Grunwald 1410-2022

 Salvete Omnes,

 

the most famous painting in Polish art history - the allegory of this battle by Jan Matejko

Hear, hear, today yet passes another anniversary of the famous, in Polish history, battle of Grunwald.
Glory to the victors and vae to the defeated - pacem aeternam to all.

 

On the Polish site devoted to the history of arms and armor (Bron i Barwa) there is a free pdf file titled - 'Representation of the armies of the Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem in the historical miniature soldiers' by K. Czarnecki. 

Lodz University's Piotr Nowakowski, on Academia, made available for downloading one of his books(with illustrations by Andrzej Klein)  - Banderia Apud Grunwald - Teutonic Banners at Grunwald (nota bene there is also Banderia Apud Grunwald - Polish & Lithuanian Banners at Grunwald).  Another Nowakowski, Andrzej, is the author of Arms and Armour in the medieval Teutonic Order's state in Prussia , published in Lodz 1994. 

 

Another scholar Sven Ekdahl wrote Horses and Crossbows: Two Important Warfare Advantages of the Teutonic Order in Prussia - available for reading at DeReMiltiari site.

 

Krzysztof Kwiatkowski wrote -Wojska Zakonu Niemieckiego w Prusach 1230-1525(Armies of The Teutonic Order in Prussia 1230-1525), published in Torun 2016. Probably the most complete study of the military history of the Order to date.
Funny thing is there is no adequate comprehensive modern study of the Polish side of this conflict per arms, armor, horses, tactics, and knightly arts and logistics of the Jagiellon armies of the period..
Lodz University scholar Tadeusz Grabarczyk wrote some articles and two books on the Polish XV century infantry and cavalry - and this article on the Polish army at the Grunwald battle. 
On Academia there is this article, the subject controversial to the modern Lietuva narration of their history and role in the battle - on the Lithuanian retreat/withdrawal/rout at the battle of Grunwald 1410. You can peruse the Academia site in search of more articles and books on the subject of the battle. 

The re-enactment festival is taking place at Grunwald as I am writing this post - many  hundreds or perhaps thousands of reenactors are there until Sunday, July 17, 2022.

Feliks Sypniewski - before the battle of Grunwald

Valete

Χριστός ἀνέστη!

Salvete Omnes,
during the times of this current calamity, at least the beauty and one's Faith are always true and eternal.
Easter Sunday is here - Χριστός ἀνέστη!
Christ is risen from the dead,
Trampling down death by death,
And upon those in the tombs
Bestowing life!

Healthy, joyful and peaceful Easter Sunday  - may tour Easter family gathering be full of laughter and delicious moments.
early XVI century Epitaph of Castellan of Nowy Sącz Jan Grot ze Słupce de Konari (more information about Grot Slupecki clan at Paprocki, Hery Rycerstwa Polskiego, p.546 and Niesiecki, Herbarz Polski, vol. VIII, p 411 ), Rawicz coat of arms, currently at Krakow National Museum.

..

and some beauties from the glory of European painting








Have you pained your pisanki this year?
Valete.

Notre Dame i relikwiarz koronacyjny królów polskich Drzewa Krzyża Świętego

salvete Omnes,

 [in Polish]

Wczoraj rozpoczął się Wielki Tydzień i poniedziałek zakończył się ogromną tragedią:




 pożarem katedry gotyckiej Notre Dame w Paryzu, i jest to tragedia na skalę kultury światowej. 

Dla nas Polaków to bardzo ważna świątynia, gdyż w Notre Dame, a dokładnie w skarbcu, był przechowywany arcyważny skarb polskiej kultury  tzw relikwiarz alias pacyfikał koronacyjny królów polskich Drzewa KrzyżaŚwiętego, cześć skarbów koronnych bezprawnie wywiezionych ze skarbca koronnego przez Jana Kazimierza do Francji i zawłaszczonych przez Gonzagów po śmierci Wazy.

Nota bene nie tylko Prusacy niszczyli polską kulturę (przetopienie klejnotów koronnych), również francuscy rewolucjoniści zniszczyli skarby naszej kultury przetapiając te wazowskie skarby, oprócz relikwiarza, w 1793 roku

Może nadszedł czas, żeby Polska poprosiła o zwrot tego zabytku kultury polskiej?

 Zamieściłem 2 skany z artykułu o relikwiarzu.

