PART II PRINCIPAL TERMS
JOHN SLOAN
Table of Contents
These are the principal terms for which information has
been gathered. Click on a term to proceed to the discussion and illustrations.
Here are two diagrams of complete armor 1,
armor 2 and two worn on manekins
(warrior) (warrior 2).
In the 17th century the 'new (select) soldier' infantry were outfited with
western style arms and armor as shown here.
Alebarda- later term for halberd
Arbalet - western style arbalest or crossbow - See samostrel.
Baidana - hauberk, mail with larger rings
Bakhterets - scale or plate armor
Berdysh- special pole ax
Bronya - generic term for armor
Buturlik - type of leg protection
Chaldar bard - horse armor
Chekan- small military hammer - pick
Dzhid- javelin case
Esponton - late term for spontoon - see pole arms
Kaska kirasirskaya - later term for curassier helmet
Kibit - bow handle - see Saadak
Kinzhal - Turkish knife
Kirasa - western style curiass for cavalryman
Klevets- military hammer
Kolontar - armor vest of small plates
Kolpak - helmet with conical base and long
pointed top
Kolushchyeye oruzhiye - thrusting
weapons
Konchar- thin, straight sword
Konskii ubor - horse furniture
Kost - quiver
Kuyak - armor vest like a Jack or simple
Brigandine except the steel plates are usually on the outside.
Lati kopeishchika - western style half-armor for
pikeman
Litchina- moveable face mask on helmet
Metatel'noye Oruzhie - shooting
weapons
Misyurka - skull cap with mail veil, a type
of reenforced coif
Nagavits- chausse, mail stockings
Nakolyenik - Nakol'yenniki armor piece for
knee protection -
Naruch vambrance, fore arm protection
Palash - heavy sword
Palitsa - iron cudgel with spikes
Pantsir' - hauberk of mail or small scales
Pernach - multivaned mace
Pika - later term for pike or lance
Podzor - clothing work under armor to protect
body.
Ponozhi greaves -varieties of calf protection
Prilbits - a style of Misyurka
orbarmitsa
Protizan - late term for partizan - see pole arms
Rinda - tsar ceremonial bodyguard
Rukavits gauntlet - leather or mail mitten
Saadak - archery equipment
Samopal - early firearm
Sekir - military topor
Shapka bumazhnaya - reinforced paper
mache cap
Shapka medyanaya - copper - bronze
cap
Shashka - sword with curved blade like a
saber.
Shishak - conical helmet with knob at top
Shishak kopeishchika - western style pikeman casque - see
Lati.
Shpaga - modern sword
Sovna - spear or pike
Streltsi - special troop units
Tarch - special combined shield
Tessak - infantry sword
Tokhta - bow case cover
Udarnoye orushiye - striking weapons
Yalovetsa - small pennant on helmet
Yerikhonka - kind of conical pointed
helmet
Yushman - armor of
combined mail and plates
Zarukava- lower arm (forearm) protection
Zertsalo -armor vest with center plate
Descriptions
Baidana — hauberk — 12 - 15th
Century. Return to Top
ABaidana is shown on the left. The term
comes from the Arab word, "badan" - a short, ringed armor. The
baidana is a form of armor made of metal rings. It differs from the
kol'chuga itself only in the size and form of the rings. The
baidana's rings look like washers rather than wire and are large and
flat-forged or stamped from sheet metal. Here is an example ofrings. Notice the writing stamped into the rings. They
were fixed either one upon the other, or on a nail or spike. As a result, the
joint was fairly stable. These baidana were frequently split in front at
the neck to allow them to be put on over the head. This opening was held closed
by several clasps. The longer versions were split at the hem to enable the
wearer to sit on his horse. The baidana was long, to the knees or below
with long sleeves, or if it was shorter then was known as a half-baidana. The
most famous existing baidana is the one that belonged to Boris Gudonov.
It is in the Kremlin armory. On many of the rings of this armor is stamped the
moto: "God is with us". A Baidana weighed up to 6 kg and might
contain 10,000 rings. The baidana showed itself to be an effective
defense against slashing saber blows, but did not suffice against thrusting
weapons and fire because of the large diameter of the rings.
Besermen baidana as this type of armor is called in the
Zadonschina, existed in Russia from 1200. In some cases, it was
accompanied by other types of defensive armor. Return to Top
One type of Bakhterets is shown on the
right. This was a type of pantsir
orkol'chuga — mixed scale or plate (lame)
armor— 16th century. Another style of bakhterets is shown on the left in
this illustration. Such armor was called
"bakhterets" or "bekhterets" (from the Mongol
word "bekter" which denotes a type of armor).
"Bakhterets" were assembled of narrow oblong horizontal and
slightly curved iron plates, (lame) arranged in vertical rows. It could contain
1500 narrow lames in 12 to 21 rows. Here is a detail
from a photo of a bakhterets in a Russian museum. Note the decoration on the
iron plates. The long sides of the lame overlapped. The short lateral sides of
these plates were fastened together with rings. This provided exceptional
flexibility with tripple strength armor protection. It could be worn over a
kol'chuga. The assembled sections of this kind of armor were clasped or
fastened at the wearer's left side and shoulders by metal-tipped straps. A
shirt and sometimes sleeves and a collar were attached to the
"bakhterets." In this case the combination looks like a
kol'chuga with chest section replaced by plates instead of rings. The
average weight of such armor was 10-12 kg, and its length was about 66 cm.
Examples in the state armory are elaborately embossed in filagre of silver and
gold designs. Here is an example of a reproduction of
scale armor used in reenactments. Return toTop
A barmitsa is shown here. This one is made
of linked plates. Another version was a mail net of small iron rings, the
barmitsa, that protected the neck and shoulders of the warrior. It was
attached beneath and to the sides of early helmets from the 10th century on.
The misurka was a skull cap with a similar woven mesh atached to the
lower edge. This kind of barmitsa resembled a tightly woven fish net or
a Moslem woman's veil. It could be made in one continuous net or assembled out
of pieces. This type served the same purpose as the western aventail.
Sometimes a neck and shoulder protection for the wearer's front was made of
small metal plates. This was called a zarukovya. It somewhat resembled a
large gorget or See misyurka. Return toTop
The berdysh is shown in this
illustration. A peculiarly Russian long, broad axe was called berdysh. Its blade, zhelezko, was long and
curved. It sat on a long handle, which had an iron binding or vtok on
the lower end. The full berdysh had a 60 - 80 cm blade. The weapon doubled as
the rest for a firearm.Berdyshi were used only by footsoldiers. But a
shorter version was carried by mounted streltzi by means of a shoulder
strap through two rings.. In the 16th century berdyshi were in wide use
in the militia forces as well as the streltzi. See illustration of this kind of unit.
The mace. See bulava shown on the bottom
row in this illustration. These were especially carried as a mark of the rank
of high officers. Return toTop
Types of buturlik are seen here, and
here. This was a kind of ponozhi, protection for the calf or shins. There were
three kinds of such shin and calf protection armor. This was also called a
burulik. The word is of Turkic origin and the armor was used by Mongols
and Tatars. One type was made of three long pieces connected with metal rings
so that the assembly protected the whole leg from ankle to knee. The second was
composed of one, wide plate in front and two narrow plates to each side. The
third was made of only one piece and protected the outside, exposed side of the
calf. It was held in place by leather straps around the leg. In Western Europe
such armor was known from ancient times under the term, greaves.
