Descriptions of the hungarian light-cavalry:
(this post is an addition to the post about the hungarian-neapolitan wars (Notable battles of the mediavel hung., 3th or 4th page) The light cavaly made cc. the 1/3 part of the army of I. Louis of Anjou during the wars in South-Italy)
The hungarian warriors
From the chronicle of Matteo Villani, after 1363
"The italians are wondering at the number of riders who are following the hungarian king in the war. The hungarians are a large nation, almost all of them stay under the rule of barons. The baron title is not hereditable in Hungary, and a man can't hold it until his death, the king can donate it at any time and for anyoneas he wishes.
It is prescribed by antient rules, how many riders should follow the baron into the king's army, when the ruler goes into a war, so everyone knows his duty regarding the number of riders and his time of service during the war.
When the king send for them, they had to mobilize immediately, so every baron and community assigned those, who have to be in alert for the war, someone just with one, someone of them with more horses, with light attacking-arms: with bow, with arrows in their quivers and with long sword for defend. Usually they're wearing four leather caftans (or "coat"), each smeared (with grease or tallow), so it becomes very hard and it is very good for defending the body. Just some of them is wearing a helmet, bacause a helmet could disturb them while using the bow, wich is their only hope in battle.
The hungarians got many studs, their horses are not large, they use them for ploughing and for any field work, and they put them to a carrige. (...)The horses get just grass, straw, hay and a few fodder, mainly when the hungarians are going to the east, and trough the large, dry lowlands.
On those lands they use brestplate-shaped saddles, binded together with leather straps, and on uninhabitated lands or in the warcamps horse and rider spend the night in the open air, without a tent, the warriors make their beds from the saddles, and if the weather turns rainy,wich happens quite rare, they put a blanket up from one ot two sides, but their horses are accustomed to the rain(...)
There are living a large number of cattles in Hungary, who are not used for fieldwork, but after they being cut (the hungarians make trade with the grease and leather) the meat get stewed, salted, dried and pulverized, and while they 're going trough a dry territory, where they can't find enough food, every soldier takes a bag of the meat powder and a copper kettle (even the commander let to transport in large amount on carriges) and when they arriwe to a water they stop, boil some water and put the powder in it compared to the number of soldiers, the powder sweels up, and the pulp from one or two handful of powder fulls the whole kettle and makes an ordinary food with, or even without bread. So you can't be wondered that they and their horses can (even in large number) survive and go troug the wide, dry lands,(...) but in our land, where they can get enough bread, wine and fresh meat, they get bored with this powder-food, their morals get changed, and they couldn't support themself, because the fields are small, the towns and castles are stong and the people carefull. That's why the more they come into our land hte earlier they get trouble with the board.
Their tactic is not to hold on in the battle, but making incursions, the flight, chasing, shooting arrows, drawing back from- and turning back to the enemy lines.
They're skilled in looting and in riding large distances, they're shooting strongly the horses and infantry of the enemy. That's the reason why they are useful in the battle on an open field, they are the masters of fast attacks, they doesn't count with hte death, they're searching for danger.
The hungarians always hang together, they're attacking the enemy in 10-15 men strong groups, some of them from the left. some from the right, trying to wound the soldiers with arrows from afar, after that they rush away on their horses.
They procced without any flags, signs and siege instruments. Their sign to get together is the knocking against a quiver with another one."
And an other description of hung. light cavalry, based on the Annales Scriptorum Rudbergersium (about the battle between Ivn Kőszegi and Albrecht, prince of the Ostmark in 1285), and from some other battles between the troups of Mt Csk (warlord of North-West Hungary) and the bohemians in 1315, about a hungarian contingent in the battle of Gllheim, 1298, and in the battle of Mhldorf, 1322, plus a description of a french monk from 1308. (Szab Jnos: Gondolatok a XI-XIV. szzadi magyar hadviselsről in: Hadtrtneti kzlemnyek 2001. (~Reflections on hungarian warfare in the 11-14th century-Issues of armor, strategy and tactics)
In the end of the XIIIth century AD the soldiers of the hungarian king had long beards and long, plaited hair, smeared in with grease. Their weapons were only bow and long swords, they got leather armour and in some cases helmets. The hungarians could shoot the bow forwards and backwards too. They didn't like static fighting, so they retreated or chased the enemy.
And an other data from the Chronic of Matteo Villani: in the battle of Nicopolis the french knights (the few who survived) complained about the hungarians: "They can't fight properly, they only could retreat and shoot the bow.
Szamota Istvn: Rgi utazk Magyarorszgon s a Balkn-flszigeten 1054-1777. 96.p. Bp, 1891. :
1433, Buda: Bertrand de la Brocquier, french knight informed about a tournament, fought on small horses, with easter-type saddles and with shorter lances as in West-Europe.
TSZ
Edited by Tar Szernd - 10-Oct-2007 at 10:26