Jensky Codex - glory of Bohemian Late Medieval Art

Salvete Omnes,
a quick entry - medieval illuminations, late gothic armor and Jan Hus and Jan Žižka.

so without much ado , from the late medieval Kingdom of Bohemia ( since 1471AD ruled by Jagiellon king Wladyslaw II aka Vladislav Jagellonský) comes the so called Jensky (Jena) Codex painted by a master Janíček Zmilelý z Písku, who worked in Prague from the late 1400s until 1520s AD, and the codex is dated between 1490-1510AD.


 and the battle scene showing the Hussites fighting the German crusaders - see the Hussite wars page on Academia , eg Religion and Violence during the Hussite Wars. Although the painter showed the scenes from the first quarter of the XV century yet he painted the combatants using the last quarter of the XV century arms and armor, including the horse tack too.
We are rewarded here with the perfect lance technique - nota bene the main lancer with the couched lance is using the arret or lance rest.
 

On Jan Hus and his relationship with Polish Crown and Polish nobles see this article.

On another medieval Bohemian codex - you could read this article.

the whole manuscript can be viewed here
Valete

Beatus de Saint-Sever - XI century French horses and milites

Salvete Omnes,
a short entry on a Medieval manuscript from Gascony,  one of the treasures at the French National Library aka Gallica [on line].


 The illuminations shows a couched lance technique, presumably very early in the medieval representation of such mounted lance technique, at least several decades prior to the famous Bayeux Tapestry of the Normans.
Beatus de Saint-Sever  or Apocalypse of Saint-Sever (Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, MS lat. 8878) contains some beautiful and interesting iconography regarding horses and riders, horse tack and riders' arms and armor. We see saddles with high pommel and cantle (painted), bridles with a curb-bit, horses seem to have been shod. Riders are mounted on stallions or so it seems. The knights are suing spurs and saddles have also the breastplate and crupper. All this circa 1050AD.
Four Horsemen of Apocalypse

 

 


 armored riders mounted on monsters
 
 milites or XI century warriors. It was that armored, lance-wielding  mounted warrior  whom    the Catholic Church 'transformed into a knight thus creating the chivalry , and at the very end of the XI century these miles christi would go on crusading in the Holy Land.  

animals

monsters

 
valete

Art militaire à cheval - Wallhausen

Salve,

Johann Jacobi von Wallhausen comes from a long line of the German countries military arts practitioners and theoreticians who wrote 'fechbuchen' or books on fighting and personal combat.
Von Wallhausen was a renowned military theorist and soldier of his day, his works were studied and pondered, and obviously translated in various European languages (almost immediately into French upon publication), among  his many employments he worked as the Capitan of the Guard and a Captain for the Royal City of Gdansk, in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, where he must have learned a thing or two about lancers.
 He eventually was invited to work as a director and teacher at the military academy established by Johann VII, Count of Nassau-Siegen circa 1617. Yet he did not last there for long.
He wrote 11 military books between 1615-1621, and amongst them The Art of Cavalry  (or the Art of War on Horseback) - full title bellow in French*
More about messer Johann von Wallhausen and his treatises can be read at the masterful  work by prof. Sidney Anglo titled ''The Renaissance Martial Arts of Europe.''
David Lawrence in The Complete Soldier states that the works of von Wallahusen were studied by the Stuart English military theorists  like John Cruso shortly after their publication on the continent.

some plates from his work* pertaining to lancer and his weapons and equipment

enjoy
*
Gallica - Art militaire à cheval . Instruction des principes et fondements de la cavallerie, et de ses quatre espèces, ascavoir lances, corrasses, arquebus et drageons, avec tout ce qui est de leur charge et exercice, avec quelques nouvelles inventions de batailles ordonnées de cavallerie et démonstrations de la nécessité, utilité et excellence de l'art militaire sur toutes aultres arts et sciences, experimenté, descript... par Jean Jaques de Wallhausen (1616)

Lucas Mayer woodcuts 1595-96 - warfare in Kingdom of Hungary

Salve,
the subject of today's entry will be woodcuts of a German printmaker named Lucas Mayer who was active in the Holy German Empire  from 1566 through 1606. Amongst many he produced a woodcut showing our king Stephen Bathory as a prince of Transylvania and later as king of Poland-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

First woodcut shows a battle between the armies of Transylvania and Ottoman Turks in August 1595 ( most likely Michael the Brave indecisive (victor had to withdraw) victory over Ottoman commander Sinan Pasha front guard corps - battle of Calugareni where 16000 Wallachians plus 7000 Hungarians and 12 cannons under captain Kiraly bloodied 100000 Turkish force in the Neajlov River  canyon near Bucharest  ), with plenty of detail on each cavalryman dress and armament

Second woodcut shows a battle again between the Transylvania and Ottoman Turks in 1595. with many interesting ways of lance handling - resembling Sarmatian, Roman and medieval 'fechtbuch' techniques.

Third woodcut shows Hungarian army, vassals of the Hapsburgs,  of the 1596 commanded here by Nicolas Palfi  or Palffy Miklos , governor of Gran,  meeting the refuges under army escort, and it is very interesting as amongst other  things,  it shows feathered wings on some of the hussars

Palffy Miklos here in this nice German single leaf woodcut

*

I am enjoying myself living on the High Plains of US, last weekend we went to to western horse show at the El Paso County Latigo Horse Center , Colorado lost of horses and every level of horsemanship, too bad so few boys and men participate in these equestrian sports; horses and horse sports  seem to be feminine field nowadays, who may know, perhaps for the better :) . Got to see a 1870s  Henry riffle (under restoration), about to buy my first hunting rilfe (as oppose to assault riffle - i am not going hunting, my terrier does it here ) and a nice recurve 50 lbs bow..
Also had a chance to observe  horse shoeing of many different horses, and while at it we, friendly farrier Susan and I, talked -well, Susan  talked and I asked questions mostly - about horse's hoof,  horse breeds and  hooves, mustangs and trimming hooves for crooked and injured legs & feet.
I got myself a US cavalry saddle circa 1917 in not so bad condition, 11 3/4 " seat and hope to have it restored as one of the straps is broken wikipedia.org/wiki/McClellan_saddle