Chaldarhorse armor,was similar in
purpose to barding used in western Europe. The front part that protected the
horse's forehead and face was called a chamfron or shaffron in the west.
(See Konskii ubor) horse furniture.
Saddles, bridles and "chadari" (horse cloths composed of
metallic plates, sewn on to fabric, which covered the croup, sides, and chest
of a horse and served as protection) were luxuriously decorated with gold,
enamels, and jewels. Both parade and combat saddles were of original designs.
They rested on the horse's back only by the saddle's supports; the pommel was
tall, usually inclined forward. The rear arch was lower, sloping so as not to
hinder the rider when turning around. Horse cloths corresponded to armor in
terms of quality relative to the wealth of the horsemen. Wealthy nobles would
enrich the horses' shabraks and artchaki (saddle base) with decorations
of pearls and jewels. The harnesses were covered with luxurious fittings, the
saddles were made of golden brocade, bridles were adorned with gold and silk
fringe.
Russian stirrups were mostly of two kinds: one with a narrow hoop and round
base, the other kind a narrow curved band which was thinner toward the top. The
design of Russian tack ideally met the demands of wars with the nomads —
the principle enemies of the Muscovite state. Return toTop
Chekan a form of military hammer and
pick combined.
The military hammer, which varied in appearance
and sharpness on the side of the butt, was called the chekan or
klevets. The chekan was attached at the end
of the handle. There were chekani with a concealed dagger that could be
unscrewed. The chekan served not only as a weapon, but also it was
distinctive and suitable as a military symbol.
Dospekhi - the generic term for
personal body armor made of plates and/or scales.
In ancient Russia personal armor was called bronya. Ancient armor was made from square or rectangular
metal plates with openings along the edges. Leather straps were passed through
these openings, with which the plates were tightly fastened to one another.
From the 11th century other designs of armor appeared — scale armor. The
plates of this armor were fastened with a fabric or leather straps on one side
and secured in the center. The greater part of scale armor found by
archeologists in Novgorod, Smolensk and other places, dates to the 13th and
14th centuries.
Armor, made of scales (plates), in contrast to the "kol'chuga" (that is made of metal rings) was called
"doshchatimi" in so far as its plates were reminiscent of
embossed planks. In the course of the 14th century the term "bronya" as in "broni doshchati"
gradually was changed into the word "dospekh". In the 15th
century a new term was used to designate plate armor, "pantsir", taken from the Greek language. All
details of pantsiri were made by craftsmen — blacksmiths.
Archeologists, working in ancient Russian towns, have found parts of
dospekhi and blacksmith tools such as ancient anvils, hammers, pounding
instruments of the smithy, and pliers that the blacksmith held to turn the
object on the anvil. The tools were used to create dospekhi.
The pantsir introduced at the start of the 14th century in Russia
combined several types of armor. The armor might be made of scales on the lower
front part and plates or rings, on the chest and back. The warrior's chest was
half protected by large tongue-shaped plates that were worn over the
dospekh. Later, in the 16th century, these received the name
"zertsala" (mirror), since their smooth metal plates were specially
polished to a high shine, and sometimes covered with gold, silver and
engravings. Fine dospekh were extremely expensive, beyond the means of
private warriors. They might be worn on the battle field only by princes,
voevode, and first rank boyars. Return toTop
The dzhid was a case
for carrying javelins. It was worn on the left side by mounted warriors.
At the end of the 16th Century and beginning of 17th the Muscovites began
using karabini and pistoli or pistoleti. See
illustration. These were followed in the 17th century
with the introduction of mushkyeti and fitil'ni ruchnitsi. The
mushkyeti were longer in barrel, and heavier that futil'ni. And
they were used with a rest to hold up the heavy barrel. See the illustrations
of streltzi for use of the berdish as this rest. Return toTop
Kibit
The central part of a bow.
A Tatar and Caucasian knife with curved blade. See the weapons on the right
in this illustration.
Kisteni (military flails) were made of
various metal weights attached to a handle by a long chain or leather thong up
to 50 cm long. Their use in battle was difficult, requiring skill, but their
occurance in many archeological finds attests to their wide use. Return toTop
A military hammer - pick
The quiver, case for holding the arrows, was called a kolchan or tul (quiver) and was worn on the right
side. The kolchan was often made of Morocco leather, decorated with
embroidery, jewels, velvet, or brocade. See luchnik
carrying a kolchan. Return toTop
Kol'chuga and
Plastinchataya Bronya 10-11 century - coat of mail (hauberk) and
plate armor.
The kolchuga is shown here on the right.
There were two basic types of ancient bronya=armor for protecting the
warrior's body. One was a type of knee-length shirt made of metal rings known
as a kol'chuga and the other was made of plates
called bronya. Later these were called pantsir.
Plastinchataya bronaya, armor of layered small plates, was in use
among ancient Russian warriors. It was made of small metal plates (scales)
overlapping and connected to each other. Several of the reenactor shown in the
illustrations below are wearing this type of armor.
Kol'chataya bronaya - consisted of iron rings, that were riveted
and attached to one another.
The Kol'chuga - kolchataya bronya - was made from iron rings. First
the armorers made wire with the use of stretching devices. This was made into a
ring by wrapping it into a long spiral around a round pin or mandrel. About 600
meters of iron wire spiral went into one kol'chuga. These spirals were
scored along one side and cut. Then round, open rings of uniform diameter came
out. Half of these were welded shut. After that, the remaining rings were
flattened at their ends. The open rings and had holes punched near their ends
for rivets or rods, which in turn had to be specially prepared. After preparing
the rings the masters were able to assemble the kol'chuga. Each separate
(open) ring was joined with four welded, closed rings and then riveted shut.
The rivet had a diameter about 0.75 mm and it was necessary to rivet it to the
other end of the ring, which was already intertwined in the mail. This
operation demanded great precision and skill. In this fashion each ring
(kol'tso) was joined with four neighbors, a closed ring was connected
with four open rings and an open ring connected with four closed rings.
Sometimes in the kol'chuga they interlaced a row of copper rings. This
created its stylish look. The weight of one kol'chuga averaged about 6.5
kg. After assembly they brushed the kol'chuga and polished it to a
shine. Return toTop
At the end of the 12th century, the appearance of hauberks changed.
Hauberks, (kol'chugi) had been made with long sleeves, knee-length, with
mail stockings nagavitsi. Now mail hauberks began to be made not from
round, but from flattened rings (like washers). Such rings were made of round
iron wire, but then they were flattened with the help of a special iron stamp.
The rings, from which this type of hauberk was made, were of two types: one
which was riveted, and also one which was stamped from a sheet of iron and
punctured into the form of a small washer, with elliptical rivets. In all, a
hauberk had about 25,000 rings. The hauberk of the 13th century consisted of
flat rings of differing diameters. The larger, main rings were arranged in the
shape of a rectangle on the back and chest. Larger, secondary rings covered the
shoulders, sides, arms, and the hem of the hauberk. The right - underside of
the hauberk was woven from thick, heavy rings. That is because it was the
vulnerable side for a warrior, when he raised his sword arm. When the hauberk
was put on and fastened, it covered the left underside that was interlaced from
larger, thin rings. The collar was square, thinned out, with shallow cuts. From
their outward appearance, such hauberks resembled a shirt with long sleeves and
a square collar. The neck and upper part of the warrior's chest was covered
with a special mail neck piece (or veil) — the barmitsa - that was attached to the helmet.
