A Knighting Name

My husband Mikolaj will be Knighted this January, woo hoo.

There is a lot I'm working on, and so I apologize as my focus on this researching blog for the next month will all be themed around his elevation.

My first project is his Knighting Name. Mikolaj's lineage has every squire taking his Knight's name upon elevation. Now, this isn't too hard with the vikings and the Normans in the clan...Ulfgarson, fitzHrothgar, and so on...but being Poles...well...this put us in a more interesting position.

Here are my notes thus far:

Patronymics:

-wic, -wicz (effectively son of)
ik,yk is a diminutive suffix, used with men's names.

Tom/Thomas in Polish

Tomasz, Tomek  “Toe-Maczh”,

To wit:

Tomazwic
Tomazwicz
Tomekwic
Tomekwicz
Tomazik
Tomazyk
Tomekik
Tomekyk

However...
Thorkel is Thor's Cauldron.

Cauldron:
Kocioł “Cho-shol”
Kociolwicz
Kociołyk

Hmmm....

Wax Carving: Part 1

I don't know what I'm doing.

No really.

I have no idea what I am doing at all.

Okay, let me start over.

At May Crown my husbands Knight Sir Thorkil introduced me to Sir Torfin, who is both a Knight and a Laurel (*swoon*). Sir Torfin and I got chatting about his art (casting) and he told me that if I were to carve something out of wax, he would give me some pointers and if possible, eventually cast it.

I was really, really gun-ho about this idea as I had done lost-wax casting in high school, and was excited to revisit it. So I bought the wax he suggested, and the tool, and got to work.

Or, rather, I tried.

Holy crap, this is hard, hard wax, and going to be a lot slower going than I first expected! Don't get me wrong, I'm loving the challenge, but man, I was over estimated my abilities! Go figure!

My plan is by September Crown to have three pieces to present to him: A Pendant, a 3d figure and...something else, I haven't' decided on the third. However at this point, I think I'll be happy if I get one done!

Post under the tag of Wax Casting will document this project.

Without further ado, here is part one of this project:

Step One: Carve a thin slice of wax. This was done with a coping saw.

Step Two: Cut the slice to something closer to the right size:

Step Three: Rough Shape the wax into the pendant shape, in this case, a shield. 

Step Four: Scratch out the design you want to carve, and get to work. 

Thanks for reading! More updates as I get progress! 

Boars hunt 2015 Best Hunter and Best Dog

Video Taken by Talia Sorinson

A Video of me at Boars Hunt 2015.
This is at the end of the day, and me and Jason being my "dog" are exhausted, but you can still get an idea of what we are having fun doing.

At the end of this event I was awarded "Best Hunter", and Jason was awarded "Best Hound."

Pretty(ish) Letters

I have been avoiding Calligraphy since I got into the SCA.

It's true. I'm not ashamed of it (much), but it is what it is.

I have never felt I had the patience to actually make the letters work, as I am much better at free-form art rather than structured styles.

I couldn't avoid it forever. As an illuminator, it was important for me to understand what I was asking of my "Pocket Scribes" (I love you Yzabels and Helen!), moreover well, anything I was avoiding I needed to face head-on and get over. So I have begun to try and learn the ways of the Calligrapher.

This process has begun with Uncial hand and a very patient best friend. The choice for uncial was that what I would learn from it would eventually transfer to other hands, should I decide to do them (I will). Yzabels was very patient with me, bribing me with Cherry Shasta and Cutthroat Kitchen should I finish a full page.

There we go. This dear readers is my first attempt at calligraphy. 

It was really, really hard, and there are about 6 letters in total that I don't totally hate. But hey, I did it, and I'm one step closer to my goal...

Coronation 2015 - Squires

Jadwiga and Mikołaj at Squires 2015

Squires at Coronation 2015 was a big day for us! 

I got to show off my new fighting Zupan! (Seen above, its the orange and black cloth layer). 

Mikołaj on the other hand had a great day! After a grueling squires (seriously, we were standing there saying how An Tir West War was easier than this), he was the Knights Choice for a 1-on-1 for the Tourney win. 

However, the Knights had chosen two people, and the squires had chosen one.

Egads.
So Miko had to fight the other Squire chosen by the knights, and then do it again. 

I am pleased to say he won! 

This is his first Squires Win. 

I am quite, quite excited! 

Huzzah Hubby! 

Classes Jadwiga Can Teach (With Descriptions!)

A While back I got on a conversation about what I could teach. I began to rattle a few things off, and that got me thinking 'you know, there is an awful lot I could teach...' I then decided to make a list of classes that I am either familiar enough with or have already compiled the notes/written the paper to teach. 

Note: For those of You in An Tir, I am happy to teach any of these classes at an event or Ithra if I am going. 

Scribal- Creation

These are classes focused on creating supplies used for Medieval Scribal Arts. 

