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Few people will realise that at one time the Polish state was one of Europe's great powers. One of the chief instruments of her success was undoubtedly her army, which though small can claim many accomplishments and major successes in the 16th and 17th centuries. Richard Brzezinski redresses this imbalance by providing a portrait of Polish armies from 1569-1696, detailing their history, organisation, arms, armour, insignia and dress, accompanied by numerous illustrations and eight superb full page colour plates by Angus McBride.

The 17th century Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was almost as varied as modern America. Alongside Slavs lived Lithuanians and other Balts, Germans, Tatars, Armenian merchants, Jewish traders, and even a remarkably large populations of Scots. This variety of cultures had a strong influence on the Polish army. Along with the predominantly Polish and Lithuanian 'winged' hussars served numerous foreigners from both within and outside the Commonwealth: Tatars and Cossacks, Wallachians, Transylvanians, Moldavians, Hungarians, Serbians and Albanians; and from the West, French, Italians, Dutch,...

The Thirty Years War, a religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants, raged across Europe between 1618 and 1648, devastating huge areas of Germany. By 1632 the Protestant powers were in a desperate situation until King Gustavus Adolphus II of Sweden, 'the Lion of the North', came to their rescue. This book describes how, having smashed one of the two main Catholic armies, he faced the other at Lutzen near Leipzig in November 1632. In a nightmare battle fought in thick fog, his Swedish troops locked horns with the Imperial army. It was a bloody clash, in which Gustavus himself...

Much of the fame of Gustavus Adolphus has founded upon his cavalry. He is said to have reversed the stagnation of European cavalry warfare, giving it back fluidity and vigour. Like much 'Gustavus mythology', however, the truth may well be quite different. Richard Brzezinski explores the truth behind the myth, in an attempt to find the real story of Gustavus's cavarly. Their organization, arms, armour, tactics and uniforms are examined in a text accompanied by many illustrations, including eight fine full page colour plates by Richard Hook.

This book examines the origins and development of the Polish 'Winged' Hussars. Using many years' painstaking research drawn from unpublished Polish sources, the author provides a rounded view of the training, tactics, appearance and experiences of these legendary and fascinating warriors. Most dramatic of all Hussar characteristics were the 'wings' worn on the back or on the saddle, although not all Hussars wore them, and their purpose has been fiercely debated. The Hussars terrified the Turks, Tatars, Muscovite boyars, Ukrainian Cossacks and Swedes, who did everything to avoid facing them...

The 'Lion of the North', King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, was one of the major players in the Thirty Years War of 1618-48. In 1630 Gustavus - the last champion of the Protestants - crushed the Catholics at Breitenfeld in a victory widely viewed as the fulfillment of a prophecy foretelling the defeat of the eagle (the German Emperor's emblem) by a golden lion. Killed in battle at Lutzen only two years later, Gustavus nevertheless won fame for his technical and tactical innovations. The first of two volumes, this book examines the equipment, uniforms and organization of the infantry that...