[English]

The Holy Week has begun yesterday and it started with an ominous sign the tragic  fire and burning of the Gothic Notre Dame of Paris, France, is a disaster of gargantuan proportions and the most sorrowful world tragedy.

There are Polish accents, namely the Paris' Notre Dame Treasury contained the Polish National treasure - medieval jewel and symbol of the Polish Crown, the Polish Kings Coronation Reliquary  of True Cross - unlawfully taken from our Polish treasury by the former Polish monarch Jan Kazimierz Waza in 1667-8. 

This Reliquary was part of the ceremonial in our Polish monarchy and the most exceptional treasure. After Jan Kazimierz's death it was illegally appropriated by the Gonzaga family, his wife's sister took it , and in spite Polish protestations and demands it has been kept in France since 1668-9.
Nota bene our failed king Jan Kazimierz took unlawfully more Crown Treasures in his exodus from Polish Realms, and those were melted by the French revolutionaries in 1793 (the other evildoers - the Prussian monarchs had  our Polish Crown Jewels melted in 1810-11).

Perhaps the time has come  that  the Polish state could ask the French Republic for the return of our Crown Reliquary? 

Valete
ps
images from Wiki Commons

Stanislaw Tarnowski, Leliwa coat of arms, from Chroberz

Salvet omnes,
today the small village of Chroberz, Little Poland, is rather unknown and beyond the beaten path of the tourist traveler but  long time ago it was a lively place,  full of splendor and wealth, for it was  the residence of  Stanislaw Tarnowski  one of the clan 'members of the Tarnowski family, Leliwa Coat of arms.
The old glory of this place is reflected in the local church, founded by pan  Stanislaw Tarnowski who  was eventually buried there in AD 1568.

Paprocki wrote in his Polish Nobility Coat of Arms  circa 1586

According to pan Paprocki's armorial, grandfather of our Chroberz Stanislaw was also named Stanislaw and he had been the fifth son of Jan, voivode of Cracow (however, a family tree where you can see that his grandfather was named Jan and modern genealogists agree with grandpa being Jan rahter than Stanislaw).
Following our pan Paporcki we read that his grandfather Jan, also a voivode of Cracow, and grandmother, Katarzyna de domo Ligęza, had one of their sons named Spytek, who was a voivode of Sieradz, Crown podskarbi (treasurer),  and a known warrior, Spytek had with his wife Barbara, de domo Szydlowiecka,  had two sons*: Wojciech and our Stanislaw.
Young Stanislaw went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, also visited Italy and the Holy Roman empire  Europe.
Pan Stanislaw was a voivode of Sandomierz and Crown podskarbi (treasurer) and one of the most important movers and shakers in the late Jagiellonian Poland.
He took as his wife Barbara, de domo Drzewicka, who bore him the following children:

 Stanisław Tarnowski (born circa 1541- 1618) — Castellan of Sandomierz and Radom, miecznik koronny (Crown sword-bearer).

Barbara — wife of Stanisława z Podhajec Wolskiego, Castellan of Sandomierz,

Katarzyna — wife of Florian  Noskowskiego, Starost of Ciechanow,

Krystyna — wife of Stanisław Lipnicki, stolnik  of Sandomierz,

Anna — wife of Mikołaj  Herburt, Castellan of Przemyśl,

Beata Elżbieta — wife of Baltazar Lutomirski, Starost of Lezajsk  

Elżbieta (Zofia) — wife of Piotr Pieniążek of Krużlowa

His widow had master Jan Michałowicz z Urzędowa built a beautiful Renaissance tomb effigy for her late husband in AD 1569.
                                                          ***
The tomb sculptured figures placed within it designed grandeur, apart from their prima facie spiritual and religious significance -  Christ rising to Heaven, and apparent artistic value - Renaissance art, contain some of the interesting military imagery of the period, concerning the equipment of a wealthy warrior-nobleman and statesman.

the entire tomb of Stanislaw Tarnowski

field armor & a schishage helmet

another helmet, a pistol in a holster, & gloves, top part of the kopia (lance) with a pennon

 Lances, warhammers, & shield with Leliwa coat of arms

pan Stanislaw in his eternal repose, wearing a full armor of the period

a war saddle with crouper and breatplate

kettledrums

enjoy
*according to Paporcki