Making earth pigments I This class focuses on the basics of Earth Pigment creation. Students can use prepared ingredeants to make their own gouache paint. This class can be a lecture, demo or hands-on. There is the option for students to take home with them a small set of period paints. 
Making earth pigments II In this class students will take raw materials and create their own pigments. We will cover what makes a good pigment, how to assess if something will work for a pigment. In this class we can also cover some of the more exotic ingredients such as bone and lead.  This class can be a lecture, demo or hands-on. There is the option for students to take home with them a small set of period paints. 
Making Oak Gall Ink Learn to make Oak Gall ink! Students will watch as a batch of ink is made in class, and have an opportunity to work with it. I can teach this class as a lecture, demo, or again a hands-on class where students will take home supplies to make their own ink. 
Making Quill Pens (please don't make me teach this class!) Making Quill Pens. I can teach this class. I can show students how to turn a feather into a quill. However, I have not mastered this art yet. Would be be done as a lecture until I get more practice.
Making paint brushes How to make brushes, using a wooden dowel, animal fur and thread. This class covers how brushes are made, and show the technique of a very simple/primitive brush. Hands on. 

Scribal-Painting

These classes focus on painting and creation of charters for the SCA. 

Charter Painting 101: The basics of Charter Painting. Covers materials and how to use them. Techniques that make your charters look great! Covers base painting, shading, blending, highlighting and some freehand. Can be taught as a single class or spread out into two to four. 
Whitework and Diapering basics: One of the best tools in any painters arsenal, whitework takes a charter from good looking to amazing. This class covers how to correctly do white work. Can be taught as a lecture, but is best presented as a hands on class where students take home two different white paints and a sheet of white work and diapering designs to reference later. 
Color Theory for charting painting: In this class I teach basic color theory and how it applies to charter painting. Ever wonder why sometimes when you mix red and blue you don't get purple, but rather a nasty brownish color? Want to know how to make something "look medieval"? This is the class for you. Can be taught as a lecture with handouts, or as a hands-on class where students take home samples to reference later. 
Charter Creation: Creating Charters for a royal reign is an amazing experience. This class covers how to find reference materials, how to adapt images for a charter, the DOs and DONTs, as well as a step-by-step example of an actual charter created and used. 

Polish History

This set of classes covers my passion, Polish History. While definitely a specific and narrow focus, this is a part of the Known World that few know much about. 

 
Polish History 101 An overview of Polish History as it pertains to the SCA timeline. Covers the different eras in history, and major movers and shakers, as well as how Poland interacts and relates with the more well known lands of the Middle Ages. Do you know the surprising reason Polish Knights wouldn't go on Crusade? How did Poland avoid the Black Death when the rest of Europe was falling to it? What was the specific rule pertaining to Ottoman tents on a War field? Find out this and much more! 
Polish Hussar Wings My focus. My Passion. Learn about the most well-known item of Polish Military! Learn how they were made, what they were used for, and dispel some myths around the Winged hussar!
16th C Polish Women's Clothing Come learn about Womens clothing in the 16th century. We will cover extant pieces, how to research it, and how it was similar and different to both Western European fashions as well as Slavic dress. 
The surprising religious views of 16c Poland: That's a pretty specific title for a class, right? Well, 16th Century Poland was doing some crazy things, well worth looking in to. Come explore why Poland was called "asilum haereticorum" or the heretics asylum! It is said that a Polish town could not be called a city unless it held both a Catholic and Protestant Church, a Synagogue and a Mosque! Join me as we explore some of the most fascinating things in this little covered part of the Known Worlde, and I'll tell you about the time 1200 Noblemen stormed a church trying to burn a cobbler at the stake for heresy! The middle ages as it should have been? Seems like some folks had it right all along...

Misc

The rest of the classes. They don't quite fit anywhere else...

Medieval Pets: Owning pets is not a new or modern invention. This class covers pet ownership in the Middle Ages. Learn about not only cats and dogs that were kept, but squirrels, monkeys and even a pair of royal badgers! We will cover rules and laws around pets, the difference between an animal as a pet and one as a tool. Students can take home a handout with period pet names, as well as a collection of eulogies for a 14 century Italian dog. 
Bayeux Tapestry Stitch: One of the most famous pieces of embroidery in the world, the Bayeux Tapestry is an impressive thing. Learn a little bit about this famous textile, and then learn the stitches used to create it, and how it can be used to create your own items. Students should bring a hoop. Needles, thread, and fabric with a design on it will be supplied. 
The Medieval Horse: Learn about the use of the horse in the middle ages. We will cover different breeds and riding styles, go over the various types of tack used, as well as images and writings of the horse in the medieval era. 
Largess 101: What is largess? Who is allowed to make it? What sort of things make good largess? What sorts of things make bad largess? What should never be largess? Learn the answers to all these questions in this class. As well, there will be a small hands-on largess project to make as we cover the ins and outs of Largess. 
Manesse Codex: There are good odds that you have seen images from this 14c German songbook even if you don't know what it is. Here we will discuss what the Manesse codex is, who it was made for, and what its use was. We will cover some of the most famous images out of it, and talk about some of the stories attached to this book. Students will have an opportunity to take home black and white image from the book to color or use as inspiration as they would like. 

The Book of Kells: This class will cover what is arguably the most famous book from medieval Ireland. We will discuss its construction, the various authors and illustrators as well as its tragic history. We will also look into some of the most interesting images to be found on it's pages. For instance, did you know that hidden in the Book are sharing the Holy Sacrament with cats?  Persona 101: This class will cover the basics of developing a persona for the SCA. How to figure out who you might want to be. Where to research for more information about your persona. What it means to have a persona and what you can do with it. 
Persona 102 In this second persona class we focus on how to be in Persona once you have found one. We will talk about ways to be in persona even with the modern world around you. How to incorporate events from your mundane life into your persona. At the end of this class there is an opportunity to have an in-persona conversation or tea. 
Social Media Webministration in the SCA: This class covers the practical aspects of Social Media and Webministration for your local SCA group. We will cover the rules that have been set down by society, but the main focus will be on what makes a good Web Presence for a group, and how to attract people to your site/page. It should be advised that this class is for people familiar with the internet. 

