Polish Armies in the 16th Century

The Troops: Improvements in Cavalry and Infantry

In the late 15th century and early 16th century, the Polish army began to phase out the heavily armored knights that were hallmarks of the Thirteen Years' War conflict with the Teutons. In their place, the Poles began to utilize lightly armored, horse-bound cavalry called "hussars," who were quicker than knights and more suited to the fast-paced warfare of Eastern Europe. Polish military tactics adjusted accordingly. Generals began to use infantry to damage enemy formations in preparation for cavalry charges. The infantry consisted of soldiers with shields in the front lines, with spear-throwers and archers or cannon operators known as "arquebusiers" in the back lines. After the infantry weakened enemy forces, the cavalry would break through.

The key development in the Polish armies of the 16th century was the advent of the arquebus, a long-barreled artillery cannon. The arquebus replaced the crossbow, and generals increasingly incorporated modern firepower into their strategies. The Poles also began to use tabors, or armored wagon trains, to circle their armies when troops camped out. These armored caravans provided Polish armies with valuable temporary fortification when natural barriers or permanent fortifications were unavailable.

Beginning in 1576, King Bathory began to reorganize the Polish army, using the Hungary military as a source of inspiration. His major innovation was improving the artillery assault capabilities of the infantry by converting 90% of the troops into arquebusiers, leaving only 10% of the force as spearmen. By scaling back the infantry's armor, he made the ground troops faster. He also increased the size of the hussar forces and worked to ensure that Poland maintained a large standing army, since the country was surrounded by many belligerent nations.

Zygmunt III, who headed Polish military forces beginning in 1589, began a policy of increasing the Polish ranks for specific conflicts only as the noblemen grew increasingly threatened by the armed forces. He also installed troop fortifications in friendly Lithuania and on the Poland-Ukraine border, further stretching Poland's depleted forces. Zygmunt also relied heavily on mercenaries. These new policies meant Polish military victories could not lead to decisive resolutions, and Poland's response to attack also was impaired. Ultimately, Zygmunt's leadership led to significant losses later on.