Monday, March 25, 2019

Sir John Smithe - Instructions, Observations, and Orders Mylitarie

Salvete Omnes,


sir John Smithe or Smith, XVI century English gentleman and soldier, wrote  and had his military treatise published in 1594AD and reprinted in 1595 AD.

The entire book - 'Instructions, obseruations, and orders mylitarie : Requisite for all chieftaines, captaines, and higher and lower men of charge, and officers to understand, knowe, and observe' -  is available on google books for reading or download.



Inside there are some very interesting observations from a soldier who served on the Catholic sides seeing plenty of  action in Kingdom of France, Holy Roman Empire and in Hungaries (Hungarian Kingdom divided between the Ottoman  and Imperial powers) for about 20 years, finally returning to England circa 1572AD.

He wrote about lance bearing cavalry of the times: stradiots, men-at-arms, boder horse (particular to English-Scottish borderlands)light cavalry, and demi-lancers. He covered the equipment (like the estoc to be carried under rider's thigh in the manner of Turks or Hungarians), training, and tactics and many other things in his work.
I have just started reading and studying this treatise, looking forward to see much interesting information.

Valete
ps
all armor images are from Wiki Commons and these examples represent 2nd half of the XVI century uppermost crust of chivalry and armored horsemen. such armor could have been used by the winged hussars, be it in Polish-Lithuanina Commonwealth or Hungaries.

2 comments:

  1. Dario, thank You for new unknown author, do You also plan to get his first book? https://www.amazon.com/Certain-Discourses-Military-Documents-Civilization/dp/0918016398 My colleauge can use this for research about 30 years' war, and I will enrich my knowledge. I always thought, that we have and we know all primary military sources for European Medieval, Renaissance era, Thirty years' war, but there are still new things like this https://www.kosmas.cz/knihy/211058/historie-zivota-albrechta-z-valdstejna/

    Recently I've read https://www.amazon.com/Culture-Society-Modern-1740-1849-Empires/dp/0415587670 extremly good and important book, how was India conquered (from the view of Indian states), why Mughals and other faded away. In the beginning is comparsion of Indian, European warfare. I discovered new, interesting source for 30 years' war https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raimondo_Montecuccoli Do You know him, or will You post some article where to get his writting (stangely combined memoirs/tactical book)? This guys had some impressive theoretical ideas. If You read Roy with combination with this title https://www.amazon.com/Islamic-Gunpowder-Empires-Ottomans-Safavids/dp/0813313597/ You will have Your answer, why armies based on mountead archers dissapeared. Especially Roy is superb in thinking this problem trough.

    We know more about Turks, Mughals, Qings are next, there are only two books in English, how Ming dynasty lost to them and why Qing dynast was defetead despite their well armed huge army. https://www.amazon.com/Military-Collapse-Chinas-Dynasty-1618-44-dp-1138652334/dp/1138652334/ https://www.amazon.com/Rethinking-Decline-Chinas-Qing-Dynasty/dp/1138573876/ I

    I can also recommend Osprey book for unknown Khazars https://ospreypublishing.com/the-khazars first book after decades! I'm planning to read more about Mughals, Sasanid Empire and this title is forefront in my list of books to read https://www.routledge.com/The-Eurasian-Way-of-War-Military-Practice-in-Seventh-Century-China-and/Graff/p/book/9780415460347

    I'm looking forward for Your another posts and paintings!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Pavel, u la la - what a list of books to read and study - thank you for the commentary
    I am in the holiday mood, so for now
    I wish you
    Happy Easter and smiling Smigus Dyngus (Wet Monday) -
    ahoy

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