The Polish Winged Hussars are amongst the most famous and easily recognisable units in history. They originated from exiled Balkan light cavalry that came to Poland in the early 1500s. The Polish Winged Hussars became much more heavily armoured than the Balkan cavalry from which they originated. They fought as shock cavalry, using long lances to make devastating charges. The famous ‘wings’ were developed to increase the fear caused by their charge; the sight of galloping horsemen with 20 foot-long lances and massive wings was a sight designed to provoke terror in even the most doughty footsoldier. On the battlefield, groups of hussars would fight together as units, known as kopie. The Winged Hussars flourished during the 1600s, winning dramatic battles against Poland’s many foes. The most famous victory was their dramatic cavalry charge when they relieved Vienna from the Ottomans in 1683.
