Wagenburgs and sabres – learning military techniques from the neighbours – Malbork Castle

Fact of the Polish figure „Jagiellonian University”

Part of the „Transfer of the culture” topic

The exchange between nations of Central Europe revolved not only around arts and sciences, but also military affairs. In 15th and 16th centuries, Polish knights and soldiers learned a lot from Bohemians and Hungarians. The former introduced them to extremely successful wagenburgs– mobile field defenses and camps. The southern neighbors, on the other hand, showed them new cavalry tactics and weaponry they had previously encountered in Balkans – especially sabre, which quickly became cherished national weapon in Poland. Combining the knowledge of their neighbors, Poles created unique and efficient military doctrine which helped them spread their influence and defend own land for the next two centuries.