"A mounted gentleman with a sword is worth a warlord,"
Polish noblemen boasted. Winged hussars in steel armour constituted the core of the Polish army. Infantry, being a significant part of other European armies, was merely an ancillary force in Poland.
By June 1702 the king's army comprised 12 regiments of cavalerja narodowa (people's cavalry).
There were 9 gonfalons (squadrons) in each regiment; each gonfalon comprised 150 to 600 soldiers. Colonels were the actual masters of the regiments - they maintained and equipped their soldiers.
Each Polish tycoon took pride in his own heavy cavalry. A cavalryman was armed with a sabre, a pair of pistols, a short musket and a lance. He wore a steel helmet and armour plating. Special feathered wings protected his back from sabre blows. Winged hussars would often wear furs over their armour.
