TYW004
First Legion
The Polish Winged Hussars were a prominent cavalry force in the Polish-Lithuanian Army from the 16th to 18th Centuries. At the very earliest stages, they served as light cavalry but by the middle of the 1500's they were transformed into heavy shock cavalry as First Legion has presented them here. As the primary tactic of the Polish Army of the period was the heavy cavalry charge, the Winged Hussars played an extremely important role on the battlefield. Made famous the by the "wings" made from wood with feathers from various large birds, they appeared to be much larger and more imposing when issuing their charge. One thing is certain, they were certainly among the beautiful of the horsemen of the period with ornate and colorful uniforms and large battle standards.
First Legion has presented them here as they would have appeared from about 1587-1632 under the banners of Sigismund III, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania and they bear his standards of that period.
Please note that while these figures are coded as TYW simply because they required a code, they are appropriate for not only the Thirty Years War, but also the Renaissance as well. Many of their enemies are figures that will eventually be placed in the Renaissance figure range.