Jan Czop (1942-2026) - Pacem Aeternam

 Salvete Omnes,

my favorite Polish military uniforms - 

it saddens me to report that one of the finest Polish military historical artists and miltiary uniform researchers passed away last week.
Jan Czop - author of albums, articles, and numerous drawings and plates showing Polish armies and fighting men passed away on May 25, 2026. Pan Jan is now part of the long line of Polish military uniform and Polish military  history enthusiasts and artists-historians -  M. Stachowicz, Rupniewski, Jozef Lex, Juliusz Kossak, Kajetan Saryusz-Wolski, Jan Niepomuce Lewicki, Jan Matejko, Stanislaw Heykowski, Bronislaw Gembarzewski, Janusz Wielhorski, Stanislaw Gepner, Antoni Trzeszczkowski,  Karol Linder, Ryszard Morawski etc.

Royal Crown Mounted Guard

Among others, pan Jan held membership in the prestigious Polish military historians association - Stowarzyszenie Milosnikow Dawnej Broni i Barwy. 

In 2017 we had numerous exchanges over Fb and via emails about publishing his works in the United States, by Winged Hussar Publishing LLC.  
Unfortunately he was tied by his contracts with his Polish publisher and and the publisher was not interested in publishing the albums in the US at that time. 
Jan Czop was buried in Sanok, Poland on Saturday, May 30, 2026.

concept XVIII century winged Hussars drawings 

Condolences to the Czop Family and friends. His brushes and pencils and his wonderfully well researched voice will be sorely missed.

Polish royal Piast and princerly Pomeranian heraldry in 1330-1360 AD 

Pacem Aeternam

all images from Jan Czop's Fb page - all Jan Czop's copyright

Valete

On Slavic Warriors - published

 Slavete Omnes,

some good news for the aficionados of the early medieval Slavic military history. 

Illustration from the book - Theutonicorum rex 

Vincent Rospond et Mateusz Julecki  translated and Winged Hussar Publishing LLC published  On Slavic Warriors, study by Igor Gorewicz of Triglav. about the Druzhinas (comitatus) and thir battles on land and sea. 
The newly published book 

cover photo by Marek Kalisinski

is available on Simon & Schuster website, on Amazon  , on  the On Military Matters etc.

'

.

.

illustration from inside - the Arkona Gate

ps

 some imagery from Wiki Commons about Arkona on the Rugia (Rugen) Island.

enjoy

Valete

Grunwald 1410-2025 AD

 Salvete Omnes,

WHP - Banners in the battle of Grunwald

hear! hear !-  today's 615 years since Polish Kingdom and allies' gained their great victory over the Teutonic Order and Western European allies in the fields between Stebark and Grunwald, near Olsztyn in Poland.

A short video on the armament and armor of the knight [in Polish]
Another video on the armor and armament of a lightly armed horseman [in Polish], also the non-battlefield parade dress of the well-to-do nobleman or magnate [in Polish]
The Grand Master Urlich von Jungingen  - Jaroslaw Struczynski of Gniew Castle in this role - reenactment at Grunwald [in Polish] Among others there is a tale about the horse and needful training of horses for reenactment. 

video on the  Teutonic knight - arms and armor[in Polish]

This year reenactment of the famous battle took place past weekend, July 11-13, 2025 - here a short video prepared by Gazeta Olsztynska. Here a view from the bleachers. On Facebook you can faind hundreds of photos of this year's reenactment, eg search this photographer Ann Nowakowska. 

also,

do recall that in 2023 I translated and reedited this book by Mariusz Moroz from Winged Hussar Publishing LLC - it can be had from Amazon or WHP site.

and do not forged Jan Matejko's opus magnum (and many other paintings of this battle), Henryk  Sienkiewicz' fabulous novel, and the fabulous Polish 1960 film -Teutonic Knights.

Pacem Aeternam to all knights, squires and retainers

Valete

The Banners in the Battle of Grunwald 1410

 Salvete Omnes,

copyright of Mariusz Moroz & Winged Hussar Publishing LLC

a quick but happy entry  about a project carried out to fruition:

lastly  I have been involved in the translating, editing and fine tuning of the English language edition of the Polish company - Wydawnictwo Kameleon - publication titled 'Choragwie pod Grunwaldem' (Banners in the Battle of Grunwald) which deals with the famous battle of Grunwald AD 1410. 
The plates for this album had been drawn and painted by Mariusz Moroz , Polish artist, including being a successful tattoo artist. The Polish text, that I helped translate and edited, had been written by a seasoned writer and publisher Robert Zareba. 

copyright of Mariusz Moroz & Winged Hussar Publishing LLC

The book allows for a final one-volume collection of the banners of the opposing sides, and also contains banners captured by the Polish knights at Koronowo and Dabki (two victorious for the Polish side battles of the fall 1410). 

The American publishing company - Winged Hussar Publishing LLC -  produced this  edition of this book - 208 pages. The project has been a challenge on many levels, like the names of historic persons involved,  localities and  historic regions, the chronology and terminology etc, but finally has been completed and it will be available for your pleasure and enjoyment by the end of October 2023. Also in the United Kingdom eg on Amazon UK. 

copyright of Mariusz Moroz & Winged Hussar Publishing LLC

copyright of Mariusz Moroz & Winged Hussar Publishing LLC

enjoy

Valete

Arms of the Slavic Warriors from Triglav

 Salvete Omnes,

 

perhaps you may recall  that last March Winged Hussar Publishing published already the third volume  of the Slavic and Viking Ornamental Design from  the Wydawnictwo Triglav  in Szczecin, Poland.

