ROUMANIAN CAVALRYMAN, 15th CENTURY

An extract from Armies of the Middle Ages, Volume 2
by Ian Heath
ROUMANIAN CAVALRYMAN, 15th CENTURY in ‘Armies of the Middle Ages, Volume 2’ by Ian Heath

78. ROUMANIAN CAVALRYMAN, 15th CENTURY

The shield held by this Wallachian is the native osier type, in this instance with an iron boss and fur-edged, but by the middle of the century others might substitute Hungarian 'wing' shields as described under 94. The costume portrayed is typical of that worn by the Wallachian upper-classes by this time, comprising a loose-sleeved striped tunic, a fur hat and a long woollen coat (replaced by a fur-lined skin one in winter) with short, wide sleeves and a wide collar which finished in a square flap at the back. Bright, rich colours were worn whenever possible. The hat was beehive-shaped, of lynx fur, and usually decorated with one or more feathers; 78a and b show alternative styles of felt or leather cap that might also be worn. Close-fitting trousers and boots completed the costume. Spurs were not worn by either Wallachians or Moldavians, their horses instead being controlled with the knees.

Moldavians would probably have still been indistinguishable, but is should be noted that many Moldavian boyars and viteji were actually Lithuanians, and probably resembled figures 140-143.

Next: 79. ROUMANIAN HEAVY CAVALRYMAN, 15th CENTURY in Armies of the Middle Ages, Volume 2 by Ian Heath