Sassanian plate from Northern Wei tomb

 Salvete omnes,

the month of January is coming to its end today. It has been a very cold month in our Northern Hemisphere. 

King hunting wild boar

perusing the Wiki Commons archives I came across this Sassanian metal plate found in the Northern Wei tomb. Which gives me a chance to share some very fine photos of the Northern Wei tomb art showing their horses, warriors, horse musicians, hunting and their heavy cavalry on caparisoned horses. 

You can listen to the Chinese History podcast to learn more about the Northern Wei ( in the comfort of your own surroundings)- an interview with prof. Scott Pearce , author of the book on the Northern Wei.  

Northern Wei fresco - detailed images of horse archers, dogs, and prey animals

Model of the Northern Wei tomb

Northern Wei fresco 

. all these Bactrian camel sculptures come from the Northern Wei tombs - long distance travel, trade and influence  across the Central Asian lands were the essential parts of the Northern Wei state.

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Nota bene, the story of Mulan (Hua Mulan) 

seems to have come  from this period (preserved in the writings of Song Dynasty), hence some researchers say that she was not really a Han Chinese but a  warrior from the northern China Sinicized (assimilated into the Han Chinese culture etc) nomadic northern peoples. 

enjoy

Valete

The Rise of the Slavs

 Salvete Omnes,

a short entry - Razib Khan talks to Peter Nimitz about the rise of the Slavs-  from the Proto-Indoeuropeans to the medieval Slavic explossion all over Central, Southern, and Eastern Europe. 

Through the more than a 1000 years of war against the Germanic invaders, and the 500 years of wars against the Turkic-Tatar nomads and the Ottoman empire, until the conquests of Vienna 1683, capture of Crimea in 1770s and liberation of the southern Slavs in the XIX century. 

Finally, until the victories of 1944-45 wiped out 1000  years of the German Drang nach Osten.

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Mucha's Slavic epic 

enjoy

Valete

Illustrations interpeting Old Polish-themed XVII century prints

 Salvete Omnes,

a little bit of Stefano della Bella and Certamen equestre art - or rather some attempts by the XIX century illustrators to interpret the Italian and German period masters.

chronologically, Stefano Della Bella was the author who observed Polish riders in Rome, Italy (1630s), and later in France (1640s).

The XIX century illustrator working from Stefano's prints created these two illustrations.

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The famous Certamen Equestre prints by Ehrenstrahl document the splendorous  horse show at the Swedish court in 1670s. One of the historic people portrayed in these prints is a Polish condottiere Zachariasz Gamocki (there are two fine articles by Stockholm & Uppsala Universities researcher  Elzbieta Swiecicka on the Gamckis family - husband and his  wife Eva Richard de la Chapelle). 
Gamocki was in the service of Swedish crown, used as messenger and translator/inteprter due to his knowledge & command of various languages including Turkish & Crimean Tatar - but there was also an ambiguity and perhaps scandal about that during the Crimean Tatar embassy of Alsna Aga to Sweden  in 1671- , but in the Certamen prints he was shown among the Polish fraction of horsemen, horses  and retainers.

Below the interpretation of the figure of this Swedish courtier by the XIX century illustrator 

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all images from Polona, Polish Republic-EU national library

Valete

Arabian, Neapolitan & two Turkish steeds

 Salvete Omnes,

I have not posted anything about my Old Poland horse history - 
from time to time I happily peruse the old book by Konstanty Gorski - 'Historya jazdy Polskiej' (History of Polish Cavalry).

The author, officer of the XIX century Russian Imperial army, cited many documents from the illustrious history of the Polish horse of the Old Poland. 

Among them there is a document - muster roll - of the starost of Leczyca winged hussar banner (campany) dated at Brzesc [Brest] - this fortress city was in the middle of the realm then- to June 6, 1580AD (period the o called Livonian War 1577-82-  the huge Polish royal army of king Stefan [Stephen] Bathory was to besiege and capture the Muscovite fortress Wielkie (Vielikiye) Luki while separate commands under Jan Zamoyski, Filon Kmita, Janusz Zbaraski, and Radziwill defeated various commands of tsar Ivan the Terrible and captured his cities and fortresses).

Rotameister starost of Leczyca Krysztof [Krzysztof] Rozrazewski, Doliwa coat of arms, presented his horsemen astride a gniady [bay] Arabian steed, while his romistrz retinue  retainers  stood behind him mounted on his spare mounts:

one plesniawy [ rabicano] Neapolitan steed - a retainer with a long arquebus [rusznica] and with a shield.

one siwy [grey] Turkish steed - a retainer wearing a gilded plate armor.

one cisawy [ chestnut] Turkish steed -  a trumpeter .

Nota bene the ensign holding the company banner was mounted on a czarnocisawy [liver/or dark-chestnut] horse.

Rotameister Rozraszewski. wounded at the castle of Sokol siege early during the same year, returned to the front and was killed  during the siege of Zawolocze on the lake Podsosz, in the Pskov region, on October 10, 1580AD. 

... to be continued

Valete

Crusader states XIII century history by Helena Schrader

 Salvete Omnes,

As Syria is back in the news this year - the Syrian defense forces, augmented by former ISIS fighters and pro-Turkey militias, from the official Syrian goverment in Damascus are fighting the Kurds in Kobane and north-east Syria, while the Druze minority  enjoys their Israeli protection in the south.

 
From time to time I check the website of the formidable researcher, historian and storyteller Dr Helena P. Schrader. 

This month dr Schrader already posted two interesting articles on the crusades, dealing with the 

Mongols and Mamluks: The Changing Face of the Middle East. - the XIII century conflict between these two great powers, leading to the Syrian wars between the rulers of Mamluks sultanate and the western Mongolian armies, whereas the Mamluk sultans went on to obliterate  the remainder of the Crusader kingdom and knightly strongholds in the Holy Land - like Latakia,  Crac de Chevaliers and Montfort. Cyprus is part of the Crusader myriad but the mainland is in trouble.

fall of Trpioli Ad 1289

Freer Gallery - a glass beaker Mamluk period

The Loss of Latin Syria - 

detail from a basin with Christian and Islamic symbols, Freer Gallery

the story of internal rot of the Crusader statesmen and Italian trading states (Pisa; Venice was in conflict with Genoa),  that led to development of  multiple conflicting interests and infighting, in face of growing overwhelming powers of the Mamluk state.  If finally leads to the tragic siege of Acre - the infamous execution of the Templar marshal by the Mamluk sultan Al-Ashraf Khalil in 1291. Followed by the evacuation of Tyre, capture of Sidon, loss of Beirut, and final evacuation of Tortosa and Athlit. End of Latin Syria. 

The Mamluk sultanate carried a rather successful eradication of the Crusader material culture and high arts, as almost nothing have survived from the 200 years of Latin rule in Syria, but for some ruins and architectural elements.  

The Latin Crusader kingdom survived in Cyprus, where port of Famagusta  became the Frankish commerce center in the East... Cilician Armenia survived as a vassal of the Mamluk sultanate, and then was annexed by the Ottomans, when they conquered the Mamluks. The various Christians of the Holy Land had to return to their pre-Crusading Age status and situation within the Muslim world. 

enjoy

Valete