     This month to my surprise I received from Igor Górewicz his newest opus - O Broni Słowian (The Arms and Armor of the Slavic Warriors) - brand new huge  hardcover with lots of text, black and white illustrations and color photos.

I am yet to read it wholly but perusing it already has given me lots of ideas for my own future drawings and painting etc, and yes! there is a very tasty chapter on horses, horse riding, horse tack etc.
     But more importantly I also learned that this large volume - 670plus pages  - will be translated and published in the English speaking world by the same Winged Hussar Publishing,

So you can grab a Polish copy directly from Triglav or wait some yet unknown number months to get your English version.

Nota bene you can listen  - if you understand Polish - to some of the most excellent - learning and entertaining about the pagan Slavs and their world in south-western Baltic lowlands -  historic storytelling presented by Igor Gorewicz on his YT channel - Triglav2002

'Sława'- :)

Valete

Viking and Slavic Ornamental Design vol. 3 from WHP & Triglav

Salvete Omnes,
 
Winged Hussar Publishing LLC in cooperation with Triglav from Szczecin, Poland, publish the 3rd volume of the Viking and Slavic Ornamental Design - fantastic reference material and study of the designs obtained from archaeological artefacts and iconographic materials, collected during research trips to museums and sites ranging from Ireland to the eastern Slavic lands of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia.
 
 
Written by Igor Gorewicz,
 here at the 2018 Wolin Slav and Viking Festival

and illustrated by Marek Piłaszewicz, it is a treasure of imagery from the Viking and Pagan Slav period - be it for a reenactor costumes and equipment, tattoo idea or drawing exercise etc.
there are some sample pages kindly provided by the publishers


 Slavic horseman reconstructed - Wolin Festival 2019


photos from the various Wolin S&V Festival taken from Wiki Commons - here-
nota bene Slavic music bands at the festival- eg Javaryna & Dziwoludy.


Valete

The Lubomski's Lancer of the Guard - review

Salvete Omnes,
short entry - my good new horse of a computer suffered a serious bout of colic of the 'electrical short variety,' ergo I cannot do much with the blog at the moment.

ad rem,  last Spring the Winged Hussar Publishing LLC released Polish Guard Lancers: Uniforms and Equipment 1807 - 1815 by George Lubomski.
I came accross this review on  A Question of Scale wargaming blog and read some more on the TMP boards regarding the book.
Links -
 the review on A Question of Scale.
TMP Napoleonic Media boards forum
 
I hope those in doubt regarding the portemanteau will peruse pan Lubomski's book to find their answer.  
the UK Amazon reviewers are very generous with their praise for the book, while the US Amazon reviewers' complaints about paper b seem to take over the substantive aspect of the book.(but do not  mention  the rather low price for this type of work).

enjoy
Valete

Viking and Slavic Ornamental Design vol. 1 from WHP

Trzyglaw by Marek Hapon (Wiki Commons)

Salvete Omnes,
coming this April the American (and Australian and New Zealand as well) book stores will see the newest edition of the famous 'Viking and Slavic Ornamental Design' volume 1, by Igor Gorewicz et al, originally published by Wydawnictwo Triglav from Szczecin, Poland.

It was the ancient stronghold of Szczecin on the banks of Odra (Oder ) River in western Pomerania on the southern Baltic shores, where a thousand years ago stood many pagan temples and where among other deities the pagan Wkrzanie (Ukrani - a western Slavic tribe) worshiped Slavic god known as Trzyglaw (Triglav). The island of Wolin was the site of the famous viking-Slavic stronghold Jomsborg (Jomsviking saga), and on the island of Rugia or Rana ( Rugen) stood famous temple of Slavic god Swiatowid (Svetovid) where a 'holy' white stallion was used in the horse oracle ceremeony by the Slavic priests well into the second half of the XII century (until the Danish conquest and destruction of the Svetovid temple on the Cape Arkona in 1168AD)

Deities of Ranowie or Rugianie (Rani - western Slavic tribe) by Marek Hapon

Swiatowid by Marek Hapon

Alfons Mucha, Swiatowid worship on Rugia

Mucha's apotheosis of the Slavs

The books represent the combined 'transatlantic' effort of Winged Hussar Publishing LLC and Wydawnictwo Triglav.
Consecutive months of 2019 will see release of volume 2 and subsequently volume 3 of this great series.
sample pages of the volume


 

 
valete

Polish Guard Lancers -new book

Salvete Omnes
it is my pleasure to announce a new English-language publication about the famous Polish horsemen of the Napoleonic era.
Namely,  this coming April the Winged Hussar Publishing LLC will release worldwide the completely new book about the famed Napoleonic Polish Guard Lancers - their uniforms, weapons, equipment and horse tack. It is the first publication about the Polish lancers of this type and of this scope and depth attempted in English language.

The book's author, pan George  Lubomski, is an independent researcher and long-time reenactor of the Polish Guard lancers from the United Kingdom, featured in past publications showing Napoleonic period soldiers. Because of pan George's command of English, Polish and French he was able to bridge the primary source gap when comes to various documents and memoirs, and previously written research on the subject.

 Simon & Schuster and associated platforms (Amazon, Barnes & Noble) will be selling pan George's new opus magnum starting in April.

Please find  attached the new cover drawn by the author and three sample pages


 
 

 
Valete!