Poland-Lithuanian commonwealth?

[tsar_adam]

Hey, I have recently become very interested in the history of the PLC. Are there any good books or articles on the internet that you would recommend for info regarding the PLC's history?

[Monarchist]

This: http://www.ospreypublishing.com/stor...t.aspx?ID=1623

... would be a very good book to start with. It focuses only on the famous Winged Hussars of the PLC, but during its golden years. I myself know very little about them, so I cannot offer much. The Osprey series really only has this one book on the subject, but it is a popular one with historians at large. Regardless, that Osprey book on the Hussars is a good introduction to the military aspect of the Commonwealth. I always say that the military aspect of a nation is the first thing one should learn about it, when beginning a study of that nation. Everything branches out from, and everything feeds into, the military; it affects clothing styles, economics, etiquette, society, etc.

Start there, at least, and I wish you good luck.

[Heavy Weapons Guy]

They saved Europe in Battle of Vienna 1683, but Hundred years later Austria was one of the factions who partitioned PLC! (With Russia and Prussia)

[Salem1]

They saved Austria in Battle of Vienna 1683, but Hundred years later Austria was one of the factions who partitioned PLC! (With Russia and Prussia)

Fixed this very common and extremely ridiculous overstatement for you.

[Odovacar]

Fixed this very common and extremely ridiculous overstatement for you.

Well even if they "only" saved Austria they did something great for a large part of Europe. For this glory is their due reward.

[Salem1]

Well even if they "only" saved Austria they did something great for a large part of Europe. For this glory is their due reward.

Yep I agree. I'm just fairly tired of hearing all about how Europe would be a caliphate puppet backwater unless the divine PLC army had descended upon the foul Ottomans and beaten them back to Tartarus

[motiv-8]

You could try Volume I of Norman Davies' God's Playground: A History of Poland, which covers the whole of the Commonwealth's existence.

[Domen123]

Here some interesting articles on PLC's military:

"How the Hussars fought?" by Radoslaw Sikora:

http://www.kismeta.com/diGrasse/HowHussarFought.htm

Construction / design / history of Winged Hussars' long lance:

http://www.kismeta.com/diGrasse/lance.htm

Some interesting information about the cost of training / equipping / financing this formation:

http://www.kismeta.com/diGrasse/high_price_of_glory.htm

The battle of Warsaw 1656 - the unexploited breakthrough charge of Hussaria:

http://www.kismeta.com/diGrasse/Warsaw.htm

Interesting description of Polish-Lithuanian military formations:

http://www.kismeta.com/diGrasse/more_xvii_century_polish_militar.htm

About Polish-Lithuanian noble, first European pioneer of rocketry and the man who had great impact / influence on development of modern artillery. His most important work was "Artis Magnae Artilleriae Pars Prima" published in many languages along the whole Europe:

In English:

http://www.kismeta.com/diGrasse/Siem.htm

http://www.brown.edu/Facilities/University_Library/exhibits/Fireworks/4.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazimierz_Siemienowicz

And finally the main page of this website - links to the whole bunch of interesting articles, photos, sources, maps, etc. are provided there:

http://www.kismeta.com/diGrasse/PolishHorseArtillery.htm

[Domen123]

On other aspects of PLC's history:

http://www.wingedhussar.org/

About Tatars of the PLC:

http://www.szlachta.org/2selim.htm


Book about the PLC during the times of decline (18th century):

http://www.librarything.com/work/5144753

http://www.amazon.com/Libertys-Folly.../dp/0415032288

[tsar_adam]

Wow, thanks for all those sources! I gonna be reading ALOT tonight.

[Domen123]

And here some further books can be found, tsar_Adam (but unfortunately not available online) - also already mentioned book of Norman Davies can be found here:

http://www.royalty.nu/Europe/Poland.html

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-histor...m/Z7YZCXAGIU1C

And here many interesting articles available online (just click the "External Links", some info also in the "Table of Content"):

http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/pol...eferences.html

If I find any further articles / books available online, I will let you know.

Cheers and nice reading!

[Adar]

My favourite site about Hussaria is hussar.com.pl. Most of it is in Polish but they have a summary of battles written in English. They also have alot of pictures of reenactors in historically correct armour.