Near Mitau,

1658

make
hile tr ying to
itz thought w
tn
ur
K
s
,
an
e muddy road
? sergeant H
ing along th
this anyway
ov
is
m
y
tr
in
s
un
ie
lt
co
of a
had difficu
d small, dirty
- What kind
le. His horse
mud, rain an
dd
y
sa
nl
e
O

th
s.
on
nt
le
tough
on their mou
e comfortab
re? Oh, its a
ed drowsily
himself mor
as bring us he
gl
soldiers rock
s
ou
hi
D
r
of
er
n
H
ze
two do
world did
behind him
why in the
on the ground
at
sp
er
it
led
re
y
owly strugg
villages the
eskin is empt
al Douglas sl
in
sh
w
ar
e
m
th
ld
se
fie
ts wor
g to the warm
regiment of
duty and wha
ly of returnin
ers from the
it
on
t
re
gh
ry
ou
na
th
ce
er
the
red soldiers
A group of m

ured around
rests. The bo
ent were vent
Courland fo
m
of
gi
st
re
id
r
ei
m
e
th
ad in th
ke Kettler.
patrols from
down the ro
along with du
eek now the
w
ed
a
ur
r
pt
Fo
.
ca
t
au
at were no
of
arters in Mit
d soldiers th
e command
and cozy qu
es of Courlan
oup under th
ac
gr
tr
e
e
th
th
er
r
fo
ev
in vain
far. How
ees by
city looking
among the tr
ce was met so
fe, no resistan
watched from
e
sa
d
er
w
an
ll
ey
du
th
the
ing towards
The duty was
me time now
ts were turn
lucky. For so
ke
as
us
t
m
no
r
ei
as
w
th
tnitz
the muddy
barrels of
sergeant Kur
ers. The long
ly staring into
Swedish reit
were vacant
e
w
th
no
to
e
to
bl
up
si
s eyes that
enemies invi
iters raised hi
one of the re
ly
en
dd
Su
and several of
s.
raider
at felled him
th
s
ee
tr
e
th
among
ted:
group
the salvo from
road. He shou
as going on a
as cut short by
k out what w
w
or
w
ng
to
ni
ar
le
w
ab
e
es were
cenaries of
- Achtu - th
ore the Swed
like the mer
e saddles. Bef
oked exactly
th
lo
om
ey
fr
th
s
ce
on
even
an
. At first gl
his compani
ff-coats and
a forest path
d leather bu
ha
om
l
fr
ra
ve
em
ds.
se
th
,
d
arge
es and hats
ing their swor
of raiders ch
s and thrust
in justacorps
d
ol
st
se
pi
es
r
dr
ei
y
th
tl
tnitz mos
n, managed
iters shooting
sergeant Kur
of the colum
een the the re
es, at the end
s burst betw
ed
er
ck
Sw
o
ta
at
tw
e
. Th
ly the last
the trees and
breastplates
minutes on
from among
of
t
r
ou
te
t
at
en
m
w
a
s
was over in
musketeer
The combat
ever several
d to run. How
ie
tr
d
an
s.
es
ding
hors
wn their arm
the comman
to turn their
es and lay do
approached
,
rs
ol
ho
st
e
pi
th
g
in
op
iters to st
still smok
forced the re
es, holding a
companion:
ourland nobl
looked at his
C
d
e
an
th
ld
of
e
fie
le
on
om the batt
- Captain?
his eyes up fr
ass. He took
ir
cu
a
ng
but they
ri
officer wea
and Johann,
nded, Erdman
ou
w
ly
ht
?
lig
ly two
edes.
- Yes, Georg
o. We have on
the dead Sw
, apart from tw
powder from
d
ad
an
de
l
n
al
io
e
it
ar
- They
mpany.
ns, ammun
e colonels co
horses, weapo
in up with th
t. We have 19
jo
gh
to
ri
e
l
ar
al
e
w
be
e,
will
and lets mov
rmed reiters.
ather the loot
nodded
the two disa
to
d
- Sehr Gut! G
te
in
the captain
po
ers? - Georg
erciful death
m
on
a
is
pr
be
t
e
th
no
t
ill
- What abou
em this w
ts will get th
go the peasan
em
th
t
ents later
le
e
- If w
isoners. Mom
pr
e
th
.
ng
do
di
to
ar
t
keteers gu
u know wha
ards the mus
his head Yo
and rode tow
e
rs
ho
s
hi
rned
The noble tu
two shots
br
as oken by
the silence w

Authors
Authors of the game:

Micha Paradowski, Rafa Szwelicki
Historical descriptions:

Micha Paradowski
Unit characteristics and modeling advice:

Rafa Szwelicki
Proofreading of Polish version:

Dariusz Konowski , Piotr Podczaski
Help:

Dorian Kulesza, Artur wietlik

Photographs and arts:

Rafa Bagiski/bigdesign.pl
Translation:

Maciej Kapaczyski
Proofreading of English version:

Micha Paradowski
Illustrations used:

Europa, University of Augsburg, Theatrum Europaeum, Bd.
01 (1662), Taffel vor S 1.I

Published by:
WARGAMER, ul. Mehoffera 26, lok. 10, 01-131 Warszawa,
kontakt@wargamer.pl,
48 22 675 90 86
www.wargamer.pl
www.wargamer.pl
www.ogniemimieczem.wargamer.pl
www.fireandsword.wargamer.pl
Warsaw 2012

Duchy of Courland and Semigallia

ecularization of the Livonian Order took place according to the Treaty of Vilnius of 28 November 1561. Part of their state was transformed into a Polish-Lithuanian condominium
(known as Livonia), Duchies of Courland and Semigallia were created from the rest of
the land. The newly created duchy, ruled by the last Livonian Grand Master Gotthard Kettler,
became the vassal of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. On the 5th of March 1562 duke
Gotthard paid homage to Zygmunt August, the king of Poland and the grand duke of Lithuania. King Zygmunt August made an obligation to defend Livonia (including Courland and
Semigallia) from external enemies, confirmed the privileges and rights of the local nobility
(mostly German-speaking), as well as ensured religious freedom. If the male line of the Kettler family came to an end the duchy would be included directly into the Polish Kingdom. Initially Muscovy seemed to be the greatest threat, however since early 17th century the expansive policy of the Kingdom of Sweden became the largest source threats in the region. The
military weakness of the Duchy, well known by the rulers of Courland, resulted in attempts
to stay neutral during the wars conducted by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Often
while Poland was at war with Sweden and military operations were conducted in Livonia the
nearby Courland, theoretically the ally of Poland, did its best not to not to cross any of the
warring parties. Despite this the forces of Courland were able to make their mark in history
at the battle of Kircholm in 1605 when Courland cavalry fought in the centre of the lines of
hetman Chodkiewicz. Paradoxically the nobility of Courland preferred to serve in the armies
of their neighbors mostly Swedish and Lithuanian than in the armed forces of their own
Duchy. In the years 1630-1648 a regiment of Courland cuirassiers fought with distinction in
the ranks of the Swedish army, for some time it was even led by Charles X Gustav before he became the king. In Lithuanian army on the other hand Courland officers were usually serving
in the foreign contingent formations, especially reiters.

he Duchy developed rapidly during the first half of the 17th century, mostly thanks to
sea trade and boatbuilding. Courland even had its own oversea colonies: New Courland
(Tobago) and three forts by the Gambia River in Africa. In 1658 the Swedish army led
by field-marshal Robert Douglas, took Courland and insidiously imprisoned the ruling duke
Jakub Kettler. The Swedish occupation caused great impoverishment to the Duchy mainly
due to pillaging. Further damages were added when in 1659 the Lithuanian army pushed the
Swedes out of Courland in the course of siege operations and several pitched battles.

Army of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia 1654-1658

he levy of nobility, so called Rossdienst (German for: Mounted Service) was the main military force of the Duchy. Every landowner was obliged to answer the dukes call to arms.
In addition the ruler of the Duchy was able to call the so called Hofesfahne (German for:
Ducal Banner) that is Mounted Service from his own lands. However the levy of nobility could
only be used for the defense of the Duchy and in addition the nobles were very reluctant to
answer the call to arms, on top of that its combat value was very low.
As a vassal obligation to the rulers of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth the Duchy of
Courland and Semigallia was to raise 300 cavalrymen. They were usually organized as a mercenary formation, normally 100 were raised by the duke, and the nobility of Courland and
Semigallia raised 100 horsemen per every part of the Duchy.
The cavalry was of Western European pattern and were generally called reiters.
Mercenary infantry companies were also raised for the defense of the Duchy mainly in order
to man fortresses and for service in the colonies. The duke also paid for his guards with his
own money, in peacetime those forces consisted of a company of cavalry and a company of
infantry. In our period of interest Jakub Kettler was the ruling duke and he saw the need to
reform the military forces of the Duchy. Most of all he tried to replace the troublesome levy of
nobility with mercenary infantry (paid for by the nobility), which was much more useful in
defense of the Courland fortresses. The following army list includes all the units that existed
in Courland in this period, we must remember however that this army did not put up a fight

Commanders
Landhofmeister was the commander in chief of the
ducal army who answered only to the duke himself.
Larger contingents could also be led by a colonel
(oberst) or lieutenant colonel of the dukes own guard. Mercenary units were commanded by capta-

LANDHOFMEISTER [
Commander
Formation

Move

Landhofmeister 20/+20

ins or rotamasters, usually men of Courland who

previously served in other armies (e.g. Swedish or
Lithuanian). After 1655 many officers who served
in foreign contingent units of the Lithuanian army
went into the service of the Duchy.