And Now For Something...A Little Bit Different.

I am changing the focus of this blog just a little.

In the past it was going to be just about my Polish research, but I am currently doing so much in the SCA that I cannot feel that I'm doing a disservice to anyone who is reading this if I only focus on one aspect of what I am doing.

To that end, I'll be opening up about my scribal work I do, the heavy fighting, equestrian and other martial arts as well. I'll be covering my various Arts and Sciences endeavors as well.

I will also be keeping up a plethora of tags. If you are interested in only one pursuit of mine, you will be able to easily skip the rest.

As a final note, I have a lot of backlog to post, so the next week or so will have something popping up every day.

Thanks for Reading!

Jadwiga

Jadwiga doing scribal at Coronation 2015

The Raven of Tir Righ

I was asked a few months ago to design a Raven of Tir Righ Scroll.

This is the highest award that can be given to someone within the Principality.

I was challenged by both Yzabels and Helen to do something a bit different and not fall back on what I know so well.

I tried to rise to the occasion, and instead of doing something with parchment and pigment, I made this:

The design was drawn by hand, and scanned it. I modified it as little as possible, as I wanted the design to really be mine. After that I digitally added the moon and stars (I really wanted precision), and then after a lot of fiddling, I put the whole thing into the laser engraver to work its magic.

I am very pleased, and I have gotten word that the recipient likes it too.

Oh, here is the translation of the runes:

Ulfr, proud warrior and lord of Tir Righ past,

Once great ruler in the land of the dragons,

Back home to conquer the land of the lion

Example of all we should be

Proud Raven of Tir Righ

And in Icelandic:

Úlfr, stolt stríðsmaður og herra Tir Righ fortíð ,

Einu sinni mikill höfðingja í landi dreka

Atur heim að sigra landið ljónið

Dæmi um allt sem við ættum að vera

Stolt Hrafn frá Tir Righ

Veterans Wolf Skin and Hussar Wings

This was my entry into the Aquaterra All-Champions competition. This paper really focuses on one of my biggest interests, and something that, in the end, I would like to be known for; the Hussar Wings. Though I did not win this championship, I'm proud of my work, and the information that I have gathered so far.

Starszyzna Futro Wilka i Husarskie Skrzydła

(Veterans Wolf Skin and Hussar Wings)

"Hetman's Guard" by Wacław Pawliszak

Aquaterra All Champions 2014

Entry by HL Jadwiga Radomyskowa

Overview:

For most people the middle ages is the purview of Western Europe, those whose gaze go beyond familiarity might think of the Middle East or Russia. It is rare that one's historical eye goes to Central Europe, but when it does, one figure stands out above all the rest. The Polish winged hussar. The image is unmistakeable, an armored knight on horseback, leopard fur thrown across his shoulders, lance at the ready, and two huge wings arcing over his head.

For those of in the Society of Creative Anachronism it should come to no surprise that the image commonly held by paintings and media doesn’t quite square up with the reality. I am here today to present my entry for the Aquaterra A&S Championship which covers two of the most iconic images of the Hussar; the wings and the fur over the shoulder.

The Classic Image of the Hussar

The Hussars.

The first recordings of the Hussars being used in Poland is in 1503 when three units of Hungarian Hussars were brought in by the Polish sejem (parliament), they were a transitional cavalry force, while much of the rest of the world was moving away from armored knights, in Poland things were, as usual, a little different. The Hussar originally was a lightly armored fighter, with a huge variety of weapons available to him, the most common being the lance, saber, ax, box and pistols. To say that these warriors were ready for just about any occasion was an understatement!

By the 16^th Century, the Hussars were pretty much Poland’s only military force. Infantry was pulled from allies, or mercenaries. By the late sixteenth century they had become the heavy cavalry that is so often depicted modernly. By the time Stefan Batory became king of Poland in 1576 he had codified the Hussars into a royal guard and for the first time, had requirements for what armor and weapons a hussar must have.

Where there are gaps in our knowledge, it is common for historians to fill in the details, sometimes even deliberately making false claims to further the glory of this unique Polish military unit. We cannot just trust period drawings, and paintings as hussars were so culturally impressive they they were often shown adorned with wings regardless of occasion, time of year, or time in history!

Polish Husaria by Józef Brandt

The Persona

My entry focus on the persona of Mikołaj Radomyski. At this time it is 1569 near the Polish town of Radom. Mikołaj runs a small village to the east, where he oversees farmers, a few merchants and craftsmen. His father, Andrzej is part of King Sigismund II Augustus' foreign delegation, where he helps visiting ambassadors and other dignitaries. He is married to Jadwiga of Krakow, (Jadwiga Radomyskowa), a daughter to lesser nobles who work on the bloodlines of the Kings horses.

