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Gabbanoche — Noble Muscovite cavalryman

#cavalry #muscovy #russian #muscovite
Published: 2015-12-13 18:17:37 +0000 UTC; Views: 2629; Favourites: 47; Downloads: 0
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Description Early 17th Noble Muscovite cavalryman.
Here's a 16th century description of the Muscovy cavalry, although i'm guessing not much have changed in the beginning of the 17th century.

"They have small gelded horses, unshod, and with very light bridles, and their saddles are so adapted that they may turn round in any direction without impediment, and draw the bow. They sit on horseback with the feet so drawn up, that they cannot sustain any more than commonly severe shock from a spear or javelin. Very few use spurs, but most use the whip, which always hangs from the little finger of the right hand, so that they may lay hold of it and use it as often as they need; and if they have occasion to use their arms, they let it fall again so as to hang from the hand. Their ordinary arms are a bow, a javelin, a hatchet, and a stick, like a caestus, which is called in Russian, kesteni; in Polish, bassalich. The more noble and wealthy men use a lance. They have also suspended from their arm oblong poignards like knives, which are so buried in the scabbard, that they can scarcely touch the tip of the hilt, or lay hold of them in the moment of necessity. They have also a long bridle perforated at the end, which they attach to a finger of the left hand, so that they may hold it at the same time as they use the bow. Moreover, although they hold the bridle, the bow, the short sword, the javelin, and the whip, in their hands all at the same time, yet they know how to use them skilfully without feeling any incumbrance.' Some of the higher classes use a coat of mail beautifully worked on the breast with a sort of scales and with rings; some few use a helmet of a peaked form like a pyramid. Some use a dress made of silk stuffed with wool, to enable them to sustain any blows. They also use pikes."
- Rerum moscoviticarum commentarii.
Siegmund von Herberstein.
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Comments: 21

Nikkolainen [2022-05-04 17:57:20 +0000 UTC]

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Gabbanoche In reply to Nikkolainen [2022-05-05 20:15:18 +0000 UTC]

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Arminius1871 [2015-12-17 07:45:23 +0000 UTC]

The helmet looks cool XD

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Gabbanoche In reply to Arminius1871 [2015-12-17 17:27:31 +0000 UTC]

Thanks! And happy birthday mate

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Arminius1871 In reply to Gabbanoche [2015-12-17 20:52:24 +0000 UTC]

Thanks

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KimSokolov [2015-12-15 21:11:39 +0000 UTC]

Слава!

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Libra1010 [2015-12-15 17:40:02 +0000 UTC]

 Magnificent work Master Gabbanoche. 

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Gabbanoche In reply to Libra1010 [2015-12-15 17:55:13 +0000 UTC]

Much Obliged

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PastTimeDreamer [2015-12-13 20:47:59 +0000 UTC]

Looks great. Must have been a lot of work with all the details.

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Gabbanoche In reply to PastTimeDreamer [2015-12-14 09:20:56 +0000 UTC]

Thanks. It sure was, but it's part of the fun!

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BillyAustria [2015-12-13 19:22:51 +0000 UTC]

Man, you've been productive lately! Really nice to see It's always great to have a source that tells you about your motive in such a detailed manner. One thing I find strange is that they used lances, after all the author even mentions how they only have poor hold on their saddles. Seems a bit odd to me

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Gabbanoche In reply to BillyAustria [2015-12-13 19:46:51 +0000 UTC]

Thanks and yes it's really fun working with a source. 
Yes i know! One would think the impact from the lance hitting its target would send them of the saddle. But they did so it must have worked, don't the Mongols(Tatars as well i think) sit high with their knees as well? And it's probably from them they got it, since Europeans always rode with their feet pushing forwards.

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BillyAustria In reply to Gabbanoche [2015-12-13 20:03:09 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, but not only the impact such a cavalryman causes with his own lance, but even more the impact he could receive himself I think! Other peoples managed it well too, but in the end, the more practical way for sure was the "knightly" one, with stirrups hanging deep and a high backrest. (Btw, it seems to fit here, I recently heard a roman reenactor talk about exactly that topic, namely using a lance with a more "flat" saddle, and he said the only possible way to fight with a lance without throwing yourself from the horse is to press your legs against the horse really tightly. Not sure if that always works in a battle situation )

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Gabbanoche In reply to BillyAustria [2015-12-14 09:42:52 +0000 UTC]

Exactly, it sounds like a style fit for disaster!
Didn't the Romans ride with their feets hanging straight down and without stirrups? That would be completely different to this.
And just to fuck with your mind a bit more, the Muscovites actually rode higher with their knees that i drew here
4.bp.blogspot.com/-C77mqHvzELo…
2.bp.blogspot.com/-PKngo1RyjJE…
2.bp.blogspot.com/-tzhOrhs7UUY…
I'm guessing that the reason they rode like this was that they found it superior when it came to horse archery.
And their saddle was probably the same or very much alike the Polish, which does not at all look like a contemporary western saddle.
s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/7…
But then again the Uhlans ect, rode in a modern saddle in late the 19th century and lastly in WW I and they still sat on the horse after the impact.

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BillyAustria In reply to Gabbanoche [2015-12-14 09:49:18 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, you're right, the Romans didn't have stirrups. But I thought it was interesting and would fit here, anyways

Man, it's hard to imagine how you can ride like this But it surely helps when you want to turn your body around. 

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Gabbanoche In reply to BillyAustria [2015-12-14 10:08:56 +0000 UTC]

I would most probably fall off, i always found the modern English saddle creepy. it always feel like the only thing keeping you from falling of is your weight. And then to sit with your knees even higher... Well i would surely fall

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BillyAustria In reply to Gabbanoche [2015-12-14 22:01:37 +0000 UTC]

Me too for sure But then again, I have no experience with riding horses at all (sadly)

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Gabbanoche In reply to BillyAustria [2015-12-14 22:24:07 +0000 UTC]

That explains why you're stuck on infantry

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BillyAustria In reply to Gabbanoche [2015-12-15 09:20:56 +0000 UTC]

Hehe. Touché, my friend, touché

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grassa48 [2015-12-13 18:34:13 +0000 UTC]

As always, I enjoy the detail in your drawings.

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Gabbanoche In reply to grassa48 [2015-12-13 18:37:38 +0000 UTC]

And as always, i very much appreciate you saying so

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