Armor

Morale

Skill

Close Combat

Shooting

Weapons

Hand weapon

CC

Commander

Pistols

Scarce ammunition

MOUNTED CAPTAIN/ROTAMASTER [
Move

Armor

Morale

Skill

Colonel

20/+20

Close Combat

Special rules

Commander
Formation

Effectiveness Range

Shooting

Weapons

Effectiveness Range

Hand weapon

CC

Commander

Pistols

Scarce ammunition

1. You may use any commander from the Swedish reiters set as
a captain/rotamaster. You may use a Swedish colonel from
the SWE-8 or SWE-10 sets as a landhofmeister or a colonel.

ing the Deluge:

Officers of the ducal guard dur
eck
Johann Lb
0
1658 to 1660, colonel from 166
from
ter
mas
rota
er
Jacob Jasp
lieutenant colonel in 1659
von 8Nettelhorst
colonel in 1659

Special rules

Reiters
History of the formation

Equipment and tactics

Courland dukes had a house guard reiter company

paid for from their own purse. In case of war the
unit could have been enlarged with new recruits. As
a part of the vassal obligation towards the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth reiters paid for by the
Courland nobility were recruited. Two reiter banners (companies) were created during the Deluge.
This type of cavalry made its mark at the battle of
Kircholm in1605 where it was fighting in the centre
of the army of hetman Chodkiewicz, supporting the
winged hussars of Wincent Wojna. Courland reiters
fought bravely also at the battle of Dyament in1609
when the army led by Chodkiewicz defeated the
Swedes under general Mansfeld.

In the second half of the 17th century mercenary

reiters were probably equipped in a similar way to
their Swedish, Polish and Lithuanian counterparts.
Being well equipped in firearms they were able
both to shoot and fight in close combat. In order
to emphasize the elite nature of the ducal company
we decided to grant them armor. The mercenary reiters on the other hand had some of their characteristics decreased as they were mostly new recruits.

REITER COMPANY
Cavalry

Formation

Move

Armor

Morale

Skill

Mercenary 20/+10

Hand weapon

Ducal

Pistols

Musketoon

1/0

10/20

reiters
reiters

20/+10

Close Combat

1. Use SWE:3 Armored reiters with arquebuses as the ducal reiters. Use set SWE-4 or SWE-1 as mercenary reiters.

Shooting

Weapons

Effectiveness Range

Special rules

CC Shooting while charging

- pistols

Caracole

Rossdienst
levy of nobility
History of the formation

the duke had to finance the project from his own

purse. In 1658 the Dyneburg (today Daugavpils in
Latvia) district mustered a dragoon company instead of the levy of nobility with 2 dragoons per 230
hectares instead of one mounted noble.

Military duties of the Courland nobility were regulated by the first legal acts of the newly established
Duchy of 1561, however they took their final form
in 1617 with the Formula Regiminis Act. Every landowner was obliged to appear at musters at the order of the duke. Every area of about 230 hectares
was to equip one cavalryman. In case of a military
threat to the state the duke had the right to call
double Mounted Service to arms, so about one cavalryman per 115 hectares. Sometimes the retinues
included also infantrymen but their number was so
insignificant that we decided not to include them
in the rules. Mounted Service included two types
of units: Lehnsfahne (German for: Vassal Banner)
and Hofesfahne
(Ducal Banner). The first type included levy of nobility banners created in various districts of the Duchy, Hofesfahne on the other hand was created in
the ducal lands. The nobility was reluctant to serve
and replacements were often called for, every call
to arms made by the duke was challenged. When
in 1654 duke Jakub proposed to recruit mercenary
infantry instead of Mounted Service the idea was
enthusiastically welcomed by the nobility. On the
other hand the Courland nobles were also reluctant to pay the tax for this infantry and as a result

Equipment and tactics

There is no precise information on the equipment
or tactics of the Mounted Service. We can assume
that that the nobility was equipped similarly to Western European reiters and used mostly firearms.
These included pistols and long firearms (musketoons etc.). There was no standardization of types or
even number of weapons to speak of. The wealthier
nobles probably had a pair of pistols and a long firearm, the poorer (including replacements) might
serve only with hand weapons.

10

Armor was seldom used, maybe some breastplates, helmets or buff coats, however most of the
Rossdienst wore their everyday clothes. The hand
weapons of reiters was also varied, types included civilian rapiers, sometimes military swords
or backswords or even sabers. Not much is known
about the Dyneburgs dragoons. As other dragoons
of the period they were armed with long firearms
(half-muskets) and served as mounted infantry.

