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Winged Hussars: Fascinating Things You Should Know

The Polish Winged Hussars epitomized the shock cavalry arm of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth between the 16th and 18th centuries. Showcasing their stylized yet heavily armored ensembles, partly fueled by the late-16th-century reforms of Stephen Bathory (one of the most successful kings in Polish history), the winged hussars serving under their dedicated banners (chorągiew) were essentially the elite of the (often victorious) armies of the thriving Eastern European commonwealth.

Known for their decisive impact on numerous military encounters, like the Battle of Lubieszów (1577 AD), Battle of Pitschen (1588 AD), Battle of Kircholm (1605 AD), Battle of Klushino (1610 AD), and the Battle of Vienna (1683 AD) – which possibly entailed the largest cavalry charge in the history of warfare, the Polish Winged Hussars are rightly held in high regard by military historians and aficionados. However, at the same time, many of their achievements and visual aspects have taken the route of romanticism (and embellishment), especially fueled by the non-contemporary chroniclers of the 19th century. So without further ado, beyond misconceptions and exaggerations, let us take a gander at 15 things you should know about one of the most successful and spectacular cavalry troops of all time – the Polish Winged Hussars.

1) The Roman Origin?

While popular notions tend to pinpoint the origins of hussars in Hungary, according to historian Richard Brzezinski, the history of hussars possibly harks back to the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) times, circa 10th century, when the Empire recruited light cavalry from the Balkans (especially the Serbs), known as the chonsarioi (). Many of the cavalrymen, known as gusars in Serbian, continued to operate in the region, even after the demise of the Eastern Roman Empire.

And while the majority of such gusars was perceived as unruly, brigand-like groups, they nevertheless did serve and protect Rascia, the medieval Serbian state that was ultimately conquered by the ascendant Ottoman Empire. Consequently, most of these unorganized yet militarily-effective regiments migrated to Hungary (to serve as the huszár) and Poland.

2) The Early Hussars of Poland –

The Polish administration of the early 16th-century started to ‘regroup’ and furnish actual cavalry companies from the remnants of the Serbian gusars. Additionally, they also employed other nationalities like the fellow Poles, Lithuanians, and Hungarians to bolster the hussar numbers (who were known as usar). And while the original Serbian gusars preferred their light armor and asymmetrical Balkan shields (similar to the Albanian stradiots), the Polish usars adopted the heavy Hungarian style of armor and armaments, comprising mail-shirts, helmets, shields, and lances.

By circa 1576 AD, the Polish hussars underwent a reform that standardized their equipment and armor, in line with Polish king Stephan Batory’s personal regiments of hussars. This translated to the adoption of breastplate armor and longer lances along with the eschewing of shields. In other words, these companies of cavalrymen, who bridged the gap between heavy lancers and mobile horsemen, formed the first of the famed Polish Winged Hussars that we tend to admire and glorify in the realm of military history.

3) The System of Company and Companions –

A company of troops was known as rota in the 16th century Poland, and each rota of Polish hussars generally consisted anywhere between 100 to 150 horsemen (the figures did touch 300 on rare occasions for the hetmans and incredibly wealthy nobles). These rotas were furnished and commanded by the rotmistrz (‘rota-master’), who usually hailed from the upper sections of nobility (or szlachta) of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. 

Simply put, the wealthy rotmistrz was tasked with forming up his company of hussars on a contract basis that was stamped by the offices of the monarchy as a ‘letter of recruitment’. This essentially made the rota his extended bodyguard unit that could produce revenues via payments from the state along with war booty.

This naturally raises the question – how did these companies recruit the hussars? Well, most of these rotas comprised many smaller retinues (poczet) headed by the towarzysze (companion). Simply put, each company of hussars was composed of multiple retinues (which had two to six retainers or pacholiks), and these smaller groups were assembled by their individual towarzysze. 

These ‘companions’ also came from the szlachta class of Polish nobility, albeit with lesser means than the rotmistrz – and they were tasked with providing manpower (with their retainers), sharing the economic burden of the company, and even performing duties of an officer at the camp and on the battlefield.

4) The Social Aspect –

It should be noted that the Polish Winged Hussars were indeed considered an elite group of mounted soldiers during their contemporary age. Essentially, these mounted companies were touted as exalted institutions that merged martial prowess with stately panache and dedicated patriotism. 

And thus, even while bearing the rank of a junior officer in such an exclusive group, the towarzysze (companion) rightly considered himself as a member of an elite military fraternity that tended to overshadow other army divisions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

On the practical level, a service (generally ranging from three to five years) in the company of Polish Winged Hussars translated to social advancements and opportunities for the towarzysze. To that end, a lower-ranking noble (with lesser economic means) could gain titles (like ‘soldier-knights’), endowments, and future civil careers from the monarchy. 

In fact, there were also known cases of rich men from even non-noble backgrounds who purchased their way into the ranks of towarzysze, though such scenarios were pretty rare. On the other hand, the younger sons of the wealthier nobles also preferred the status of towarzysze, since they were less likely to inherit their familial properties.

5) The Retainers – Backbone of the Polish Winged Hussars

However, beyond the scope of high-born nobles, wealthy magnates, and well-to-do officers, the core of the Polish Hussar companies was composed of regular horsemen or retainers (or pacholiks – ‘youths’). Majority of these troops came from the non-noble background, thus establishing the trend of lower classes opting for military careers in the army. 

A few of these retainers also hailed from the aforementioned szlachta class, though of the impoverished nature. In other words, the military relationship between a towarzysze (companion) and his pacholiks (retainers) was somewhat akin to a knight and his squires if perceived through the lens of Western European analogy.

On the other hand, as historian Richard Brzezinski noted, if we insert an economic angle in the company of Polish Winged Hussars, the towarzysze certainly had more control over his retainers, since he directly owned the equipment and horses of his followers. To that end, the pacholiks were often treated as nominal servants and even as slaves with irregular pays and unfair shares of war booty. By late 17th century, decades after the heydays of the Polish Hussars, the pacholiks were simply called pocztowy (meaning ‘of the poczet‘ or retinue), thus etymologically snatching away the romanticism associated with the term ‘youths’.

And as always have a chilled day from the Viking