Armoured companion
Armoured companion (Polish: Towarzysz pancerny Polish: [tɔˈvaʐɨʂ panˈtsɛrnɨ], plural: towarzysze pancerni) was a medium-cavalryman in 16th to 18th century Poland, named after their chainmail armor. These units were the second-most-important (and successful) cavalry in the Polish-Lithuanian army, after the hussars.
| Towarzysz pancerny | |
|---|---|
| Allegiance | Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth |
| Type | cavalry |
| Role | Standing professional military |
| Equipment | war hammer, Mace (bludgeon), hatchet, sabre spear Lance |
Most pancerni were recruited from the middle or lower classes of the Polish (or Lithuanian) nobility. They were organized into companies, with each company (Polish: chorągiew or rota) consisting of 60 to 200 horsemen.
The Cossacks were renamed armored cavalry (jazdę pancerną) in 1676 as the Cossack name was associated with the Khmelnytsky Uprising. After the reforms in 1776, both hussars and armored companions were transformed into National Cavalry units.