Polish Winged Hussars and The Siege of Vienna 1683
Polish-Belarusian (Polish-Lithuanian) Hussars by Waclaw Pawliszak (Wikipedia)
Although aware of ‘hussars’, I had no idea of the existence of a winged variety!
The first I heard of the ‘winged hussars’ was thanks to the Sabaton, song, ‘Winged Hussars’. After listening to it, I was still a little dubious until I read about the Siege of Vienna, which is what their song is about.
The term ‘hussar’ historically derives from the cavalry of medieval Hungary, which consisted mainly of Serb warriors under Matthias Corvinus, the King of Hungary and Croatia (1458-1490).
During the 16th century, the medieval-style lancers in the army of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth were replaced with the Polish hussars who would form the main body of the cavalry.
In 1576, when Stephen Báthory, a Transylvanian-Hungarian prince, was made King of Poland, he reorganised the hussars of his Royal Guard into a heavy formation, along the lines of the Hungarian hussars, with a long lance now their main weapon.
Portrait of King Stephen Báthory (Wikipedia)
Once the Polish-Lithuanian hussar units were restructured to follow the Hungarian model, they tended to sport similar looks. To set themselves apart, the Polish heavy hussars added wings to become the Polish winged hussars or ‘Husaria’.
Polish Hussar half-armoured winged riders (Wikipedia - 'bazylek100')
Starting in 1577 with the Battle of Lubieszów through to the 18th century, the winged hussars were considered the elite of the Commonwealth’s armed forces. Fighting against overwhelming odds, they often proved to be the decisive factor in countless battles.
Battle of Kircholm 'Polish Winged Hussars' by Mariusz Kozik (Artstation)
Hussars tended to be recruited from wealthy Polish nobility, with each hussar responsible for raising his own retinue, several of which were combined to form a hussar banner or company.
Their ‘wings’ comprised a wooden frame adorned with eagle, ostrich, swan or goose feathers. Most likely, they were used to protect the rider’s back from sword attacks.
According to the 18th century Polish historian and diarist, Jędrzej Kitowicz, “Instead of ostrich feathers, the husaria men wore wooden arcs attached to their armour at the back and raising over their heads. These arcs, together with bristling feathers sticking out of them, were dyed in various colours in imitation of laurel branches or palm leaves, and were a strangely beautiful sight to behold…” (‘Husaria the Winged Horsemen’ by Anna Wasilkowska)
In battle, the hussars’ primary tactic was the charge, charging at and through the enemy, which they repeated several times until the enemy formation broke. Having supply wagons with spare lances made the repeated use of this tactic possible.
The charge would start at a slow pace, in a fairly loose formation, which would gradually gather pace and close ranks. It would gain its fastest speed and closest formation just before engaging the enemy.
Apart from a long lance, the hussars’ weapons included a stabbing sword, a sabre, a set of pistols and, occasionally, a war-hammer or axe.
They used Ottoman-style saddles, which allowed both warrior and horse to use more armour.
'Atak Husarii' (The Hussar Charge) by Stanislaw Kaczor-Batowski (Wikipedia)
Their horses, hybrids of established Polish equine lineage and eastern horses, were bred to run fast while carrying a load, and to recover quickly. Their mounts were able to walk great distances, bearing loads weighing over 220lbs (100kg) – the rider, his armour and weapons – and instantly charge. Apart from being fast, their horses were also manoeuvrable, which allowed the hussars to fight with any form of cavalry or infantry force. So valued were their horses, there was a death penalty for selling a husaria horse to anyone outside the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
By the 1770s, changing battlefield tactics and the use of firearms together with the increasing size of armies were making heavy armoured cavalry obsolete. The duties of the hussars were passed on to lighter cavalry units, known as the Uhlans, Polish-Lithuanian light cavalry units armed with lances, sabres and pistols.
Of the numerous battles fought by the winged hussars, the one I’ve chosen to highlight is the Battle of Vienna, fought by the Holy Roman Empire against the Ottoman Empire. It took place at Kahlenberg Mountain near Vienna on 12 September 1683.
'The relief of Vienna' by Frans Geffels (Wikipedia)
This battle was one of many fought between the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg monarchy in the 300-year Ottoman-Habsburg Wars. It started in the 16th century when the European powers recognised the serious threat of the Ottoman Empire and lasted through to the 18th century.
Historians see the Battle of Vienna as one that marks a significant turning point, one which heralded the decline of the Ottoman Empire.
It was also the first time the Holy Roman Empire and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth fought together against the Ottomans. The Habsburg monarch at the time, Leopold I, was also the Holy Roman Emperor.