In the 16th cent despite the rapid development of firearms, protective
armor remained. Russian warriors still wore bakhterets, kolontar,
zertsalo, and even kol'chuga.
Some Russian armor of the 16th century has its own interesting history.
There is a kol'chuga (in the Moscow kremlin armory) with a small copper
plate, on which is stamped the following inscription: "Belongs to prince
Peter Ivanovich Shuyski." Boyar and voievode Peter Ivanovich
Shuyski was killed in 1564 during the Livonian War. That very kol'chuga
is believed to have been granted to Yermak (the conqueror of Siberia) by Tsar
Ivan the Terrible. Perhaps it was because of that kol'chuga that Yermak
drowned in the river Irtish in the summer of 1584, when his detachement was
defeated by the troops of the Tatar Kutchum-Khan. In 1646 that
kol'chuga, which outlived both of its two owners, was discovered in one
of the Siberian towns and returned to the tsar's arsenal. Return toTop
In the 16th century a considerable part of Russian armor was still
manufactured in Moscow, where, in accordance with government laws, many
armorers were moved. Herbertstein wrote that a number of houses of blacksmiths
and other artisans "who worked with fire" stretched along the
outskirts of Moscow. Blacksmiths' works and the manufacture of arms were
concentrated at that time in the area of Kuznetsky Most (bridge), contemporary
Bronniy Street, and Staraya Kuznetskaya Sloboda in the region of Kotelniki,
where, during recent excavations, builders found a tombstone which belonged to
a certain "Grigory Dmitrievich" — "son of an armorer".
Because of that discovery, it became known that in approximately the second
half of the 16th century, hauberk (kol'chuga) production was separate
from armor production as a whole. Some armorers began to specialize in the
manufacture of mail exclusively. The Russian army finally refrained from using
that type of armor only at the close of the 17th century, not long before the
time of Peter I. Return toTop
Kalantar' - plate armor — 14th
century.
The kalantar' (as shown on the right), was
used at Kulikovo in the 1380's. The armor was made in two halves, front and
rear, like a vest without sleeves, which were clasped together on the warrior's
shoulders and sides. Each half, from the neck to the waist, consisted of a
number of metallic plates arranged horizontally and fastened together by a
ringed mesh (kolchuga). These plates were larger than the ones used in
making the bakhterets. The so called "skirt", which was mail
ending at the knees, was attached at the waist. The kolontar's rear
plates were thinner and smaller than the front ones. When the kalantar'
was used as part of ceremonial armor, and was decorated with gold inlay, deep
decorative patterns and engravings, its price rose to almost 1000 roubles - an
astronomical amount for the 17th century. A Russian armor of the
kalantar' type was highly regarded by the royalty of the time including
neighbors of the Muscovite state.
A helmet consisting of a lower part,
beneto, made of a cylindrical ring 2 or 3 inches wide and a smooth
conical upper part, the nabereshye. It looks like a funnel sitting on a
tin can. Return toTop
Thrusting weapons, spears and pikes, were a very significant part of the
armament of the ancient Russian warriors. Spears and pikes often decided the
success of a battle, as in the battle of 1378 on the Zha River in Ryazan
territory, in which Muscovite cavalry polki simultaneously, with a spear
thrust from three sides, toppled the Tatar army and routed them. The tips of
the spears were well suited for piercing armor. For this, they were made
narrow, massive, and long, usually tetrahedral. The tips, diamond shaped, wavy
like a laurel leaf, or long and wedge shaped could be used against an enemy who
was not protected by armor. The two-meter spears with such tips inflicted
dangerous laceration wounds and brought the speedy death of the opponent or his
horse.
Pikes had a blade from 5 to 6.5 cm wide and a length of the wedge-shaped
tip up to 60 cm. So that it was easier for the warrior to hold and balance the
weapon, 2 or 3 metal knots were fixed into the staff of the pike.
Among the variety of pikes was the "sovna", which had a
curved blade with one edge slightly bent and attached at the end of a long
pole.
Metal spears (javelins) with light and thin staves up to 1.5 meters long were
called "sulitsi". There are recorded cases when a
sulitsa was not made of metal alone. The
sulitsa was sometimes called a jeridan. Three or more
sulitsi were inserted in a small quiver called a dzhid with separate compartments. The dzhid was
carried on a belt on the left side. Return toTop
See the middle weapon in this Illustration. Also
called a koncher or konchal, it was a long, straight sword with a
very sharp point and fashioned with three or four sides called golomen yarni
in a kind of diamond, (rhomboid) shape. It was similar to the western
rapier. It was effective for a thrusting penetration of mail. It was a later
development from the ancient mech. It is mentioned in literature first
at the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380, but no doubt was developed earlier. It was
more widely used in th 17th century, until replaced by Peter I with the
shpaga.
Horse furniture - tack - for illustration of a variety of items please go
to Misc. Here we have two illustrations of horses
completely outfitted in Russian style. See horse 1 and
horse 2.
The basic spear with a point made of damask
steel. Return toTop
Samples of the kuyak are shown here and
here. Armor made of metal plates (usually round, but
possibly rectangular) not connected to each other by rings as a
kalantar, but fixed, each separately, to the leather or cloth base, was
called a "kuyak". The 'kuyak' was therefor different
from the much earlier type of armor in which the individual metal plates were
attached to each other by thongs or rivets. Kuyaki were manufactured
with or without sleeves. They could have flaps, like a caftan. The kuyak
was frequently worn over the kol'chuga. Kuyaki could be
strengthened on the breast and back by large armor plates "shields".
This type of armor existed in Russia from the 13th to the 17th century and had
close analogs in the West called a brigantine, but the brigantine had the metal
plates inside (under) the leather coat. The termkuyak itself, from
Turkic term, appeared only in the 16th century. It was frequently lined along
the edges at armpit, neck and waist with fur lining to preserve body heat. The
Chinese had a similar type of armor. Return toTop
Lati Kopieshchika
During the "Time of Troubles" western style military units
entered Russia in the attacking Polish and Swedish armies, and some were hired
as mercenaries. During the subsequent reigns of Michael and especially Alexei,
more mercenaries were hired. Then Russians were organized and outfitted to form
"new soldier" or 'select' units as western style pikemen and
arquebusiers. See this illustration for a layout of
the complete equipment of soldiers in such units. And this
illustration shows a 'new soldier' regiment pikeman.
A metal face mask, generally moveable, usually given a
grotesque design. It was attached to the helmet with a hinge. Smaller forms
looking like masquerade ball masks were called half-mask. Several varieties are
shown in the illustrations section. See these Varangians for an especially fine example. Return toTop
The ancient Slavs fought mainly on foot at the dawn of their history. The
ancient Russian state, in the war with Byzantium, did not yet have cavalry. The
feudalization of society and the military brought the appearance of cavalry at
the end of the 10th century. The rise of the use of cavalry was promoted by the
constant war with the steppe peoples — Pechenegs, Turks, and Polovetsians.
