Jan Kazimierz II Vasa in armor - winged hussar armor?

Salvete Omnes,
and here we go - December and ever so close to Christmas and winter time, perhaps with snow this time, as we seem to have local cooling and not warming..
ad rem, I would like to share with you several images of Jan Kazimierz Vasa, the third and last Vasa king on Polish throne during the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

He, among our XVII century kings,  is perhaps the most difficult to asses, as under his rule the Commonwealth almost disintegrated and them came together again loosing huge parts and vital areas, large number of population and wealth in process, his armies lost and then won amazing victories, and he allowed for Ducal Prussia to become the separate state and led the nation into the civil war (the tragic Lubomirski's 'rokosz') in order to fulfill his (an his French wife's) absolutists designs and plans.
His reign ended in a complete disgrace, broken and with many problems he abdicated the throne (went to live his life at Louis XIV's France), without bringing the peace among his subjects and citizenry as the fumes of discontent, division and anarchy smoldering and weakening the country.
He abdicated even though the war with the Ottoman Empire and their allies was commencing (the famous reversal of alliances, the Zaporozhian Cossacks and Tatars again being allies in their war against the Commonwealth) and would continue until the end of the century.
Jan Kazimierz Vasa upon leaving Poland illegally took with him to France certain royal jewels and symbols (some were destroyed by the French revolutionaries during the 1790s)- I wrote about them in context of the Notre Dame Cathedral fire. Perhaps it is time France returned this treasures to Poland. It is our heirloom and national treasure.

 But he did have several grand moments - one of them was the great victory against the rebellious Zaporozhian Cossacks and their Crimean Tatar allies at Beresteczko (today Berestechko,, Ukraine)- probably the largest land battle of the XVII century in Europe.
In 1656 during the holy mass at the Lwów (Lviv) Cathedral Jan Kazmierz II crowned Blessed Virgin Mary as the Queen of Poland, and the official titulature became as follows - The Most Holy Virgin Mary, Queen of Poland. And we have been venerating Her and blessed with Her protection ever since, the most holy site for our Queen has been the Holy Black Madonna of Jasna Gora  abbey in Czestochowa.

there is this bronze plaque (a detail below) commemorating the Beresteczko victory, located in Franch church  where the Jan Kazimierz's heart was buried upon his death (he died in France, but his body was returned and then ceremoniously  interned at the Wawel Cathedral in Krakow, where it remains today). He was known for many lovers but had no official surviving heir as his children died in infancy.


and there are many portraits of our king in armor, and I wonder if this was the type of armor used by the winged hussars of the period?


 
 
 
 
..
there is also famous chain-mail armor and portraits in that armor showing our king, but these will be subject of another post.
                      ***
When German Kingdom of Prusia army occupied Krakow and Wawel Royal Castle complex (upon the defeat of the Kosciuszko Insurrection forces in the south  in  June of 1794), and in October of 1795 under the most secret command of their king they broke in and took the royal treasure (Thesaurus Regni) stored at the Wavel, that contained the rich, splendorous and millennial treasures of Polish Kingdom, and took it to Berlin.
The Crowns and regalia that were used by the Primate of Poland to crown Jan Kazimierz II as our king were taken illegally and in contradiction to moral and ethical principles of the time by the House of Hohenzollern, and their king Frederick Wilhelm III had them taken apart and melted (most likely in 18109-11) to finance their war effort against Napoleon in 1813 (they also got plenty of money from United Kingdom). The official heir to the Polish throne and Polish king since 1815, tzar Alexander of Russia and his brother Nicolas (since 1826) demanded these regalia back from Prussian Kingdom's rulers, not knowing that these treasures were illegally destroyed.

maps how the Commonwealth shrunk under his rule, especially the geopolitically strategic and vital region of Smolensk
Ad 1648 - 

Ad 1667


Valete

Jan III Sobieski in armor and with royal insignia

Salvete Omnes,
His Royal Majesty Jan III Sobieski is one of the msot popula persoanges gracing the pages of my blog.
Polish digital National Museum website has displayed  this painting (oil on canvas) by an unknown painter that is believed to be the portrait of our most Sarmatian king, dated to the last quarter of the XVII century.
I just want to point some details:

our Sarmata - mustache and special haircut

fabulous gilded plate armor, probably of the highest, pistol-proofed quality , unfortunately it did not survived the winds of history

 

Polish crown, one of many that survived until 1794, when in wake of the failed Kosciuszko Uprising Prussia took over the Royal Treasury in Krakow and most of heartland Poland, and it was Prussian king who had the Polish royal jewels destroyed and melted between 1797-1812 - to the eternal shame of the Prussian Crown and their German Empire scions

 

Above,  one of many equestrian portraits and portrayals of our good warrior and unhappy politician Jan III.  In the background there is battle,  Jan Sobieksi participated, at first as a solder and later as the commander-in-chief,  countless battles  and scrimmages.
Could he be mounted on a Polish horse - considering the unusual coloring of this mount.


Valete

Royal Insignia of Kazimierz Wielki

Salvete Omnes,
I watched the entire second half of the soccer match between Croatia and United Kingdom teams during Mundial in Russia. it was a great game - Vivat Hrvatsko!

Seal of Polish Kingdom AD 1334

ad rem, after the Partions of Poland the fate of the Polish Royal Insignia (one day I should list some of them via various inventories done prior to AD 1795) was not different from other Crown property taken by the partitioning powers - Russian Empire , Prussia and Austrian Holy Empire. Those Polish Royal insignia taken by Prussia were destroyed by the Prussian king's orders (on their way to unify Germany and become emperors) who had them melted and minted into money.  Royal Insignia taken by the Russian Empire survived the Partitions.
our king Kazimierz Wielki (the Great) was buried with his royal insignia - crown, apple, scepter, gold ring with an amethyst, and a pair of stirrups - in the Krakow Cathedral in 1370.

King's XIX century imaginary portrait

In AD 1869 when Kazimierz's sarcophagus was opened and contents studies by scientists and artists were busy sketching, the royal insignia discovered inside the casket were copied and the originals can be found on display at the Cathedral Treasury (John Paul II Cathedral Museum) situated within the Wawel Hill Royal Castle complex in Krakow.
A copy of Kazimierz's Royal Insignia can be also viewed at the Beginnings of the Polish State Museum in Gniezno, the ancient capital of Poland.
Several views of the Royal Insignia display as can be seen at Gniezno Museum.

 one of the Royal spurs

 There is also another crown thought to had been owned by Kazmierz the Great, a helmet or traveling crown - it was found in Sandomierz and it is one of few surviving helmet crowns  in Europe.
Valete!