As with most men of fighting age, Mikołaj is part of his Majesties army, and has spent time battling against the Ottoman empire, the Rus and helping quell troubles in Pomerania. Currently he is in Lublin taking part in what will be known as the union of Lubin, which will combine Poland and Lithuania into one of the greatest areas at the time. This momentous occasion is why Mikołaj has arrived in all of his finery.

Submission the First: Starszyzna Futro Wilka (Veteran's Wolf Skin)

The Poles were known for their outrageous looks. It was often said that whatever Western Europe was doing you could bet that Poland was doing the opposite. During the 16^th century there arose the Sarmation movement, wherein it was “discovered” that the Polish people were descended from the great Sarmation warriors of history. Now there is little to no evidence to suggest that there is an unbroken line of warriors from ancient Sarmatia to medieval Poland, but that little detail did not stop the Polish people from making it their cultural identity

To that end, there are many stylistic resemblances to middle eastern, and oriental dress and armor. The chief of which at this time was the wearing of predators skins around one's shoulder. It is interesting to note, that while most contemporary paintings of Hussars show them wearing leopard and tiger skins, it was only those of lesser rank who wore them. Veterans, officers and those of rank would wear the skins of wolves, bears and lynx, never leopard or tiger.

16^th century engraving of a Polish Hussar

This may seem odd, considering that the feline skins are far more exotic and rare. Why would you put them on your lower ranked soldier? The answer is two fold. First, leopard and tiger skins would rarely be bought for this purpose, rather they would have been looted from Tarter soldiers defeated in battle. In many ways, these skin, though rare, would be seen as a lesser quality than the others, as they are war bounty from a defeated foe. Secondly, wolves, bear and lynx are known creatures to the Poles whereas tigers and leopards are only ever seen dead and skinned. The soldiers knew of the true ferocity of these animals, and had likely hunted them as well, whereas they only had rumors of how ferocious these “gaudy painted cats” were. Moreover, to wear the skin of a native animal marked a soldier as one with the Motherland. He displayed his might by carrying the ferocious creatures of his own forests.

There is a third, and amusing reason for this strange reversals of rank and skin-wearing. Often the Poles at this time found themselves fighting against the Turks who were well known for capturing important opponents alive and ransoming them back. In more than one occasion it is said that the Turks would go after the leopard clad soldiers unknowingly ignoring their high ranking superiors Thus capturing a man of less importance, and leaving a commander alive.

To make these skins, the animal would be hunted or trapped by men who's sole job was to take down predators for their fur. This was done with bow or spear, accompanied by hounds bred to harry and stand up to these creatures. Upon slaying the animal, it would be tanned by scraping the flesh and fat from the skin, and then the leather would be cured and softened by applying dog and bird dung or by treating it with a solution of barley, rye and stale beer. Once the hide was cured, it was backed and lined with felt or silk, which was glued on, and then stitched at the edges. Finally it would have attachments placed on it, either brass clasps, or ropes to tie it over the shoulders.

The Stockholm Roll – Most famous painting of the Hussars

Submission the Second: Husarskie Skrzydła (Hussar Wings)

It could be easily argued that the most iconic item of a Hussar was his wings. And while they are well known, there is a lot of contradicting information about them. I present to you the results of my research and my conclusions based on that information.

Hussar's originally painted the image of a white eagles wing on their curved shields. This is in reference to the white eagle that Poland uses as her symbol Over time, the wings became actual bird wings nailed to the shields, and then wings attached to the soldiers shoulders, and finally on the back of the soldier as we see today.

The wings I am presenting today are the last of these, and what would have likely been seen in the 16^th century. These wings were made by cutting out a length of wood that was bent and shaped to the simple curve at the end. It would be painted, and adorned with red felt or silk, much brass-work, even gems at times. From there, holes were drilled on it's outer edge, and feathers were attached with resin. Holes and gapes were filled in with down, smaller feathers or plant fibers.

That the wings existed there is no question. There use however, is hotly debated.

There are three main ideas concerning the use of hussar wings:

1. To protect the Hussar from lassos swing by the Tartars
2. When charging, the wind whistling through the feathers would make a hissing noise to scare the enemy
3. To prevent the enemy from guessing the true size of a hussar charge.
4. A symbolic decoration likening the hussars to Angels or as parade gear.

Ironically, in my research and based on period writings only one of these bears out to reality.

1. Lasso prevention: While the Tartars did use lassos, they did not use them against heavy armored fighters. Even assuming the Hussar didn't have the wing, you still have a heavily armored fighter, in a saddle specifically designed to keep him in place during battle. It would be foolish to even try.
2. Noise: This ideas is probably the most popular that I've heard over the years and the one that is least likely to bear any truth. The construction of the wings, even when attached to the hussars back does not make much noise. Moreover, when speaking to a knight, Earl Edward Ian Anderson he mentioned that while big and terrifying, they are quite quiet. Moreover in the midst of a battle, where men and horses are dying, pistols and cannons are being fired and two armies are clashing, you are not going to hear the quiet sounds made by feathers over that cacophony
3. Size of the army: This is another unusual theory However existing records for many army’s all say pretty much the same thing, only shoot when you actually have a target. It was too expensive to waste bullets. However the wings did have a psychological effect They were strange, and unless you had fought the hussars before and lived to tell about it, you would never had seen anything like this before.
4. This is the only use that actually has good amounts of reliable evidence supporting it. There are many period writings of gear that a hussar needs for battle and for parade, and only in parade are the wings and feathers required. Also, during this time, the hussars were all but undefeated on the battlefield, and both their allies and foes liken them to angels.
   
