DECEMBER RELEASE 𐍈 13th century Polish Knights and Polish Infantry

Hi everyone, the December release is here, and it's all about Polish knights and crusaders during the 13th century and more specifically the Prussian Crusade:

While many medieval scholars are aware of the Scandinavian and German crusades in the Baltic, Poland's contributions often remain overlooked. The medieval era proved challenging for the Polish kingdom, marked by the division of dynastic lands leading to perpetual rivalries. Krakow fell victim to Mongol invasions, Lithuanian pagans wreaked havoc in frontier regions, and the Teutonic Knights, gaining strength along the Baltic coast, proved formidable and challenging to expel or control. Sparse chronicle entries contribute to the historical neglect of Polish crusading efforts.

Poland's involvement in crusades reflected their culture's growing interest in Western culture and chivalric practices. Although the twelfth century had few crusaders, their numbers notably increased in the thirteenth century. A significant turning point was the Fifth Crusade, involving substantial contributions in both manpower and finances, which ultimately faltered in Egypt. On a more local scale, Polish crusading armies engaged pagan forces in Prussia, particularly during the crucial campaign of 1235. Despite enduring interest in this crusade, rulers and churchmen faced distractions from Mongol invasions, domestic turmoil, and the papal focus on reclaiming Jerusalem.

This release is composed of:

• 13th century Polish Knights modular kit:

   10 separate riders

   10 separate horses

   3 separate shields

   1 separate lance

The era of Polish history known as the Division in the Provinces, from 1138 until 1320, was marked by a distinct predominance of Western influences upon Polish military equipment – an influence that would continue until the middle of the 16th century.

Evidence suggests a shift towards the more specialized cavalry lance, supplanting the earlier and simpler spear, as early as the 12th century in Poland. Notably, the seal of Duke Mieszko III the Old, dating between 1173 and 1202, portrays a horseman wielding such a lance. The timeframe from 1066 to 1250 is commonly recognized as the age of mail, and mail armor continued to be the primary form of protection for Polish men-at-arms and knights.

Another significant development during this period was the introduction of the great helm. The seal of Duke Casimir I of Kuyavia, circa 1236, provides the earliest evidence of the great helm in Poland, although it's plausible that some cavalrymen may have worn such helmets a generation or so earlier. The emergence of these helms likely correlates with the introduction of the armor-piercing cavalry lance, offering enhanced facial protection during frontal charges.

• 13th century Polish Infantry:

   10 separate bodies

   1 separate spear

   1 separate shield

We possess a diverse array of iconographic and pictorial resources about Polish arms and armour in the 13th century; these include the official seals of the Piast dukes and rulers, effigies, carved slabs, engraved brasses, religious art, and various forms of miniature painting. The overall impression obtained from these sources does not differ very much from what could be seen in France or England, and was even more similar to neighbouring Bohemia and Germany. However, surviving artifacts from this period are extremely rare.

In the limited collection of remaining weaponry, swords stand out as the most prevalent, with approximately 50 examples discovered in Poland, dating from the 12th to 13th centuries. These swords fall within Oakeshott's categories XI, XII, and XIII. Oakeshott's type XI swords made an appearance as early as the 11th century and endured in use until the close of the 13th century.  They are all single-handed weapons with disc pommels and straight crossguards.

While older types of spears appear to have persisted in use in Poland, the absence of surviving original examples necessitates reliance on pictorial sources to form a somewhat limited understanding of the polearms employed by Polish infantry.  Weapons such as the halberd, poleaxe, glaive and bardiche do not seem to have been widespread, though one cannot rule out their use, while axes and maces, though again poorly documented, may occasionally have been used.

Several different forms of helmet clearly remained in use in Poland – as elsewhere – throughout this period alongside the all-enclosing great helm; rounded and cylindrical styles, with or without nasals, also remained popular

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DOWNLOAD HERE (IMPORTANT: Download the .RAR files one by one , DON'T right click on the whole "Black Knight Miniatures Release" folder and   hit download, otherwise Google Drive could mess up the files)

Everything comes, as always, both Pre-Supported and Unsupported in 28mm scale.

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I really hope you like this month's release, it's been great researching and finding historical sources for this month's models. Soon we will hold the vote for next month!

Hope you're having a good week!