Around the 12th century, Russian cavalry took shape as a significant power,
stopping and repulsing the onslaught of the nomads at the borders of the Kievan
state. Cavalry armies consisted of heavily armed horsemen —
kopejshchiki or lancers — and light cavalry — archers. The
kopejshchiki (lancers) were a force specially created for attacks and
decisive first strikes. The battering ram action of a strike by the
kopejshchiki before the enemy attack, not infrequently predetermined the
outcome of the battle. The archers' purpose was different. They executed
"intelligence raids" reconnoitered the strength of the enemy, lured
them with feints, and served a guards. The main weapon of the archers was the
bow and arrow, they also carried an elongated axe, slingshot, mace, shield, or
metal armor of varying types, which could be scale armor, the prototype of the
later bakhterets. The composition of the archers was primairly young,
that is younger than the regulation for members of the military.
The warrior's head was covered with a helmet and the poorer warriors had
simply an iron cap, made from sheet iron, or forged iron. Return toTop
The entire set of equipment of an archer was called saadak or
sagadak. The bow was stored in a case called a naluch, or naluchie and carried on the left side.
Arrows for the bow could be made of reed, cane, birch, apple wood, or cypress.
The case for holding the arrows was called a kolchan or tul (quiver) and was worn on the
right side. The naluch and kolchan were often made of Morocco
leather, decorated with embroidery, jewels, velvet, or brocade.
Bows and arrows were used since ancient times, both as a hunting weapon and
a combat weapon. Bows were made of wood (juniper, birch, and others) and horn.
Already by the 10th century, bows in Russia were of complex design. The middle
part of the bow was called the "handle", the whole wooden piece the
kibit. The long, curved elastic half of the bow was called the
"horns" or "shoulders". The horn was composed of two wooden
plates, well processed, fitted, and glued together. Their flat sides were
covered with birch bark. Sinews were glued on the back of the bow and fixed
near the handle, and at the ends. Sometines, to strengthen the elasticity of
the bow, horn or bone plates were used instead of birch bark. Joints between
the separate pieces of the bow were wound with sinews, which were then coated
with glue. Finally, strips of birch bark were put over these spots, (the
joints). In the process of the bows' manufacture, very durable fish glue was
used. Near the ends of the horns, there were upward and downward slots. The
bowsting passed through the downward slots. The total length of the bow could
comprise two or more meters.
Among other types of dart-firing weapons, arbalests or crossbows are worth
mentioning. The crossbow was inferior to the bow in terms of rate of fire, but
excellent in terms of destructive power of the arrow and close grouping of
shots. The bolt of a crossbow, launched from 200 meters could throw the rider
from his horse and easily pierced an iron hauberk. Return toTop
TheMisyurka was an
iron skull cap, with an attached barmitsa and
ear flaps. The term, shapka misurski, is also encountered. The term
originates from the Arabian word "misr" ormisraim,
which means Egypt. Perhaps it could be said that this was the most
unpretentious helmet —protecting only the crown of the warrior's head. In
this it is different from the kolpak or shishak. In Russia,
misyurka is mentioned from the 14th century. There were two styles, one
called anapleshnik shown here, covered the sides and neck. And the other, a
prilbits shown here,
was a veil over the face. The locally manufactured misyurka was a
typical head protection worn by Caucasian mountain peoples into the late 18th
century. These may be seen in museums in Moscow today. In Western Europe a
somewhat similar head covering of mail, but without the iron skull cap, was
called a coif. Return toTop
A single myech and a variety of sabers are
shown here. Among the thrusting and slashing weapons, swords, knives, and
sabers were in general use all over Russia. The standard weapon of the 10th
century was the myech, a long, one or two-edged, straight sword. The
sword consisted of a klunok, blade (wide, double-edged metallic band)
and kridge ( a handle—the three parts of which were called na
baldashnik, pommel, of which one form was the yabloko-apple; a small
sphere at the end, the chyeryen -the grip itself; and the
kryestovina, guard, of which one form was the ognivo — the
transverse narrow plate at the opposite end, adjacent to the blade). Each flat
side of the blade was called golomeny or golomnya and the sharp
edges were called lezviya. Golomeni had either one wide groove,
or several narrow ones. Blades were made of steel or iron.
The sword was carried in the scabbard, bound with leather or velvet. The
scabbard was made of iron and decorated with gold or silver inlay. The sword
was hung on the belt by means of two rings situated on the mouth of the
scabbard. The knives used by Russian warriors were of several kinds. Short,
double-bladed knives, fixed by a hook to the belt, were called poyasnie.
Knives, slightly longer with one blade, curved to the end, were called
podsaydashiye. These knives hung on the left side of the belt. The
knives with curved blades (such blades were called slyak which were
carried in the top of a boot, were called zacapozhnye. In the southern
areas of ancient Russia, sabers came into use on a large scale from the 10th
century. In the Novgorod region, the saber became popular later —
approximately from the 13th century. The saber consisted of blade and handle
kridge. The sharp side of the saber had a blade and a tilye
— rear part. The handle was composed of the ognivo, the
chyeryen, and the knot with a hole, for the temlyak (a type of
cord).
The sword changed shape over the centuries as it was developed on the basis of
experience to meet new requirements. The older mech of the 9th - 10th
century had a flat, wide blade with edges parallel almost to the rather blunt
end. It was exclusively a striking weapon. In Russia by the 12th to 13th
centuries of all types of swords known then in Western Europe were in use. The
basic types were the so-called Carolingian swords - the longer (the length of
the sword was 80-90 cm, width of the blade was 5-6 cm). The Roman type appears
a little later, with disk like grip. Until approximately in the 13th century
the sword was still used mostly as a striking weapon. In the second half of the
13th century the thrusting sword also appeared. This had a more tapered blade
with sharper point. In the 13th century the blades of swords increased in size
and the sword belt was strengthened, which increased the striking power of this
dangerous weapon. In the 14th century the huge sword with length up to 120-140
cm was widespread. By the 16th and 17th centuries entirely new forms of sword
were developed and the mech had only a symbolic use. Return toTop
Mail stockings or hose, called chausse in western Europe.
A type of plate armor covering the shoulder, see illustration.. It resembled the western pauldron.
Return toTop
The bow was stored in a case called a naluch,
or naluchie and carried on the left side. Thenaluch was often
made of Morocco leather, decorated with embroidery, jewels, velvet, or brocade.
See this illustration.
A style of barmitsa. See illustration. This
consisted of only one veil which covered the ears and was fastened to the lower
edge of the skull cap or it also could be attached to the ring of the helmet.
Return toTop
Naruch - western vambrace
See illustration. Here is another
naruch. It resembled the Persian bazuband
more than the western vambrace. In Poland it was called a
karwasz. This was worn to protect the forearm, especially by warriors whose
kol'chuga did not have sleeves. Naruchi consisted of a convex
main plate to cover the outer side of the arm, with the elbow end frequently
rounded. This was fastened to chrevtsi (rectangular plates) bound at the
wrist and fixed to the arm by means of small straps. The main plate in some
naruchi extended well past the elbow ending in a semi-circular fashion.
Often the naruch was attached directly to the rukavitsa, mail or
scale gauntlet. Wealthy warriors might have highly decorated naruchi.
Return toTop
A knife. See illustration for examples of the
various types listed here with their scabbards. There were several variations
called poyasni, podsaidashni, zasapozhni. Some had blades with very
pronounced curvature. The poyasni were short with both edges sharp.
Poyasni were worn fastened to the boot, podsaidashni at the belt
on the left side near the bow case. In western Europe one similar knife was
called a poinard.