   Hussars at the Battle of Kircholm in 1605 painted in 1630. Note that the hussars do not wear wings.

Cardinal Enrico Gaetaniego on June 22 1596 wrote “[sic] over their backs, attached to the saddle protruded powerful wings of huge bird feathers done.” White this doesn’t tell us much about the construction of the wings, it clearly marks them as being attached to the saddle.

There are a few examples of hussar armor with wing attachments on the back, but these are few and far between, most being later century forgeries. It appears that the only time wings were attached to the back was for paintings, or when a Hussar needed to be in his finery and for some reason, not mounted.

Wings only really could be used for parade decoration. Two wings attached to the back or saddle would not allow for fighting correctly. The placement of the upright poles does not allow a soldier to swing a sword. Only strike with a lance, and shoot his pistol. As the Hussars were so elite it is unlikely they would willingly handicap themselves during battle. Also, there are no written records of the wings being used in battle, only paintings showing this.

16^th Century woodcut of a hussar

Creation

Wolf fur drape

When it came to make this piece of finery I settled on the wolf, rather than the lynx, the bear or a leopard. I did not use a lynx because Mikołaj isn't a small guy and the hide of the feline would look too small on him. He would be able to wear a bear quite nicely, however bear hides do not come cheap and it was not feasible to acquire one at the time. While a leopard might have better represented Mikołaj as a squire, I wanted something that would look good for years, and the faux fur on the market did not cut it for me. So the wolf it was.

I squired the wolf, and carefully cut him so that he would drape correctly on Mikołaj 's shoulders. Then I treated the skin with rabbit skin glue and applied the deep red felt to it, which I then cut with piking shears to create a nice edge. I then added the ties to the wolves muzzle and paw. This is still a work in progress, and I will eventually be adding a second tier of felt that will be hand stitched to the hide.

Hussar Wings

I was gifted the base for Mikołaj 's wings by Earl Edward Ian Anderson who cut them out of pine and painted them. From there, I gathered the other items I would need. As Mikołaj does not have a back-plate, or a horse, I created a plate for him so that he could wear the wings. I covered the back plate with felt, and added brass accents to it, including his device.

I then found modern attachments that best mimicked the medieval fittings. These were peg and post made of brass that are locked in place by a pin.

17-19^th century reproductions of hussar wing attachments.

Then came the tedium, I marked and drilled out all the holes for the feathers, and then arranged the feathers by size so they would look wonderful, and curve correctly. I chose to use turkey feathers because their banded appearance would mimic young eagle wings, and they were legal to acquire I then did the brass-work for the wings, and set in many brass tacks to add a little nicer decoration to the slats. After that, I glued the feathers in place with hot glue. I used this method, in case a feather broke, so that I could heat the area, melt the glue, and pull out the broken feather returning an unbroken one in it's place. Finally I added two red ties to the wings, so that they would be stabilized on Mikołaj 's back.

The Finished Result

Sources

Brzezinski, Richard, and Velimir Vuksic. Polish Winged Hussar, 1576-1775. Oxford: Osprey, 2006. Print.

Radzilowski, John. A Traveler’s History of Poland, second edition. Interlink Books, 2013. Print

Zamoyski, Adam. Poland: A History. New York: Hippocrene, 2012. Print.

Lemnis, Maria, and Henryk Vitry. Old Polish Traditions. Interpress Publishers, 2000. Web. 19 June 2014.

Zamoyski, Adam. The Polish Way: A Thousand-year History of the Poles and Their Culture. New York: Hippocrene, 1994. Print.

Brzezinski, Richard, and Angus McBride. Polish Armies 1569-1696 (2). London: Osprey, 1988. Print.

Brzezinski, Richard, and Angus McBride. Polish Armies 1569-1696. Oxford: Osprey, 2004. Print.

Jadaszewski, Eryk Stefan. Polish Re-enactors Handbook: A Guide to 17th Century Living History in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Lexington, KY: S.n., 2008. Print.

Jadaszewski, Eryk Stefan. Polish Re-enactors Handbook: A Guide to 17th Century Living History in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Lexington, KY: S.n., 2008. Print.

Głębowicz, Witold. "Legenda Skrzydlatych Husarzy - Historia, Fakty I Mity - Inne Oblicza Historii." Inne Oblicza Historii News. Other Faces of History, 2011. Web.

Springtime in Poland

This paper was entered into the Lionsdale A&S Championship. It was written as a letter by my persona to a woman in Italy who would be a chaperon of her son when he went to the University there. Of note are some of the...inconsistencies in Jadwiga's story. Namely that during this time the Gingerbread Guild is in full swing in Tourn, and there is no way she would be caught dead making the treat and defiling the law of the Guilds at this time...

I am happy to report that I won this championship! 

Springtime in Poland

by HL Pani Jadwiga Radomyskowa

Image from the Behem Codex

This entry is written as a letter, in character, by Jadwiga to a new acquaintance. The style is inspired by “Magdalena and Balthasar” a collection of letters from a 16c Nuremberg couple.

