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

Semana Santa in full swing - with a Crucifixion by Conrad Laib

 Salvete Omnes,

let us pray for peace and end of human suffering around the world as the Easter holiday is upon us.

we, in the Catholic Christianity, are in the Semana Santa - Holy Week/Swiety Tydzien, aleady in the third day of this last day of Lent.
Last year I did a post  about Semena Santa in Spain and Palm-frond like arrangements - you can take a look here.

And  I would like to share this Crucifixion by Conrad Laib (c.1410-1460), active in Salzburg, Holy Germany Empire. 

Apart from the religious subject matter and artistic value, this work contains lots of information about the horses, horse tack and armor and even weapons of the era.

Bridles, spurs, stirrups, bits - a bonanza of material culture .

here clearly a white mule, animal for clergy, with a very sumptuous bridle an saddle  

a do watch again the famous masterpiece - 'The Passion of the Christ' by Mel Gibson (or any other film about the Passion of Christ) 

Valete

XV century cavalry charge ..at Brandenburg Castle, Lauchröden

 Salvete Omnes,

a quick post - but amazing video and event

scan from the video recording by Iron Crown Workshop

Ecuyer and chivalry reenactor  Arne Koets and many fine reenactors of the European Medieval chivalry gathered at Lauchroden, Germany and it resulted in this recording: a XV century cavalry charge reenacted.

The camp was called Feldlager at the Brandenburg, Lauchröden and many reenactors from Poland also came, what is why you are seeing the flag -White Eagle on the red field - of our Polish Masovian Piast dukes in the second row of the charging knights. 

XIV century Armorial de Gelre, foilio 52 shows our king's Louis of Hungary coat of arms and some of our Polish Piast dukes coats of arms, including the White Eagle of duke Siemowit IV of Mazowsze (Mazovia) - he was prince of the Rawa Land, my country...and he should have been our king and not the Lithuanian pagan  aka Wladyslaw Jagiellon.  Nota bene duke Rupert of Legnica was married to Jadwiga of Zagan, the widow of our king Kazimierz Wielki and mother of his 3 daughters who were not allowed to inherit our Kingdom, and the dukes Ruper and Jadwiga  had 2 daughters. 

Photographer Jan Stabl has an album on his page where you can see and admire the reencators from this 2023 Feldlager. Also Bertus Brokamp made some very fine photos available - nota bene on Bertus' page you can see the reconstruction of the leather bard ( horse armor) and many finest points of chivalrous reconstruction and reenactment, like jousting. Burgine site also has photos to beheld and enjoy.

Hail to the chivalry and reenactors! 

Enjoy

Jorg Breu the elder - Crucifixion & horsemen

 Salvete Omnes,

 

master of Missal of Jean de Rolin

Good Friday - Crucifixion -
Jorg Breu the elder (1475-1537) pinxit - 

splendid horse armor and lancer-knight armor

an early armored hussar with a Hungarian shield

beautiful horse armor on a gray horse

Valete

The Magi feast is coming - and Botticelli

                Salvete Omnes,

the Feast of Magi comes tomorrow - 

so I am going to take this opportunity and share some Sandro Botticelli's paitnings with the Magi adoration of Christ, simply for their beauty.. Nota bene two years ago I posted some close ups of his Italian horses from his Nativity paintings.

a small painting but intriguing

and Leonardo da Vinci Madonna and Child.

Enjoy your holiday tomorrow - and Merry Christmas to my Orthodox friends  -:) since their Christmas comes on Friday.

Valete 

ps

all  images come from Wiki Commons 

Lecture on the armour - dr Toby Capwell

Salvete Omnes,

a nice treat to all armor aficionados and art historian types et al., - dr Toby (Tobias) Capwell is currently delivering a lecture - via The Wallace Collection page on Ytube - on the  armor made by the famous armorer  Konrad Seusenhofer et consortes at Innsbruck. 

Here an earlier video on the Seusenhofer armor samples at the Wallace Collection.
So if you can then join the lecture - :) 

Nota bene Toby Capwell et al.,  An Experimental Investigation of Late Medieval Combat with the Couched Lance via academia.edu .

Valete

Livre du cœur d'Amour épris of Rene d'Anjou part IIb

Salvete Omnes,

continuing with the remainder of plates from
Livre du cœur d'Amour épris of Rene d'Anjou (Austrian National Library in Vienna: Livre du cœur d'amour épris - ÖNB - Cod.Vid.2597 )


 

 

 

 



Valete