A very long, straight sword with a wide blade. Early types were two-edged,
but later a single-edged form was employed. There was a channel down the length
of the blade. It differed from the mech also in that the grip was curved
and had no pommel. But it has a closed guard. See the bottom weapon in this
illustration. It was a later development from the
mech in the 16th and later centuries. Often in the 16th century it was
carried in a scabard attached to the left side of the saddle instead of to the
warrior himself. The weapon is called pallasch in German, palasz
in Polish and pallos in Hungarian, but comes from the Turkish,
pala. Peter I armed his new dragoon regiments with this type of sword.
To obtain sufficient quantities he imported them as well as manufactured them
in Russia. In the 18th and 19th century it was the heavy cavalryman's sword.
The dragoon palash had a curved handguard. The officer model had a
basket hilt. There was also a shorter, naval version. During the reign of
Empress Elizabeth, the curiassier palash reached a length of 96 cm. with
a 84.5 cm. blade that was 4.5 cm. wide. The palash was still in use
during the Crimean War. A derivation of the palash remained in use in
the Russian navy. Return toTop
A large cudgel with iron spikes. It was also called an oslop. This
primitive weapon is seen in illustrations of peasants fighting the French
during the Napoleonic invasion of 1812.
Pantsir'
cheshuichatii 11th Century.
One style of pantsir' is shown here on the
left. By the 11th and 12th centuries, heavily armored horsemen comprised the
basis of the cavalry forces. Their defensive armor was already well known from
the 11th century — scale armor, (cheshuychatypantsir). The pantsir
together with a shield, could sufficiently and reliably protect the cavalryman
both during the battering charge that usually began a cavalry battle and during
the hand-to-hand combat that followed the mounted thrust.
Scale armor was made of steel plates that were fastened to a leather or cloth
base on one side only. At the joint, the plates overlapped one another and in
the center, each of them was riveted to the foundation. Such pantsiri
reached the knee. The hem and sleeves, if lain out flat, were sometimes longer
than the whole pantsir. The representation of the
similar "plate armor" can be seen on the miniatures and ikons of the
12th to 14th centuries and also on the frescoes of the Uspenski Cathedral in
the Moscow Kremlin, and on the carved wooden throne of Ivan the Terrible that
is kept in the cathedral. Compared to the plate hauberk, the scale hauberk was
flexible, as the bulging scales, attached to the foundation only on one side,
afforded the warrior dressed in such a pantsir greater mobility, which
was especially important for a cavalryman.
Pantsir' plastinchatii — Plate armor 13th century.
That is armor made of metal plates. The plates of such armor could vary
greatly, square, half-circular, wide-rectangular, or narrow-oblong, with a
thickness from .5 to 2 mm. On the plates were several small holes, through
which the plates were fastened with thread or straps to a leather or cloth
foundation. On the older pantsiri there was no foundation. The plates
connected only with one another, and the pantsir was put on over a thick
quilted coat or a kol'chuga. All the plates were independent and
overlapping, one over the other, which reinforced the sewn character of the
armor. Pantsiri of this system — "belt fastened" —
existed in Russia until the end of the 15th century. Return toTop
Pishchal - early firearm, also called
ruchnitsa. For samples held in the Artillery Museum in St. Petersburg go
here. And for another sample of even earlier
firearms go here. And for early flintlocks.
Podzor Clothing worn under armor to
protect the body. This is readily apparent in the illustrations of warriors
shown in Part IV. Return toTop
Pokrovits - horse
blanket. Wealthy individuals had very expensive
blankets made with elaborate decorations. Some look like Persian rugs. See also
the blankets under the saddles in the other illustrations.
Leg protection, greaves. See buturlik for description and
illustrations. Return toTop
A style of the barmitsa worn with a misyurka. See illustration.
Or, if this mail was attached directly to the helmet instead of to a skull cap,
then it was a type of barmitsa. This one covered the front of the face
like a Moslem woman's veil. It had narrow slits for the eyes. The lower part
was called a bentsa and the upper part the cherepa. Return toTop
At the beginning of the 12th century, defensive battles versus the nomadic
tribes became the chief concern of Russian warriors. A ratnik. For this reason armor did not become so heavy
and immobile as that characteristic of Western Europe. Battles with nomadic
horsemen required quick maneuvers and mobility of the Russian forces. Horses
played an important role on the field of battle. However, often the infantry
advanced before the cavalry, beginning the battle. During the 12th century,
mixed infantry and cavalry battles, that took place at the walls and
battlements of the cities, were typical. Infantrymen — peshtsi
— were used for the defense of the city walls and gates, to cover the rear
of the cavalry, for the construction of necessary transportation and
engineering works, for reconnaissance, and retaliatory missions. A horseman who
was well protected by a pantsir could even hold
in his hands a striking weapon. For the cavalrymen, the most important weapons
were the mace and the bludgeon, that allowed quick dashing strikes that would
stun the enemy, and swift shifting of the battle to another place in the fight.
One or two spears, a saber or sword, a crossbow or bow with arrows, a bludgeon,
a mace, and a battle axe were all included in the warrior's equipment.
The infantry was armed with various types of weapons — throwing weapons,
slashing weapons, and striking weapons. Their clothing and armament was, on the
whole, simpler than that of the regular armed forces, since the detachments of
infantrymen in their masses, were made up of commoners, artisans, and not
professional soldiers. The infantry's main weaponry on the march were the axe,
a heavy lance, and a sulitsa, a cudgel and a
pike. The armor on an infantryman was more often mail, but that was the extent
of it. Infantry of the 12th century used both round and almond-shaped shields.
Return toTop
Rinda - bodyguard of Tsars in 16th -17th centuries.
In the 16-17th centuries the great prince and tsar kept armed bodyguards,
(rindi), who accompanied them on campaigns and
trips. During the time of solemn court ceremonials the rindi stood
motionless on either side of the throne in parade uniform. The term itself came
from a more ancient time. Prince Dmitri, during the Kulikovo Battle
"ordered his rindi to hold a great black banner over the head of
Mikhail Andryeyevich Brenk "(Nikon chronicle). When rindi performed
their service at court, their armament consisted of large posolcki topor
ambassadors' axes. (an indispensable object of the
audiences that the Moscow ruler gave foreign ambassadors: from this came the
name topor. The topor was made from ordinary
and damask steel decorated with silver and gold appliques. The handle of the
topor was covered with jewels. However, sometimes gilded copper was
suitable. Go to Ambassador here.
A boar spear. Several are shown in the upper part of this
illustration. It had a wider blade than ordinary
spears (kopya). The butt end would have an apple shaped knob to improve
the balance. Some were richly decorated with goldand silver. These were
mentioned as early at 13th century chronicles. Return toTop
Was also called "ruchnayha pishchal'. See illustration. It had an iron barrel, that was strapped to
a carved wooden stick, which also served as the handle. Early models had the
barrel extended forward, mostly without support. Later models had the barrel
nestled into a channel cut in the wood. As time went on skilled armorers would
decorate these weapons with metal plates on the sides of the wooden handle.