Lions Dale A&S Championship Competition 2015

Greetings my dearest friend! I am Pani Jadwiga Radomyskowa of Radom. I write this missive to you in hopes that our culture and customs may become more familiar. I know the lands of Poland are far from you and our ways may not be your own. I can only hope that by the end of this letter you will have a greater knowledge, and appreciation for this time and place. It is currently the year of our Lord 1569, and my home is a small village outside of Radom. We are just south east of the center of Poland, though if the rumors are true, soon we will be in the western part of the great Commonwealth! My husband and I are of the Szlachta, which is to say the noble class. We run this small village, and have many people who owe their alliance to the King through us.

It is early April as I write this, and spring is nearly here. Though the winter was long, it was mild, as it has been most of my life. So as always, spring arrives early, and there is far too much to do and not nearly enough time to do it! As the weather warms we begin to use the last of the winter stores, I for one am glad of this, as stews and rather old root vegetables get redundant. I'm quite looking forwards to fresh greens, and my gardener tells me that we should have a find fruit crop of cherries, apples and prunes this year. Our butchers will soon begin the harvesting of animals not fit to breed or work, and of course, for Easter, we will have a young lamb for the feast. My mouth waters just writing about it. Oh, but I get ahead of myself, I shall tell you more of Easter in a bit.

My second eldest son, Kaspur will be going off to University quite soon. He is old enough now and quite smart. Though I wished he would go to Kraków his heart is set on going to Italy. He tells me that many great scientists and philosophers study there, and he would be wasted on something more local. My heart aches at the thought of my son being so far away, but Mikołaj believes that such an illustrious education can only add to his marriage prospects. It is of course his coin and decision in the end. To that end, I will spend much of this spring getting him ready for his travels. I will be outfitting him in fine clothing of the western style, and it will be my job to help secure his transportation. My husband is in the Kings army and is gone quite a bit, so it is on me to run so much of these day to day things.

Speaking of. With the ground drying, our men will go to battle again soon. The Tartars ever menace the western borders of Lithuania, and I am told that it is more important than ever that we show our strength and support to them. My husband says that this is because we may very well join with them and become that Commonwealth I spoke of. My what exciting times. There is also the issue of Rus. They like to sign treaties, but not renew them, so they are ever a threat. To that end, I am busy as ever! I must get Mikołaj's outfits sewn, source the brocade with them, and make sure that new breeding stock for our horses is found and arrived. Now of course, I don't do most of this, rather I find people who's job it is to do this, and make sure it gets done. And make sure all are paid fairly.

I am told in other lands wives do not have as much of a hands-on approach to the day-to-day life of their husbands home or village, but I cannot fathom that sort of lifestyle! One must be exceedingly wealthy to afford no interaction with the mundane! While we have gardeners, and horse breeders, and merchants, I still must work with them, and check the books. Moreover, when Mikołaj is gone, I am the head of household. Truth be told, I like it this way.

It is not just our household that is getting ready for spring, the whole village is! As this is our village (okay, so really it is his, but please indulge me!), we have much to prepare for the turning of the seasons! We will be bringing on much new labor, for these last few years our surrounding area has exported more and more lumber, salt and other goods. This means we need men to harvest, pack and travel. While I do not write contracts, I am one of the people who can oversee them, though not sign them.

We are also preparing for spring planting. New animals are trained for the yoke, the ground is turned, and seeds are planted. As you can imagine a lot of repairs are being done! We must have good solid building for which to store both livestock and crops. With all the trade that has been going on, we are looking to add a dyer to the village. Mikołaj has a great number of sheep to his name, and we have reached a point where it is far better to begin to dye the wool here than to ship it off. I'm quite excited to see more of this process, though I hear it smells terrible (can't be worse than the tannery!) and those poor souls who work it have hands that are permanently black and blue!

All this work leads us to Easter. I admit it has been hard writing about all these mundane affairs when all I really want to do is tell you all about one of my favorite Holy Days! Though technically only a few days long, this celebration lasts most of the month! Or at least the good cheer and festivities! We begin before Easter Sunday by gathering eggs and dying them. Oh, we do so love the bright colors! Some of the more artistically inclined will even trace designs upon the eggs in wax before dying them to create even more marvelous patterns. How I do miss that! Sadly, that task belongs to unmarried women and of course merchants who will sell them to busy souls like myself.

On the morning of Easter we are roused from bed by the village boys making a ruckus with noise makers and drums. I am told this is to represent the sound of the earth shaking when our Lord broke free from our tomb, but I am certain that it is in truth an excuse for those ruffians to go around the village tormenting the rest of us who would rather be sleeping. We get dressed and I will gather a basket of our finest food that I've spent preparing for this event. I will have sausage, bread, mushrooms, the colored eggs and whatever greens have grown by then. My dear husband will go and gather pussy willows, or any other sort of flowering greenery he can find. This is to represent the palm fronds spoken of in the Good Book. We are far away from the Holy Land and no palm grows here, so being good Poles, we make due with what we have.

After service, our Bishop will bless the baskets, insuring prosperity for the coming season. Then we will head back to the village for a great feast. After all is said and done, the eggs will be placed around the village for good luck and to insure growth and protection from disease, and we will take our leftovers to the graveyard to “feed the dead” and remind those who have gone before us that they are not forgotten. Oh, the priest don't like it, but it's tradition.

