Piotr Michalowski and Polish Soldiers Feast Day

 Salvete Omnes,

 

Today is a good day to celebrate if you are a Polish Polonian - :)  and more than 1000 years of Polish Armed Forces 

sadly, the current government felt it was  not appropriate to celebrate this Armed Forces Feast Day with a  military parade in Warsaw, with Polish Armed Forces respective representational units marching in the capital city, and hundreds or even thousands of reenactors did not march either, like they did in years prior, with yours truly in 2016.

 

So why not some beautiful art to wipe the tears of rage and disappointment - hence Piotr Michalowski's works come in handy 

 

and we reminisce about the Polish Armed Forces more then a millennium long tradition with Michalowski's painting showing our good king (then still official but a Piast prince) Boleslaw I Chrobry entering Kiev/Kyiv on August 14, 1018. 

 

Polish king came to help his son-in-law prince Sviatopolk I of Kiev against their enemy prince Yaroslav. Our king Boleslaw's Kiev Expedition was a grand success and brought lots of plunder and booty, including princes Predslava, his new wife in common. With Boleslav's entry  into the capital of Kievan Rus  comes the origin legend of our Crown sword, Szczerbiec, 

 

where Boleslav was to chip his sword against the  Kiev's Golden Gate.  Jan Matejko also painted a canvass showing this moment of Polish Piast ruler triumph.

Poland Piast realm under Boleslaw I Chrobry (the Brave)
and today is also the anniversary of the beginning of the famous battle of Warsaw 1920 and in this painting by Michalowski we have a Polish peasant on horseback. It was the peasant leader and prime minister Wicenty Witos who addressed and called upon our Polish farmers and peasants to defend the Homeland against the bolsheviks in 1920.  Thus finally Polish peasants were officially acknowledged as the defenders of Poland reborn.  The defend they did. But new Poland did not repay their defenders back, but that is a story for another day. 

Valete

Wigilia Bożego Narodzenia - Christmas Eve

Salvete Omnes,
Merry Christmas to you all!
dzisiaj Wigilia Bożego Narodzenia - Wesołych Świat!
!Feliz Navidad!
may peace, family, health, joy and prosperity always be with you.
Especially all the best to the Christians of the Near East, and to all good Muslims and Jews there.

... and some Medieval nativity artwork to go with this post, ahead of us the Christmas Eve supper, gift-giving and then  2 days of holidays with family and loved ones -
nota bene I love Mary, Mother of God , especially the Black Madonna from Jasna Gora.
 

master of the Vissi Brod

valete!

Glories of Old Poland by Sztolcman - eagles and Madonna

Salvete Omnes,
looking at the presented collection I have decided to add more  images
of eagles, the symbol of Polish Crown and people, and of Madonna
the Holiest of Holy or our Queen of Poland - the Black Madonna of Jasna Gora Monastery - on these gorgets

Madonna from Koden with a votive plate on the right  and  next to it a votive plate from 1611, note the lance shaft being used as a shaft for the cross and religious flag, also hussar swords shown as the noblemen's arms

a votive plate - Madonna with Child with an eagle on her bossom

a White Eagle from Wachock

 most likely XVIII c winged hussar armor and XVI century kapalin helmet (for a retainer perhaps)

a sword - karabela

a mace - bulawa -

a piernacz mace

a kufel (beer stein)

powder flask and spoon and its carrying case 

a cartridge box of the Saxon kings period-  most likely it was the Polish soldiers who invented those cartridge boxes in the XVI century - friend of mine from the National Museum in Warsaw is writing his dissertation on this very subejct

a lamp

 Kontusz sashes

enjoy

valete

Siege of Brno Ad 1645

Salve,
I really like Wikimedia Commons - you can find amazing images of great size, allowing one to study the image.
So, I was looking for some period - AD 1600-1650 - images of cuirassiers (heavy cavalry) and other Western European cavalry, especially during the 30th Years War.
To my surprise and delight I came across this large canvass  from the Brno City Museum.

The painting shows the 2nd siege of the Moravian capital by the huge Swedish army augmented by the Transylvanian soldiers of Prince George I Rakoczi that took place during the four months of AD 1645 .

The besieged city was heroically defended by the small contingent of professional soldiers and by the town burghers under the command of  Louis Raduit de Souches , a son of the French Huguenot emigre, who was to have a very distinguished career within the Imperial army. 

The defenders were helped by their faith, this being Roman Catholic creed, and we cna be certain that in the hearts and minds of the defenders not a small trust was placed in the holy Madonna from the Saint Thomas Church in Brno, one of the 'Black' Madonnas venerated in Polish (eg Black Madonna of Czestochowa) and Czech lands.

 At the moment I do not know much about the contents, i.e., the troops shown in this painting, but nevertheless I want to share it with you.
Slowly and with some difficulty I will read the Czech accounts (nota bene there is more of the painting in the article showing a Transylvanian cavalry unit with a banner) of this siege and perhaps learn more about the contents of the painting.

I think we are seeing the meeting of the Swedish commander, Lennart Torstenson, with a commander of the Transylvanian auxiliary contingent. 
 Until the next time...
Enjoy  -:)