Subject: szlachcic noble cavalryman

Culture: Polish

Setting: Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth, eastern Europe 16-17thc

Event Photos

* Marsden 2013 p17

"During the Middle Ages, the szlachta had a legal means to announce their displeasure toward a fellow nobleman. A challenge was written and it was known as the odpowiedź. It was not a challenge to a duel in the Italian sense, but rather a declaration of war. The odpowiedź would be delivered to the district court, and the aggrieved noble and his men would seek out battle. This was not a one-on-one duel with matched weapons, but rather a brutal battle, in which it was acceptable to burn a rival's crops, kill his peasants, and attack his friends and family. In the 17th century, few nobles announced their private wars so openly and the odpowiedź was rarely used. Ambushes and nighttime raids were the preferred methods.

"Single combats with saber on foot did take place, but were informal by Western standards. Additionally, it was rarely fatal, with a single wounding cut usually ending the affair and bypassing the legal matters that a death was sure to bring.

"Customs and rules were often set in place, such as restrictions on duelling while on campaign, and were duly ignored by the willful szlachta."

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Field Notes