200l
Z6rkle-skl (lSOOl

RESeRVE RESERVE
WALNY (ATTACK)

~ [8J
HUF

Crown Grand Hetman

Potocki nco) Zarnoyskl (1500) GOlskl (400)

I OrohojOWskl (300)
I ~
LAST HUF

SitUS (750)
~ I My8:l.:kowskl (200l I

0 Cavalry Huf or Pu(k - mixed hussars & 'COSsacks'

t2:J Mainly Halduk style Infantry - 10Iai 2000 men

ti-l Artlllel'"Y - total "0 guns

Poli.h order of balde uHd by Ja.. Z..."o)'.Io.' '"8llino;l (h.. Thc flag of each ofthc 12 companies was bluc, and
W.lI.chi..... I" .600--- _ria,;o" of Ihe 'Old Poll." Omu',
which wa. boolOed on Ih" ....en nlde.. MonAolian banle order. bore a diflerelll emblem. In 1646, this ont: belonged
'In.. ,a"liu dq>f'nded Oil the "-'p"r1I.tiOIl of.U .rmll p" ..i"ll
Ihe way for .. " hi.., """'1" by Ihe hu....... 10 be follow", up
to the 6th company under Captain Hans Kestner.
by 'co• .-a' forn don.. The mOllO, 'He tips the scalcs', complemented the
cmblem repl'(:scnting the hand of God intervcning
in war. IdcIllical decorations were paintcd on both
Only the central dwi(;c (78cm x 9gelll) survives; sides of the silk flag, the staff also showed signs of
complclc dimensions ror a superb taffeta nag bluc paint and had a gilded open-workcd pikehcad.
of this impOl'tancc would have been The flag disappeared during the last war and now
180 250Clll x 250-350CIll. (ST 28:1.) survives only as a watercolour. Dimcnsions:
173 x about 200 em. (MWP Rys. 39047),
liS: Colour oj II" Don<.ig BIll' R,gimtnf, 6th compan)"
/6,J6-60 lI6: Colour of tht Don.dg Whitt Rtgiment, 2nd tompamy,
The Blue or 'BrciIC' Regimcnt was onc of five large /6,pi-60
regiments raised in and around Danzig as part of The Danzig While or 'Hohe' Regiment was raised
thc city's lII·my. It was raised in the 'Brcite' Quarter in the Hohe Quart.er of Danzig, so called aftcr lhe
of Danzig, so called after Brcitegasse, (Broad Lane). Hobe Tor (High Gatc). This flag belonged to the
46
 \\ t:r:rJ rrTI
lSI
[S] lSI [S;J
~ LLU ~
•• ••
lSI lSI ..
•
I ~ I
r

I I t
~

L:L18fTI G"
••.
I
ppe

I f
1 I I " l . , ! I' "" 11I11!!!I!!",,! ?
[ J I I !
U H.... ssars
I •
UCossacl< ,1
[]I]
Tabor waggons
cavalry
g]"Hungarlon'

[jjl]
Intanrry

'Gef"mon'
In IS Illes

III [IIII
,
[]I] j
lSI
infantry
'German' I i a
~
ClIValry

\ IIIIIII~I~I~~~~·IIIIIIII II

secone! company, commanded in 1646 by Capl.
Giirgcl1 Bergman.
The other coloured l'cgimcllts of DUllZig were the
Red or 'Koggen' RcgimcllI. and lhe Orange or
'Fischer' Regiment, the last named aflcr the
Quarter cOlllaining Ihe fish market. The firth, or
'MixL'<!' Regiment in [646, was so named Ix:callsc it
had nagsofdiffcrclil colours. It was raised from the
"I "\\'IIS outside the Danzig lown walls.
The flag is made of while silk taffeta, with gold
paimcd lime leaves and central dcvic the Holy
Cross all a sunburst background. This appeared
usually with the motto in the form 'III /Joe Sigl/Q
Konieepolski'll mind order of b.ule Ulled co h.lt • Turkillh
in..."io.. force und"r Aba"y f*"h ••' K.mi"";..., in .6:J.t. Thi"
.how. bow the _«son era.n _to u"eeI co I"",,,,,,, ebe odd"
.s-inle ... o.....umb<:reel.rmy by "in. ply blockioS ebe enemy.
."Ce"" co the Ranks and .....r; n.c.nwhile tbe whole formatio..
could .till move ""d .".ck on. ".rr1)W front. The Poli.b force
_" o::ompollfll 1.'"8e1y of the pM...ee • .-min of Uknini...
m."'
'Ge
etlt tOlJ.ether with m
' ...f.n.l")' ...d d...S_ .
y of .he newly PolonitJed
Vil/u.f'-'In this sign shalt thou conqucr'. The flag
was caplUred by t.he Sw<.:dcs during an action near
Danzig betwccn 1655 and 1660j all that survives is a
fragment of the central device; dimensions were
probably similar to HS. (51' 28:22)

fErra ••:11.,,, ....... "ho..ld ..how re"er.... ofR."'...........e. "e.fT.nd

Ry re.'ertoed len .nd "She.)

47