The Polish Winged Hussars dominated the eastern European theaters of war for much of the early modern period. While the western European art of war of this period relied on infantryheavy pike and shot tactics, eastern armies continued to rely on cavalry. On the battlefields of Italy, France, Germany, and Flanders, heavy cavalry such as knights and lancers found a counter in combined pikes and muskets. Western European battles, according to the historian Geoffrey Parker, were won primarily with infantry. In eastern Europe, by contrast, cavalry was still key. The Polish cavalry, most notably, not only frequently bested the Muscovites and Ottomans on their eastern and southern front respectively but also defeated western powers such as the Swedes under Gustavus Adolphus. Therefore, some scholars argue that early modern western military doctrine lacked a crucial component, namely a cavalry unit such as the Polish winged hussars that frequently and successfully charged home with steel in hand. It is not surprising that the winged hussars eventually influenced the western art of war; and they did so lastingly. To understand this development properly, the period between 1550 and 1620 is key. This video will look at how contemporary historiography discusses the early successes of the PolishLithuanian Hussars.

CORRECTION: We accidentally merged together a few lines about different light cavalry units and their origins (which were cut from the script in the end) with the origins of the hussars. That' s why it is messed up in the video. In the beginning they were exiled Serbian mercenaries (some sources also simply say "balkan". Also, the early Hussars were modeled off the Hungarian Hussars.

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Our reading list on military history:
Duffy, C., Siege Warfare: The Fortress in the Early Modern World 14941660, Vol. 1, 1979. https://amzn.to/32dvvwM
Rogers, C.J., The military revolution debate. Readings on the military transformation of early modern Europe, 1995. https://amzn.to/3geVDMM
Rogers, C.J., Soldiers' Lives through History The Middle Ages, 2006. https://amzn.to/3j2kQvG
Parker, C., The Cambridge History of Warfare, 2005. https://amzn.to/32ggn1L
Van Nimwegen, O., The Dutch Army and the Military Revolutions, 15881688, 2010. https://amzn.to/2E3Fc95




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Eltis, D., The Military Revolution in SixteenthCentury Europe, London 1995.
Frost, R., Northern Wars, State and Society in Northeastern Europe 15581721, 2000.
Grbasić, Z., / V. Vuksić, L'âge d'or de la Cavalerie, 1989.
Kloosterhuis, J., “Cavalry” in: Encyclopedia For Early Modern History.
Love, R.S. «All the King’s Horsemen”: The equestrian Army of Henri IV, 15851598, SCJ 22 (1991), 51133.
Meyer, H., Geschichte der Reiterkrieger, 1982.
Oeser, E., Pferd und Mensch. Die Geschichte einer Beziehung, 2007.
Parker, G., Dynastic War, in: Parker. G., (editor), The Cambridge History of Warfare, 2005.
Roberts, M., Gustav Adolf and the Art of War (first printed 1955), in: Essays on Swedish History, 1967.