Emperor Leopold I in coronation armour (Wikipedia)
Vienna was considered of great importance to the Ottoman Empire because of its trade route location – the Danube linked the Black Sea to Western Europe, and the overland trade route stretched from the Eastern Mediterranean to Germany.
Ironically, leading up to the siege, peace had existed between both empires for about 20 years. However, due to the political machinations of that time, the Ottoman Empire was actually providing military aid to those who were against Habsburg occupation, namely Hungary and non-Catholic minorities. The Hungarians were promised Vienna if it fell into Ottoman hands.
By 1681, clashes intensified between the Holy Roman Empire and Upper Hungary, which was an Ottoman vassal state.
As Habsburg forces moved into central Hungary, the Ottoman Grand Vizier convinced the Sultan, Mehmed IV, to mobilise the Ottoman army.
Sultan Mehmed IV (Wikipedia)
War was declared on 6 August 1682.
In hindsight, maybe it might have been better to delay the declaration of war. The 3 months it would have taken the Ottomans to reach Vienna meant they would have arrived as winter set in.
By the time a full-scale invasion was launched, Vienna had had the time to prepare its defences and Emperor Leopold I was able to assemble troops and to form an alliance between the Holy Roman Empire and Poland.
According to the terms of that alliance, the Treaty of Warsaw 1683, Leopold promised to support the Polish king, John III Sobieski, if the Ottomans attacked Kraków and, in return, the Polish army would come to the aid of Vienna if it was attacked.
John III Sobieski in Roman costume (Wikipedia)
On 14 July 1683, the main Ottoman army laid siege to Vienna.
In Poland, John III Sobieski prepared to honour his obligations to the Warsaw treaty. When he departed on 15 August, he left his nation undefended, warning the prince of Upper Hungary that destruction would await him if he dared take advantage of the situation.
The prince dared but was stopped by the commander of the Lithuanian army who swept through the Hungarian Highlands. Because of this, by the time the Lithuanian army arrived in Vienna, the city had already been relieved.
As the siege continued, the situation in Vienna was getting desperate with food supplies running dangerously low and no means of replenishing them.
On 6 September, Sobieski and his Polish army, which included the hussars, crossed the Danube 19 miles (30km) northwest of Vienna and joined with imperial troops and other forces from territories of the Holy Roman Empire including Saxony and Bavaria.
Leadership was given to Sobieski who was well-known for his courage and great skill in commanding troops. He had under his command 70,000-80,000 soldiers; the Ottoman army numbered 150,000.
The battle started at 04:00 on 11 September when the Ottoman army attacked, hoping to stop the deployment of Sobieski’s troops.
Charles V, Duke of Lorraine, struck back with the imperial army on the left and, after heavy fighting, took several key positions.
Although severely damaged, the Ottoman army held firm and launched counterattacks.
The Ottoman commanders had planned on taking Vienna before the arrival of the Imperial troops. Their soldiers had already dug tunnels under the city walls and set mines to detonate and bring the walls down. Unfortunately for them, the mines were located and disarmed.
By the afternoon, the Polish infantry was advancing on the Ottoman right flank. But, instead of meeting this attack, the Ottomans continued to focus their efforts on forcing their way into the city. This left their troops on the field in a bad position, sandwiched between the Polish and Imperial forces.
Sobieski on the right of the Ottoman army and Charles of Lorraine on the left both decided, independently of each other, to continue the offensive and crush the enemy.
At first, the Imperial forces encountered fierce resistance. Although they were initially stopped, they went on to take at least 2 villages, closing in on the central Ottoman position.
As they prepared to storm the position, they could see the Polish cavalry emerge from the forest.
It is recorded that the emergence of the cavalry was greeted with cheers from the infantry.
At around 17:00, Sobieski ordered the cavalry attack, launching “the largest cavalry charge in history. Some 20,000 horsemen, including 3,000… ‘winged hussars’ swept down from the hills.” (‘A History of War in 100 Battles’ by Richard Overy)
Sobieski himself led the charge at the head of his ‘winged hussars’. The charge broke the enemy lines and proved to be the final blow for the already exhausted and demoralised Ottoman troops.
Less than 3 hours after the cavalry attack, the Imperial forces were victorious, and Vienna was saved.
That cavalry charge must have been an awesome sight. Having heard what a handful of horses galloping across a field sounds like, the sound of 20,000 must have been thunderous. And the ground must have shook too.
This video of Sabaton’s song includes footage from the film, ‘The Day of the Siege: September Eleven 1683’.