ModernChivalry.org
Main => The Armoury => Topic started by: Stanislaw on 2014-02-27, 03:43:13
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Lately, I've come across an increasingly large amount of information about Polish arms and armor during the 13th Century. Now, to be precise, I'm not simply referring to the equipment of the knights of Silesia, but more so to the seemingly much-avoided and understudied equipment from the more Eastern areas of the Piast Dynasty.
I've come across a lot of reconstructions of cavalry and the like from scouring forums both in English and Polish, and I've commonly seen them with shields we'd mostly refer to as pavises. Lithuanians of the 1200s are also depicted with them in modern drawings. Now, until today, I thought that they were simply an anomaly relegated to Lithuania and later century crossbowmen. However, my recent searches demonstrate that they were anything but an anomaly, even to the point where they were universally used in Mazovia.
For instance, let's take a look at a seal depiciting Trojden I of Mazovia:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/Trojden_of_Czersk_seal.PNG/616px-Trojden_of_Czersk_seal.PNG)
Here, he is shown to have a four-sided shield with some sort of a line running down the middle.
A drawing of the same seal:
(http://gyazo.com/54851ce064767abf9bb3ddec96aed221.png)
Another instance of its depiction in Mazovia, with the seal of Ziemowit II:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Ziemowit_II_Mazowiecki_seal.PNG)
When one continues to search for the seals of rulers of Mazovia, similar-shaped shields just keep popping up.
Even with this guy, Waclaw of Plock, who seems to be wearing a surcoat and maille, is shown holding a "pavise" type shield and even wearing a brimmed helm:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Wac%C5%82aw_P%C5%82ocki_seal.PNG)
Now, to be honest, I do not think that those shields were referred to as pavises by the Poles. In fact, as far as I know, there is no documentation of what they were referred to historically. The modern Polish article that I was reading that described them refers to them as "Pawęż", but that is also likely not a regional term.
The reason for this shield being so apparently prevalent in Mazovia? The Duchy of Mazovia bordered the Duchy of Lithuania, and this is likely an example of a mixing of east and west. I think that a lot more archaeological and artistic research should be put into this matter, and not just by those who live in Poland.
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Very cool. I would call that a pavise style shield, too. Interesting design with that middle ridge / line.
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Very cool. I would call that a pavise style shield, too. Interesting design with that middle ridge / line.
These shields also have some rather interesting shape to them, as well, unlike the rather rectangular-looking pavises that you mostly see. Wuflund actually makes replica pavises, but I've yet to find any with the subtleties of the ones depicted in the seals. Perhaps a DIY project for me in the future? (never actually made a shield before, though)
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One of those images looks like it could be an actual pavisse, since it looks like it might have a spike in the bottom:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Ziemowit_II_Mazowiecki_seal.PNG)
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IIRC a few folks on the Armour Archive have made some.
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Looks a lot like the Moorish/Spanish/Iberian shields of the 13-14th century called an Adarga
(http://image.noelshack.com/fichiers/2010/24/1276639422-the_moors_the_islamic_west_7th15th_centuries_ad_06.jpg)
Oooo Wikipedia strikes again: "Some impressive examples of the adarga are preserved in the Royal Armoury of the Royal Palace of Madrid, while one unique example is made from a large tortoise shell, taken at the Battle of Vienna in 1683 from the Turks, and is preserved in the armory of the Mons Clara Monastery at Częstochowa, Poland"
Maybe a link.
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Looks a lot like the Moorish/Spanish/Iberian shields of the 13-14th century called an Adarga
(http://image.noelshack.com/fichiers/2010/24/1276639422-the_moors_the_islamic_west_7th15th_centuries_ad_06.jpg)
Oooo Wikipedia strikes again: "Some impressive examples of the adarga are preserved in the Royal Armoury of the Royal Palace of Madrid, while one unique example is made from a large tortoise shell, taken at the Battle of Vienna in 1683 from the Turks, and is preserved in the armory of the Mons Clara Monastery at Częstochowa, Poland"
Maybe a link.
I just looked up some historical examples, and they do look strikingly similar in design to the one that Trojden I is depicted with.
IIRC a few folks on the Armour Archive have made some.
If you happen to come across them, I'd be glad to see them! :)
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One of those images looks like it could be an actual pavisse, since it looks like it might have a spike in the bottom:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Ziemowit_II_Mazowiecki_seal.PNG)
Agreed Sir Ed. Very similar to western, more specifically, French pavisse. The ridge down the middle is quite often thought to be a channel for a stake, spear or similar, pushed into the ground to hold the shield upright. One could crouch behind a shield of that size quite easily and still get some protection.
G.