Goldsworthy on the Napoleonic period mounted troops aka cavalry

 Salvete Omnes,

a short entry - dr Adrian Goldsworthy, historian & novelist (his Roman period novels are good entertainment ).

So dr Goldsworthy, in a rather typical British fashion of not knowing about Polish cavalry or history (like the Polish and Red army cavalries 1917-45), delivers a lecture on the Napoleonic era mounted troops and use of horses by the armies. - this is the video on Yt. 

And some of my old Napoleonic ulan (uhlan -lancer) and cheavulegers art.

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enjoy

Valete

Wexy - a brave Irish horse at Waterloo 1815

 Salvete Omnes,

210 years ago French, Dutch-Belgian, Prussian and British armies met at Waterloo (I am going to do a separate posting about the battle of Wavre). 

10 years ago I posted about the grand reenactment festival that took place at Waterloo. 
This past decade has not been the best for us, human beings, in the Western world. And new wars are taking place, in addition to the Ukraine-Russian Federation catastrophic war, as of past week - the Israeli attack on Islamic Republic of Iran (the site of my beloved ancient Persian  civilization). God have mercy on all of us. 

the saddle is placed too much forward or high on the withers in this display, perhaps indicating museum curators ignorance of principles of saddling and riding with a saddle on 

Ad rem,

At Waterllo  Commander of the 1st Corps of the  Allied army William, Prince of Orange ( future William II of the Netherlands ), had a horse, presumably among many mounts his royal highness had to posses in his staff, that was called Wexy.  

Wexy was an Irish hunter(?) or half English Thoroughbred, perhaps a light bay? Hard to tell from the photos.

 According to the linked article it is unknown how and when this horse came into prince's possession. Perhaps during the campaigning in the Iberian Peninsula from 1811-1813, where Prince was part of the Duke Wellington's staff. Prince of Orange was popular with the British and they called him 'Slender Billy.' In Spain prince William took part in the siege of Badajoz and the battle of Salamanca.  

Prince of Orange and his mount were hit by a bullet half past seven (7:30 PM) during the battle of Waterloo.

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This warhorse lived to a tender old age, dying in 1839 or 40, having been foaled circa 1801 in Ireland.

here the saddle was placed correctly on Wexy's back, without impacting the scapula/shoulders and without restricting the movement

 The horse was stuffed and mounted on display in Gothic Hall at Kneuterdijk Palace, and since 1900 at the Royal Stables. Daily Mail article erroneously claimed that Wexy was killed during the battle of Waterloo.

the painting showing prince William at Quatre Bras seems to be showing a different, chestnut horse, since Wexy had no socks.

I wonder if the horse in this equestrian monument of William II was modeled after Wexy.

Valete

Napoleon during 1812 Russia campaign in Albrecht Adam's brushes

 Salvete Omnes,

taking of Smolensk 1812

we, the Napoleonic Age aficionados,  are still reeling from the 'fracaso' or failure of the latest Hollywood take on the great European aka Napoleon by a British director R. Scott.

So today some images of mounted Napoleon by maestro Albrecht Adam, who himself, when very young, was 'an honorable visual corespondent' during the epic 1812 campaign in Russia.  

detail from a larger painting

burning Moscow in 1812

detail from the Berezyna/Berezina crossing

nota bene gorgeously painted horse 

Valete

Bog powiezyl mi honor Polakow, Bogu go tylko oddam - o ostatnich chwila polskiego Bayarda

 Salvete Omnes,

[in Polish]

w pazdzierniku, z okazji 210 rocznicy smierci wielkiego syna Polski, mialo miejsce spotkanie na Zamku Krolewskim w Warszawie pt „Jak naprawdę zginął książę Józef Poniatowski?" - debata.
Oto link ze strony polskiego radio z linkiem do nagrania ze spotkania na YT-   otoz jest to bardzo ciekawa prezentacja, pod katem badan medycznych i swiadkow-uczestnikow bitwy lipskiej,  owych chwil ostatnich wielkiego polskiego zolnierza i wodza armii Ksiestwa Warszawskiego ksiecia Jozefa Poniatowskiego (i juz wtedy marszalka Frencji, w czasie bitwy pod Lipskiem 19.X.1813.

 
Debatuja prof. Dariusz Nawrot, historyk i rekonstruktor epoki Ksiestwa Warszawskiego, i dr. Maria Turos, lekarz medycyny i rekonstruktor chirurgii et medycyny epoki napoleonskiej, a w ostatniej godzinie debaty mamy pytania i obserwacje od uczestnikow-widzow. 

Z pamietnika Bialkowskiego - o onym masztalerzu ksiecia i koniu, ktorym byl rumakiem ksiecia kiedy dosiegnal go Tanatos .

Nota bene wieczna chwala i honor dla oficera sztabowego Hipolita Beschamps'a, ktory wspomagal w czasie odwrotu rannego herosa i w ostatniej tragicznej chwili rowniez zginal od kul wrogow probujac ratowac smiertelnie rannego ksiecia.

Valete!