Glossary

I think this covers it all, I hope all my spellings are correct.  posting it messes up the nice layout but that, alas, is life.

Glossary for Winged Hussars

Burmistrz                    Mayor

Chorąźy                      Ensign

Hussar                        Polish hussars were heavy shock troops, wearing wings on their backs of wood and leather with feathers of various kinds set into them. The most plausible explanations I have found for these are [a] to scare the wits out of other horses [and their riders] and [b] to create enough resistance to discourage a horse from going full tilt, thus ensuring that they could manage a second charge.  Unlike many cavalry, the Polish winged hussars were able to stop short, wheel, regroup and attack again. They were disbanded in 1776 as obsolete.

Kontusz                       the outer garment of a szlachcik, a rich long coat often much braided on the chest and sleeves, and often with slashed sleeves to allow the arms to be worn outside the sleeve which is left to hang.  In winter, lined with fur.

Kontusik                     A female version of the kontusz, usually hip length but can be shorter or longer.

Mazurek                     Mazurka

Pan                              Address of a szlachta, ‘sir’ or ‘lord’

Pani                             Address of married szlachcianka  equivalent to ‘lady’

Panicz                         Address of a young szlachcic, meaning ‘young master’ much like the  archaic English ‘Childe’

Panna                          An unmarried szlachcianca [see also Waćpanna]

Poczet                         a towarzysz’s unit of men, a lance of men and their support staff

Poczowy                      retainers, members of a poczet

Polonez                       The dance, Polonaise

Porucznik                    ‘lieutenant’; the one who does the work for the rotmistrz, probably would be called ‘captain’ in the west.

Rotmistrz                    translated captain, militarily a company commander and probably closer to a major in a western army

Sejm                            Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Parliament

Sołtys                          Village mayor

Starosta                      Sheriff

Szlachta                      Nobility. In theory all szlachta were equal, but some really were more equal than others in terms of wealth and prominence.

Szlachcic                     Nobleman

Szlachcianka               Noblewoman

Żupan                          A szlachcic’s garment, a long tunic high at the neck and buttoning down the front, worn under the kontusz.

Towarzysz                  Companion/brother-nobleman-warrior, maintains a poczet for a Rotmistrz, an officer.

Ulans                           Polish light cavalry, replacing the hussars entirely after 1776.

Waćpanna                   archaic address form if speaking directly to an unwed szlachcianka, about equivalent to the English ‘Burd’

Wojewoda                   a district administrator or governor

Wójt                            a subordinate administrator

Zloty                           Unit of currency, 1 dukat = 6 zloty, 30 groszy = 1 zloty.  At the time £1 was worth around 8 Zloty ie 1 zloty ≈ 2/6d [half a crown].  This at a time when a clerk is paid around £75 a year which slightly less than the yearly cost to keep a horse even in a livery stable.  Each of our hussars is going around on the 18^th century equivalent of a Jaguar E-type.