Once the festivities are done, it is back to mundane life for me. I shall spend my days mending my families clothing, embroidering my husbands war uniforms and banner, as well as making many of the day-to-day important decisions that let us keep our village running smoothly. I will also be making gingerbread, lots and lots of gingerbread, it is my favorite, and hopefully, should you ever travel this far east, I shall have to make some for you!

I can only hope that your preparations for springtime are as at least as interesting as mine, for I feel any less would be far to dull! Wishing you good health and prosperity,

-Jadwiga

Sources Referenced

Dembińska, Maria, and William Woys Weaver. Food and Drink in Medieval Poland: Rediscovering a Cuisine of the past. Philadelphia: U of Pennsylvania, 1999. Print.



Jadaszewski, Eryk Stefan. Polish Re-enactors Handbook: A Guide to 17th Century Living History in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Lexington, KY: S.n., 2008. Print.



Lemnis, Maria, and Henryk Vitry. Old Polish Traditions. Interpress Publishers, 2000. Web. 19 June 2014.



Paumgartner, Magdalena Balthasar, Balthasar Paumgartner, and Steven E. Ozment. Magdalena and Balthasar: An Intimate Portrait of Life in Sixteenth-century Europe Revealed in the Letters of a Nuremberg Husband and Wife. New Haven: Yale UP, 1989. Print.

Radzilowski, John. A Traveller's History of Poland, second edition. Interlink Books, 2013. Print

Zamoyski, Adam. Poland: A History. New York: Hippocrene, 2012. Print.



Zamoyski, Adam. The Polish Way: A Thousand-year History of the Poles and Their Culture. New York: Hippocrene, 1994. Print.

The Surprising Religious Views of 16th century Poland

Asilum Haereticorum

the heretics asylum

The Surprising Religious Views of 16^th century Poland

Original act of the Warsaw Confederation

"Whereas in our Common Wealth [sic] there is no small disagreement in the matter of the Christian faith, and in order to prevent that any harmful contention should arise from this, as we see clearly taking place in other kingdoms, we swear to each other... that albeit we are dissidents in religion, we will keep the peace between ourselves, and that we will not, for the sake of our various faith and difference of church, either shed blood or confiscate property, deny favor, imprison or banish, and that furthermore we will not aid or abet any power or office which strives to this in any way whatsoever..."

Article of the Warsaw Confederation

by Pani Jadwiga Radomykowa

Originally Presented at the String Theory Ithra in the Canton of Bearwood October 2014

Section One: A brief overview of Polish History

This is not a exhaustive list of everything that happened in Poland, but rather major events, especially ones that shaped religious feelings in the country.

5^th - 9^th Century

The first Slavic tribes settle in the lands that will one day be Poland. Beyond archeological evidence, there is little known about this time, save that the people called themselves the Polane “People of the Land.”

10^th Century

Baptism of Poland. King Mieszko I, the creator of the polish state marries Dobrawa, the daughter of the Bohemian ruler, a devout catholic. The king converts as does the rest of the state over the next centuries. Poland is recognized as a sovereign nation by Otto III in 1000.

11^th - 14^th Century:

Poland begins to form as a country. During this time it is much like it's neighbors the Holy Roman Empire (Germany) and other more “Western” European states.

1030: there is a pagan uprising.

1182: the first meeting of the Sejm (lower house of parliament).

1264: Statute of Kalisz Giving Jews much freedom.

1308: the Teutonic Knights capture Gdańsk (Danzig), this begins the long history of tension between the Order and the Polish State.

1333: Formation of the Szlachta a legally privileged noble class.

1347: The Wiślica Statutes are drafted. This is the first time that customary law is codified.

1384: Jadwiga of Anjou is crowned King of Poland

1385: Jadwiga Marries Lithuanian duke Jagiello this binds Poland and Lithuania together, part of the agreement is Jagiello converts to Christianity along with all of Lithuania.

15^th Century:

Poland and the Teutonic Order begin almost 200 years of on again off again warfare called the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War or simply the Great War.

1410: Battle of Grunwald, first major battle of the Great War, and the beginning of the decline of the Teutonic Knights.

1432: Union of Grodno, the beginnings of the Polish Lithuanian alliances being formalized.

1454: Nieszawa Statutes are signed which state that the king must get permission from the Szlachta before making new laws, raising armies or levying new taxes.

16^th Century:

1505: Nihli Novi (“Nothing New”) Act signed, limiting Polish kings from making any new laws with out the blessing of the nobility.

1569: Union of Lublin, the creation of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth.

1573: Warsaw Confederation signed, guaranteeing religious freedom for all freedmen of Poland

Section Two: Foundations of Religious Tolerance

In the early 16^th century Cardinal Stanislaus Hosius called Poland the asylum of heretics.

This name was not unearned. During a time when reading the wrong book could get a man killed, and worshiping “incorrectly” could damn one to hell, not to mention be tortured before meeting that fate, Poland had opened her borders to men of all faiths, and took a rather lackadaisical view on upholding the religious “rights” of the church.

The Jagiellon Dynasty 1386-1572 was considered the height of Polish Culture. As it began to wain the Sejm (senate) sought to protect the unified Poland and prevent separatists from undermining hundreds of years of work. To that end, there had to be a unified voice, and a key point of contention was the different views of religion. Therefore the defacto culture of religious tolerance was codified in the Warsaw Confederation.

