Petyhorcy (singular: Petyhorzec, Latin : pientho-horcensis, [1] Lithuanian : Petihorai [2] ) was a type of regular medium-armoured light cavalry exclusively in the Grand Ducal Lithuanian Army during the 17th and 18th centuries. [2] The petyhorcy are viewed as the Lithuanian equivalent of the Polish Armoured Companion, [3] or as a cavalry type that was between the Winged Hussars and the Armoured Companion. [4] They were organised in Banners. [2] Originally, the Petyhorcy were spear-armed cavalry from Circassia. [5]
The Petyhorcy were supposed to finish off and defeat the enemy line that was breached by the Winged Hussars. [2] While the Winged Hussars were more prestigious, the Petyhorcy enjoyed high reputation, hence their banner's rotmistras were frequently high-ranking officials. [2] In fact, the Petyhorcy developed in the late 16th-century from the mounted shooters who protected the hussars. [6]
The name of the Petyhorcy comes from Mount Beshtau (in Turkic languages, besh means five and tau means mountain). [7] The name of the Russian city of Pyatigorsk is also derived from it. [7] Tadeusz Czacki wrote that the Petyhorcy originated from the Carpathian Mountains, but that is false. [8]
With time the unit type evolved into medium cavalry, almost identical to the Armoured companion.[ citation needed ] The armour used by those later units included a full chainmail armour with misiurka and arm protectors and often also a kalkan, a round Turkish-style shield.[ citation needed ] In the 17th century the chainmail was gradually replaced by cuirasses.[ citation needed ] The offensive armament used by Petyhorcy included a 3 to 4-metre-long lance or bear spear (rohatyna), as well as a Szabla, two pistols and a musket carbine or an eastern-type bow.[ citation needed ]
Similar to the armoured companions, their armour was chain mail, while their equipment consisted of a shield, lance and bow, the latter only when fighting the Ottoman army. [2] In the mid-17th century, this type of cavalry was usually called the Cossack-type cavalry. [2]
In 1614, the army led by Jacob De la Gardie had two petyhorcy banners, whose commanders were Jaromir Plecki and Stanisław Wolski. [9]
In 1673, the Grand Ducal Lithuanian Army had 18 petyhorcy banners, totalling 1,980 horses. [10] In early 1676, there were 22 petyhorcy rota with 2,670 horses, but in the later part of the year, this shrunk to 20 rota of 2,430 horses. [11] In 1690, the Lithuanian Army officially had 620 petyhorcy. [3]
In 1717, in the Grand Ducal Lithuanian Army, the petyhorcy were the most numerous cavalry, having a total of 26 banners. [2] During the military reforms of 1775–1776, all Hussar and Petyhorcy flags, of which there were 32 in total, were merged into two National Cavalry brigades of 16 flags each. [2] The second one was the 2nd Lithuanian National Cavalry Brigade, also called the 2nd (Pinsk) Petyhorcy Brigade, which had about 380 soldiers. [2] In 1789, it numbered 1635 and was composed of 17–32 banners. [2] This brigade was deployed in the eastern lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, on the Russian border. [2] During wartime, the brigade was redeployed. [2] During the War of 1792, part of the brigade's banners were located in the Russian occupation zone and hence were disbanded. [2] The last time the Petyhorcy fought were in the Kościuszko Uprising. [2]
In the 18th century, the petyhorcy were armed with a lance, backsword and pistols or carbine. [2]
In the Lithuanian Army there was also the petyhorcy, an intermediate type between hussars and pancerni, probably possessing few if any firearms.
koniec XVIw. – ze strzelców osłaniających husarię wykształcili się jeźdźcy lekkozbrojni: petyhorcy (Litwa), towarzysze pancerni (Korona), Kozacy[ dead link ]
Nazwa Petyhorcy, która rozpowszechniła się w Polsce, pochodzi od góry Besztau (w językach turkijskich besz oznacza pięć, a tau górę). Również od niej wywodzi się nazwa rosyjskiego miasta Piatigorsk. Petyhorcy to lekka jazda, (...)
Wiadomo, że Litewskie woysko na Wiedeńską wyprawę nie przyszło, lecz ledwie Króla pod Koszycami i Preszowem na powrocie spotkało. Petyhorcy, jazda lekka w woysku Litewskiem nie była z pod gór Karpackich, jak Czacki chce 1,288 lecz jak Czeremissi z pośrzód Rossyi, tak ci Petyhorcy z pośrzód Georgii mieli swoie imie. Wszakże awanturników mnóstwo Persów, Georgian cisnęło się do Polskiey służby. Widać to po rozmaitych Georgianów i Persów z Azyi nobilitacyach.