These could be quite elaborate, with filagree and nielo work designs. The term,
pistol, also came to be used. When the firearm was combined with a small axe,
it was called a pistol' c toporkam or ruchnitsi c torporkami. See
toporkam . Return toTop
Were gauntlets or mittens to protect the hand. See illustration and another shown
here. They were made of leather or quilted padding, with a metal fishnet or
series of flexible plates on the upperside. As can be seen here, the upper side
could be elaborately decorated.
Ru'yashchyeye oruzhiey —
chopping weapons.
The axe was very widespread among the chopping weapons in Old Russian
armies. It was used both by rulers and their bodyguards. and by members of the
people's militia, both foot soldiers and cavalrymen. However, there was one
distinction: foot soldiers more often used large axes, cavalrymen "little
axes", that is, short axes. Both these and other axes were placed on
wooden handles with metal ends. The back, flat part of the axe, was called the
butt; the blade, the pick. The blades of these axes were trapezodial in shape.
The axes themselves were divided into the poleaxe/hammer and the axe/mace
categories.
A peculiarly Russian long, broad axe was called berdysh. See illustrations of streltsi here and in the general illustrations
section. Return toTop
Halberds shown here,
appeared at the beginning of the 17th century in the Russian army (originally
in the time around False Dmitri). These were altered axes with a distinct shape
ending in a lance and often adorned with gilt or plating. The blade was stuck
on a long staff (or axe handle). Other western style weapons, such as the
partizan and espontoon, made their appearance at the same time.
The hammer, which varied in appearance and sharpness on the side of the
butt, was called the chekan or klevets. The
chekan was attached at the end of the handle. There were chekani
with a concealed dagger that could be unscrewed. The chekan served not
only as a weapon, but also it was distinctive and suitable as a military
symbol. Go to oruzhiey.
The entire set of equipment of an archer - bow, bow case, quiver, and
arrows - was called saadak or sagadak.
Return toTop
A saber. This type of sword was introduced from
the Middle East and Asia. The oldest forms are found in burial kurgans on the
steppes, dating from the 10th and 11th centuries. There were many varieties and
styles. The streltsi carried a Turkish style saber. In the 1600's it became so
widespread that even town garrisons and gate guards carried sabers. When Peter
I armed his dragoons with the palash, the saber remained in use only by
irregular cavalry such as the Don and Little Russian Cossacks and the single
hussar unit formed in 1723 from Serbians. Later, as light cavalry in the form
of hussars and lancers again increased in number, the saber returned to favor.
Still later, in the 19th century the saber was gradually replaced by the
shashka. Only hussars among the cavalry retained the saber. There were
more changes in the 19th century in weight, length, and curvature. Russian
artillerymen carried sabers well into the 19th century. Another form was the
polusablye or half-saber. This was in vogue during the reign of
Elizabeth and Catherine II in the second half of the 18th century. See also
Sabers for more types.
Term for early firearms. See illustration.
Samostrel — crossbow — 14th
century.
See illustration. Radziwil's Chronicle (dated
1159) was the first one which mentioned the crossbow's use in Russia. This
weapon, while considerably inferior to the bow with respect to rate of fire
(archers launched approximately 10 arrows per minute, the arbaletnik
only one or two), exceeded it with respect to destructive power of the arrow
and close grouping of shots. The bolt managed to pierce heavy armor at
considerable distance. The crossbow consisted of a wooden stock, which usually
ended in a butt. There was a longitudinal groove along the stock, and the short
arrow, "bolt", was inserted into it. On the opposite end of the
stock, a short, and extremely powerful bow was attached. It was made of steel,
wood, or horn. To charge the crossbow, the crossbowman set his leg against a
stirrup and drew the bow-string back, fastening it with a hook, called a
"nut". When shooting, a bent lever slid out of the hollow of the nut.
The latter turning around, released the bow string and the bolt coupled with
it. The string of the early models of crossbows was drawn back by hand. From
the second half of the 12th century the waist hook came into use. By means of
that device, the crossbowman, straightening his body, pulled the string up to
the nut. In the 13th century, crossbows were charged by means of a brace. It is
worth mentioning that the most ancient European waist-hook was found during the
excavation of Iziaslavl (in the Volyina area). Go to crossbow. Return toTop
A combat form of the topor. It had a wooden handle and the hammer
head was shaped like a half moon. On the other side was a hook which infantry
could use to pull riders off horses.
Shapka
One variety of protective headgear was called the shapka bumazhnaya,,, "paper cap" see
illustration. It was manufactured of cotton and silk
fabrics covering a interior wadding of cloth or paper and sometimes was
strengthened by a mail net fastened inside. It was frequently strengthened with
the attachment of an iron nose guard and ear and neck guards. It was used on a
large scale in the 16th century, especially by poorer warriors. Another helmet
was the shapka medlenaya, a copper cap, see
illustration, which is frequently shown with
elaborate decorations. The man on the left is wearing a kolantar and the
man on the right has on a kuyak. And the third was the shapka
zhel'eznaya, a very simple, cheap, iron
cap. They are wearing the padded cloth
tel'yagi. One of them looks almost like a helmet from World War One. All
these were relatively simple and generally worn by lower ranks or foot
soldiers. All military headgear had a leather skullcap inside to protect the
wearer from chafing. Return toTop
Shashka - cavalry sword
In appearance the shashka was midway between a full saber and a
straight sword. It had a slightly curved blade with double edges and could be
effective for both slashing and thrusting. The blade was either hollowed or
fullered. There was no guard, but a large, curved pommel. The hilt was
frequently highly decorated. It was carried in a wooden scabard that enclosed
part of the hilt. It was worn with the cutting edge to the rear, opposite to
the saber. It was a typically Caucasian (Circassian) form of saber, longer than
the cossack type. It gradually replaced the saber in all cavalry units except
hussars during the 19th century. Russian troops, having encountered it during
their conquest of the Caucasus, prefered it to their issue sabers. It was
adopted first by the Russian Caucasian Corps in the 1830's. In the 19th century
it was imported from Germany. In 1882, when the cavalry was reorganized, the
regular dragoons were armed with the shashka. Cossacks had received this
type of sword earlier. Several forms of shashka were carried by Soviet cavalry
into the Second World War.
Until the appearance of helmets and kol'chuga ( mail), the ancient Slavs protected
themselves with anything that would serve as a shield. The ancient Russian
shield (8th to 11th centuries), which was round and reached one quarter of the
height of a man, was suitable for defense against blows. In profile, such a
shield was oval, or funnel shaped, which reinforced its protective properties.
Before this, shields were wooden, flat, consisting of several close-fitting
layers of planks. A circular hole was cut in the center, which was closed from
the outside with an embossed metal plate, an umbon. On the opposite side
of the shield a slat was fastened so that the shield could be carried on the
arm. In the 10th century the shield was light, and suitable for both foot and
horsemen. The round shield is considered to be the earliest. From the second
half of the 10th century, long oval shields were used, and from the 11th
century, the almond shaped general European shields came into use.
Almond-shaped shields, which defended horsemen from the chin to the knees,
replaced circular ones in the 12th century. As a measure of the improvement of
the helmet, the top of the shield was flattened. In the second quarter of the
13th century the triangular shield with a curve — that is a
"gabled" shield appeared, which was held close to the body. Then
there were curved trapezoidal shields. From the end of the 13th century shields
of complex shapes, that protected the chest of the cavalryman from a spear
thrust, entered regular use. In the 14th century the evolution of defensive
armament lead to the development of the shield with a chute on the front, which
served as a compartment for the hands and facilitated maneuvering the shield in
battle. In Western Europe such shields, that attained a length of 130 cm were
called pavise.