This fell in line with the Sarmation ideology espoused by the szlatcha who believed that no one man should have the ability to rules over the life and death of another, this included bishops and the king. Moreover this became imperative after the St. Bartholomew's day massacre in France where 20,000 Protestants were killed by rioting Catholics. They set up rules that a king had to sign before being given the grown, called the Henrician Articles, these were 16 unchangeable rules, one of which is that they must observe the edicts of the Warsaw Confederation. This ties in with the Golden Liberty, an article of the szlatcha that stated all nobles are equal regardless of rank, class or religion.

Sitting between the Orthodox Grand Duchy of Moscow to the East, Muslim Empire to the South, and the rest of Europe torn between reformation and counter reformation to the west Poland welcomed Catholics, Protestants, Jews and even Muslims to settle it's lands. Every time there would be a religious purge in a neighboring land, Poland’s' population would grow. This led to more skilled laborers and a better economy.

By the mid 16^th century records put about 3/4^th of all Jewish people live in Poland. In 1503 a Chief Rabbi was appointed, and by 1551 Jews could elect their own Chief Rabbi. He was allowed to make rules, and laws for the Polish Jews and collect taxes, however only about 30% of funds raised were used for the Jewish people, the rest went to the kingdom for protection. 1567 a Talmudic academy was found in Lublin. During this time the Statute of Kalisz was written, 26 rules for the treatment of Jewish people. Of note:

         1. ...Should a Jew be taken to court, not only a Christian must testify against him,            but also a Jew, in order for the case to be considered valid.

17. ...Any Jew may freely and securely walk or ride without any let or hindrance in our realm. They shall pay customary tolls just as other Christians do, and nothing else

Section Three: Religious Freedom Made Manifest.

The szlatcha were the noble class in Poland. Unlike most kingdoms of this time, the szlatcha could come from any rank or class. During this time most szlatcha were Catholic or Orthodox with a small number of Muslims.

In 1569 the city of Rakow was founded as the seat of the Polish Brethren With was a minor branch of the Reformed Church of Poland a Nontrinitarian Protestant church that existed in Poland from 1565 to 1658. This later changed into the Unitarian belief.

The Church in Poland had an unusual relationship with the Vatican, rather than being appointed by Rome, the kingdoms bishops were chosen by the King who submitted his candidates. However, if the Church did not agree with a choice this had little effect, for it was ignored, and bishops were invested anyways. Even attempts to excommunicate bishops and kings fell upon deaf ears.

Summed up by a deputy of the Sejm in 1550:

“The gentlemen of the clergy summon us, citing their titles and invoking some foreign, Romish law, contrary to the laws and freedoms of our realm, attempting to extend their jurisdiction and that of their mater the Roman Pope, which jurisdiction we, not finding it in our statutes neither can nor will bear; for we know no other jurisdiction than the supremacy of his majesty the King our master.”

Various religions were worshiped during this time. Luther's declaration was popular in northern and western parts of Poland. Those who held the faith were called lax Catholics. Many priests had common-in-law wives, recognized their offspring and gave them positions due to their rank. As such, protestant demands weren't shocking. Calvinism was quite popular as well throughout the land, both because putting men as equals echoed feelings of the szlatcha and as well as the fact that there was little rite and ceremony making it a cheap religion to be a part of. Moreover, during this time Bishop Drohojowski of Kujavia allowed Catholics and Lutherans to share churches in his diocese.

By mid 16^th century Poland had almost 100 mosques.

In 1554 Bishop Czarnkowski sentenced 3 merchants to be burned at the stake. They were saved by the Szlachta who were mostly Catholic. He later sentenced a cobbler and over 100 nobles came to his rescue, this time laying siege to the episcopal estate and freeing the man. The bishop was then banished from the town. Later when a man was killed for supposedly stealing a host from the local church and selling it to Jews for apparent occult rites, there was an outcry and again the szlatcha raised arms against the church, and managed to save three Jews that were going to be burned the next day. As Jan Tarnowski a noble of the time points out, “It is not a question of religion, it is a question of liberty.”

Shortly after this the Sejm came to unanimous agreement that there would be no liberty while a force independent of the parliamentary system was able to judge people. Therefore the ecclesiastical tribunal was annulled in 1562. There was an outcry from the church, how could the laws of the bible and the will of God be upheld? The poet Mikołaj Rej gave the church the Szlatcha's reply when he wrote that if God was offended, God would punish.

Further Reading:

Chorzempa, Rosemary A. Polish Roots : Korzenie Polskie. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Pub., 1993. Print.

Davies, Norman. God's Playground: A History of Poland: In Two Volumes. New York: Columbia UP, 2005. Print.

Hewett, Phillip. Racovia: An Early Liberal Religious Community. Providence, RI: Blackstone Editions, 2004. Print.

Zamoyski, Adam. Poland: A History. New York: Hippocrene, 2012. Print.

Wandycz, Piotr Stefan. The Price of Freedom: A History of East Central Europe from the Middle Ages to the Present. London: Routledge, 2001. Print.

Zamoyski, Adam. The Polish Way: A Thousand-year History of the Poles and Their Culture. New York: Hippocrene, 1994. Print.