Project Hungarian Update: Serbian Hussars
I was not in a good mood for painting lately and this batch of modcels took a long time to finish. They are the Serbian Hussars. They are used as LH(O) in the Hungarian army. They are cost effective as a troop to harass enemy flank.
The photos were taken with my iPhone with Foldio - a light box for photogary from kickstarter.
Background
Formally created in the reign of Matthius these light horsemen were the primary defence against Turkish raiders. Operating in and around Hungary's southern defences they attempted to intercept Turkish incursions. The origin of the Hussars though stems from the 1427 when Serbia submitted to Ottoman authority. Though the Serbs would periodically resist Ottoman control the Turks now had access to Hungary's borders. The instability in Serbia also led to what Hungarian sources describe as 'robbers and evil doers ' raiding across the borders. These raiders were called Gusars (mounted robbers). To combat these Gusars and their Turkish counterparts it seems that the border districts recruited their own horsemen. Often as not these Hussars where recruited from the Gusar elements themselves. It should be pointed out that parts of Southern Hungary had until 1426 been part of Serbia and where ceded to the Hungarian Crown by Stephen Lazarevich. These first Hussars were irregulars with no position in Hungary's military. Traditionally the Hussar equipment was a large shield and light lance though whether this evident from the start is unknown and probably unlikely given the disparate sources of recruitment.
Whether these Hussars gained their place in the Hungarian army as a distinct type of soldier, in their own units, prior to the reign of Matthius cannot be proved for certain. However by the time of Janos Hunyadi's Long campaign there appear units of Rac horsemen who played a significant part in the campaign. Rac derives from the name of the Serbian fortress/city Ras and is often used to describe Serbia as a whole. The majority of the Rac horsemen where undoubtedly part of the contingent supplied by Serbia itself for the campaign. In Matthius' reign the Hussars were equally referred to in the sources as Rac. The primary reason for this being that the majority of Hussars were supplied by Serbian exiles or mercenaries. So it is quite possible that the Hungarians had either their own 'home-grown' Rac horsemen or at the very least were hiring mercenaries of their own by the time of Janos Hunyadi. Certainly Serbian troops in Hungarian employ are mentioned at the siege of Belgrade in 1456 where they were dismounted to provide crews for the boats used to break the Ottoman naval blockade. Their original duties are mentioned as being fortress garrison troops. The numbers of Hussars available to the Hungarians rose dramatically from 1459 when the Serbian State was finally absorbed by the Ottoman Empire. This led to an influx of refugees and Noble exiles to Hungary. It is no coincidence that the formal creation of Hussar units dates from this time. The basic unit was a Turbae comprising some 25 Hussars. Recruitment was at the demand of the Crown and they were paid direct from the Royal treasury. By 1474 there were sufficient Hussar companies to allow large scale independent action. While the main Hungarian army was besieged at Wroclaw Hussar groups under Stephen Szapolyia and Paul Kinizsi captured and burned the Polish towns of Poznan and Crarow. These Hussars also completely destroyed the Polish supply lines which contributed greatly to Matthius' success. The decline in Royal authority and more importantly finances after Matthius' death caused a rapid decline in the number of Hussars available to the Hungarians. It is worth noting that the impact of the Hussars during Janos and Matthius' lifetime was sufficient to create a permanent place for them in the Hungarian army.