It is known that shields of differing shapes existed together over a long
period of time. For example, trapezoidal shields were in use along with round
shields, etc. Shields were made of iron, wood, reeds, or skins. The most
widespread were wooden shields. The shield's rim was called the crown and the
space between crown and cap was called the kajmoj. The rear side of the
shield had a lining, and the shield was held on the hand with bindings —
stolbtsi. Inside the shield was the venets. The coloring of the
shield could be completely variable, but the obvious preference for red extends
over the whole existance of Russian armor. The Tatars brought round shields
with them, which influenced Russian armament from the later 13th century. Some
Tatar or Persian style shields had very elaborate fluting and other decoration.
Four illustrations are shown at one,
two, three and
four. These were in style until the later 17th
century. Return toshield.
A mace with a head having six equally spaced vertical
vanes. See illustration. Return toTop
In the 14th century we see for the first time, in original written sources,
records of headgear called shishak (a conical helmet with a knob on
top). Here is an illustration of a shishak.
A somewhat different style of shishak is seen in this illustration. In this the helmet has also a
prilibitz and the warrior is wearing a bakhterets. According to
the opinions of archeologists, this kind of protective head gear spread all
over Russia during the 12th- 14th centuries. It was introduced from Turkey, but
may have had already a Hellenistic origin. The western term is
zischagge. It differed from the shelom and the kolpak by
having a very long pointed top (shish), which ended in a sharp point. In some
the transitional section between the cylindrical lower ring and the narrow
spike was hemispherical and ribbed or fluted. In others this section was more
conical in form. A barmitsa (veil of mail) was frequently attached to
the lower edge. Return toTop
The helmet, Shlem of which two types are illustrated
here and here. was the metal
head covering of a warrior used in Russia from ancient times. In the 9th and
10th centuries helmets were made of several (two to four) metal plates,
connected together by rivets. After assembly, the helmet was embossed with
silver, gold, and iron coverings with ornaments, engravings, and art work.
There were also helmets made of one piece of metal. One typical Russian form
was a smoothly curved, upward drawn helmet with a metal spike on top. Western
European style helmets were not widely known in Russia. The Russian styles were
more similar to those widely distributed throughout Asia Minor. Two helmets
from the famous Chernigov burial mound "Black Grave" are among four
remaining pieces of military headgear of this type from the 10th century.
Return togeneric.
The necessity of reinforcement of the features of the helmet brought about
the appearance of the hard sided, cupola-shaped helmets with a nose covering,
or a half mask that came down from the brow to the nose. From the 12th century
helmets were supplied with "noses", nose protective pieces, and masks
(or half-masks) — special plates with holes for the eyes. The
"nose" was an iron band that passed through a hole, made in the peak
of the helmet. The "nose" was raised and lowered by means of
shyurupts (a type of screw). The mask or litchina was usually immobile, but sometimes it was
attached by hinges, and could be raised. The warrior's neck was protected by a
netting (called barmitsa), made of the same kind of rings as the
kol'chuga. It was attached to the helmet in the
rear and at the sides. Simpler helmets — without any additional protective
parts for the face — were fastened around the base to a hoop, which could
be ornamented. The hoop had several holes for the barmitsa. Here is an
example of an early style Russian helmet created for reenactors today.
Illustration.
In the 11th- 13th centuries helmets took new shapes. The shelm was replaced
by the misyurka and yerikonka. Later still the shishak and
kolpak became common. Some times a warrior's head covering had a high,
bell-shaped crown and long point. In Russia helmets of cupola shape and
spherical form were predominant. Often the elongated top of the helmet ended
with a bushing that was sometimes furnished with a flag, a yalovtsa. Wealthy warriors had helmets that were
finished with silver and gold and sometimes were entirely gilt. Return toTop
Shlem with semi-visor (half mask) andBarmitsa
mail 12-13 cent.
In Russia at the end of the 12th and into the 13th centuries in connection
with general European tendencies toward strengthening defensive armor, helmets
began to have visors - that is zabralom - protecting the warrior's face
from striking as well as from shooting blows. The visor was supplied with slits
for the eyes and nose openings, and covered the face either halfway (half
visor) or completely. The helmet with visor were put on over the soft head cap
and was worn with barmitsi, the ringed netting part covering as a rule
all the face, neck and shoulders of the warrior. The visor (lichina)
with veil, besides its direct purpose - to protect the warrior's face - was
supposed to have the appearance to frighten the enemy. For this they were often
made in the form of hideous masks.
Shpaga later term for a heavy sword. It
had the four sides (rhomboid shape) of the konchar. This was the basic
type of sword used in the 17th century by the 'new style' regiments, both
infantry and cavalry, formed on the western model. Peter I in 1708 armed all
his infantry with the shpaga. Then in 1741 infantry privates were armed with
the tesak and the straight bladed shpaga remained only with officers and guards
regiment musketeers. Gradually it became only a parade weapon. But in the 19th
century it was in fashion for civilians and as a sword of honor.
Among the variety of pikes was the "sovna", which had a
curved blade with one sharp edge slightly bent at the end of a long pole. The
bottom spear in this illustration is a sovna.
Return toTop
The parts of the arrow included: pyer'ye - feathers, ushko -
notch, Dyeryevo - shaft, and kop'yetso - point. See the
illustrations of the archer and of the complete saadak.
The significance of the banner in ancient Russian armies is enormous.
Before a battle the army drew up in battle formation around the banner; when
the battle broke up into a number of hand-to-hand skirmishes, the banner served
the warriors as an orientation point, the place to gather together (regroup)
and the indicator of the battle's progress, at the same time. When the enemy
"reached and hewed down the banner", defeat was immanent. This was
followed by the retreat of the army. That is why during the inter-princely
wars, the rivals did their best to take possession of the princes' banner
— the battle's result was determined by the fate of the banner; the most
violent fighting took place around the banner. Originally, the banner was
decorated with a prince's emblem. By the end of the 14th century, the image of
Jesus Christ was placed on the banner. "And the sovereign compelled to
unfurl the Christian- -. That is the banner, carrying the image of our Lord
Jesus Christ" (Nikon's Chronicle of the Battle of Kulikovo).
Actually at that time, the term Znamya came into use. Both terms
styag and znamya existed so to say, side-by-side until the 17th
century. In the 17th century, the word styag was no longer in use. In
the 16th century every polk had its "big banner". Every
century (100 man unit) into which the polk was divided, had its
"smaller banner".
The banners were granted by the sovereign to the Don and Zaporozhian
armies, to the voyevodes for marches and service, and sent to the
Circassian prince at Astrakhan. The banners differed from one another in value,
symbolizing the level of respectability of the bearer. Here is an example of a
banner from the 15th century. See
Ivan banner for the famous banner of Ivan IV from
1560. Return toTop
Metal spears (javelins) with light and thin staves up to 1.5 meters long
were called sulitsi. There are recorded cases
when a sulitsa was not made of metal alone. The
sulitsa was sometimes called a jeridan.
Return toTop
The shield lost its combat usefulness and became merely a ceremonial object
by the 16th century. This applies also to the shield, whose upper part
consisted of a metallic sleeve with a blade; The warrior put his arm into this
sleeve. Such a shield, with a blade, was called a tarch (from the
Arabian word "turs", meaning shield) and was designed to be
used during the defense of fortresses, though it was rarely seen in practice.
See illustration. Also see Part III for another
illustration of a tarch in use or look here.
A later form of mech, see the top weapon in this
illustration, which differed in being single-edged
instead of double-edged. Leonid Tarassuk writes that this sword was introduced
from the Czechs. This weapon was supplied to infantry as their standard hanger
in 1741, replacing the shpaga. In 1817 the sappers and pioneers were
armed with a form of tessak. In the 19th century the tessak was
standard for infantry until 1880, when it was taken from sappers and infantry,
remaining only with the life guard sapper battalion. Return toTop
Cloth covering for bow case and quiver. They are shown here.
Military axe, or toporok, generally a ceremonial
weapon. The ceremonial (ambasador's) topor was
made from ordinary and damask steel decorated with silver and gold appliques.
The handle of the topor was covered with jewels. However, sometimes
gilded copper was suitable. SeeRinda. But combat types
of toporki axe carried by cavalry were similar
to axes used by common workers. Return toTop
Trumpet
The most popular of the musical instruments which accompanied troops during
the campaigns was the trumpet. At first, the
trumpets were straight, without bends, like a pastoral horn. Later, they were
made of three bends, arranged at equal distance from one another, joined
together by transverse cross pieces. Sometimes the trumpets were decorated with
quadrangular "curtains" made of taffetta or brocade, with silk or
silver plated fringe and tassles. During marches the trumpets were hidden in
slip covers nagalishja. In the Russian epic "The Lay of Igor's
Campaign", an ancient author described Russian warriors as "borne by
the sound of trumpets - people who became joined with their helmets."
Return toTop
Tyegilyai — quilted coat —
16th Century.
In the inventory of Ivan the Terrible's property, a teghily with gold and Venetian velvet, and several
elaborate buttons and buttonholes is mentioned. The teghily was a kind
of kaftan with short sleeves and a high collar. It resembled the western
gambeson. Due to its protective characteristics this garmet was used by poor
warriors instead of armor. The teghily was made of wadding or hemp and
quilted through. In this case teghily were made of thick cotton fabric
with metallic rings or plates sewn on the breast. Sometimes parts of animals
were used, by being boiled and painted into a mesh of animal tissue. This was
cooled and dried hard. The "paper cap" could be considered to be an
addition to the teghily. This head gear was made in a similar way of
wadding of cloth - silk or cotton fabrics, and was sometimes reinforced by the
mail net worn under the lining. Sometimes, such caps were provided with a nose
protector. Go togambeson. Return toTop
Udarnoye orushiye — striking
weapons.
Striking weapons are weapons used for hand to hand combat. Their use was
widespread in Russia. Bulavi, palitsi, and shestoperi (three types of
mace) were warrior's weapons. Kisteni (flails) were made of various
metal weights attached to a handle by a long chain or leather thong up to 50 cm
long. Their use in battle was difficult, requiring skill, but their occurance
in many archeological finds attests to their wide use. The bulava was made of a short staff on the end of which was a
massive multi-faceted head. The head of the shestoper consisted of six metal plates coming out of the
ball, from which came the name. The shestoper was used mostly in the XV-
XVII centuries. It could signify a mark of power of the military leader,
remaining at the same time a vicious weapon. The bulava and
shestoper were different from the palitsa. It was more like a
massive cudgel, usually made of iron, covered with spikes made of big iron
nails. The palitsa possibly was the most ancient weapon known to man.
A small flag attached at the top of the elongated conical point of some
helmets. Most frequently these were worn on the shishak. See that entry
for illustrations. Return toTop
Yerikhonka
The Yerikhonka or shapka yerikhonka appeared in the 14- 17th centuries. It
was a tall, (but not as tall as a shishak) Mongolian-appearing helmet
with a cylindrical venetz (lower edge of the crown) and very high
conical naversheniye (upper edge of the crown), with repye
(metallic decoration often of copper). The ear flaps, peak, and rear section
were attached to the venetz of the yerikhonka. The
"nose" with shyurupt passed through the peak on a kind of
slide with set screw to lock it in place. Usually only rich and noble warriors
wore such helmets, and decorated them with gold, silver, and jewels. All the
protective head gear mentioned was worn over a cap or a thick cloth lining to
protect the head. Return toTop
Yushman — 16th Century.
Still another type of armor combining rings and scales or plates was called
a yushman . The first literary mention is from
1548, but it was surely developed earlier. Here is a gorgeous yushman in the collection of the Artillery Museum in
St. Petersburg. Note also the berdish, chekan, bulava and
rogatina in the display case. The yushman or Yumshan,
(from the Persian word "dyawshan", was a mail shirt with a
number of horizontal plates, interlaced with its front and back parts. It
differed from the kolantar in having smaller plates. The yushman
weighed 12-15 kgs. It was assembled of around 100 plates, fixed one upon the
other with small gaps. The yushman could be worn over the
kol'chuga. It had a longitudinal section from
the neck to the skirt, was put on by the sleeves, like a kaftan, and
clasped by means of a kjurka (a buckle) and loops. The yushman's
scales (plates) sometimes were covered with gold or silver. Such armor was very
expensive. The arms of warriors who wore a yushman, or other types of
such armor, were protected from the shoulder to the wrist by narutchi
(vambrance). Return toTop
These were metal plates covering the upper arms. The western term,
vambrace, was used for both upper and lower arm protective armor. The upper arm
part was called a cannon or rerebrace. The section covering the elbow as called
a cowter. A zarukava is shown here. They were
fastened with leather straps. Sometimes they had animal pelts attached for
lining. The lower parts were called zaruast'ye and the upper part was
known as chashkii.
Zertsalo - plate armor — 17th
Century.
To strengthen the mail coat (kol'chuga or
pantsir ), Russian warriors of the 16th - 17th
centuries wore additional, partial armor (dospekh), put on over the main
armor. It consisted usually of four plates, front, back, and sides. The plates,
which very seldom weighed more than two kg, were fastened together and put on
the shoulders and sides by means of straps with clasps (such straps were called
naplechniki or naramniki. The Zertstalo, shown
here and here, was ground and
polished to a mirror like shine (from which comes the name of the armor), often
gilded, engraved, and chased, had practically only decorative significance by
the 17th century. The style originated in Nepal or Persia, where it was called
char-aina ("four mirrors") and was widely used also from India to
Turkey. The Russian style was developed from that used in Turkey.
A splendid impression is given by the sight of the precious armament, which
could have only belonged to Tsars and voivodes. Ceremonial armor was
decorated with silver, gold, jewels, and was distinguished by filigree
engravings. By the end of the century the Zertsalo had completely lost
its significance, together with other types of protective armor. In the exhibit
of the Kremlin armory, there are well preserved, completezertsalo with
helmet, naruchi (arm guards) and ponozhi
(greaves). Here are two more examples of elaborate zertsalo.
Among decorative armor of the 17th century was the zertsalo made by
the armorers of the Oruzheyniy (Armaments) Prikaz, Dmitri
Konovalov, Nikita Davidov, Grigori Vyatkin. The zertsalo made by
Konovalov in 1616 for Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich was valued in the 17th century at
1500 rubles, (at that time the cost of a trooper's pantsir
varied from 5 to 10 rubles). Return toTop