They did not use any armor. They probably had little or no military training and their morale was also
very poor, hence the low characteristics. We have
no information about any uniforms being issued to
them they most probably had their own civilian
clothes.

ROSSDIENST BANNER
Cavalry

Formation

Move

Armor

Morale

Skill

Close Combat

Lehnsfahne 20/+10

Hand weapon

CC

Insubordinate

Hofesfahne 20/+10

Pistols

Poor Tactical

Musketoon

1/0

1. Courland nobility wore Western European clothes. Use

SWE-4 set for Rossdienst. For a better effect you may use
some of the modeling advices described later in the text.
2. You may combine Lehnsfahne and Hofesfahne in one Squadron. In such case treat the whole Squadron as Lehnsfahne.

Shooting

Weapons

Effectiveness Range

Special rules

Discipline3

10/20 Scarce ammunition

3. Only Lehnsfahne units have the Poor Tactical Discipline Special Rule.

DRAGOON COMPANY
Dragoons

Formation

Move

Armor

Morale

Skill

Miunted

20/+10

Hand weapon

CC

Dragoons

10

Hand weapon

CC

Poor Tactical

Half-musket

3/1

10/25

dragoons

Dismounted
dragoons

Close Combat

1. Use the SWE-9 set as dragoons. For a better effect you may
use some of the modeling advices described later in the text.

11

Shooting

Weapons

Effectiveness Range

Special rules

Discipline

Infantry
History of the formation

Equipment and tactics

In early 17th century the Courland army included

mainly the levy of nobility (Rossdienst). Seeing the
decline off this formation duke Jakub Kettler tried
to introduce reforms. In peacetime Courland had
2 or 3 companies as garrisons in fortresses, including the dukes foot guards company. In the face
of Swedish invasion in 1654 the duke decided to recruit 4 mercenary infantry companies paid for by
the nobility, instead of calling the levy to arms. 4
units were raised but their numerical strength was
so low that they were combined into 2 full strength
companies. In addition the duke enlisted several
hundred infantrymen from his own purse and used
them to garrison Courland fortresses. The attempt
at enlisting 3000 soldiers negotiated with by duke
Jakub with Danzig failed.

The mercenary infantry enlisted by Courland was

not much different from Swedish units, most probably it consisted of soldiers from various German lands. What was unique in its case was that
it had no pikemen it included only musketeers.
Not much is known about its level of training. It
was probably standard for this type of formation,
especially that it included some Thirty Years War
veterans. We do not know if the musketeers used
any obstacles but considering the availability of
material and the defensive nature of the army we
allowed them to have kobylice.

INFANTRY COMPANY
Infantry

Formation

Move

Armor

Morale

Skill

Musketeers

10

Close Combat

Shooting

1. Use the SWE-6 set as mercenary musketeers.

2. Infantry can be equipped with kobylice (see page 181 in Rulebook)

12

Weapons

Effectiveness Range

Special rules

Hand weapon

CC

Countermarch

Musket

3/1

10/30

Salvo

Special Rules
On Their Own Land:

The army of Courland and Semigallia was a defensive force. Its objective was to defend the
lands of the Duchy and not to venture beyond its borders. As a result all the possible battles
of this army would take place in areas well known to its commanders. As a result we decided
to grant it the same rule as to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth forces.
The Courland army has +2 additional Reconnaissance Points.

Courland Marshes and Forests:

The Duchy was crisscrossed with rivers, full of pits, flooded areas and dense forests. Such
terrain made it difficult to conduct offensive operations and reconnaissance.
When comparing Reconnaissance Points (see the Rulebook: page 131 point H.) roll a D10. Deduct the rolled value from enemys Reconnaissance Points.

Modus Defensionis:

The Courland army was used to defend the Duchy from an attack and did not conduct any
offensive actions, apart from attempts to regain control of lost territories.
The Courland army always defends and will attack only as a last resort:
If the Courland player is the Weaker Player then roll two dice instead of a normal roll:
1-4
Attack on a village
5-8
Capture the crossing
9
Forage
0
Ambush
If the Courland player is the Stronger Player then roll two dice instead of a normal roll:
1-6
Attack on a village
7-8 Forage
9-0 Ambush
In case of a draw or none of the scenarios can be chosen play the Attack on a village scenario
(instead of Patrol). The village is defended by the Weaker Player and in case of a draw by the
Courland player. In such case he may deploy 1 free infantry company in the village.
In addition if you play the army as a Skirmish Force you may equip up to half of your infantry
companies with kobylice (it is an exception of rules that do not allow to take kobylice at this level
of the game).

PLAYING WITH THE COURLAND ARMY

The army of Courland can be used in two ways. You can field it as a Skirmish Force for the period
1654-60 at the Skirmish Level. If so do not use the Motivation level and use all the Special Rules.
You may also use the Courland forces as an ally regiment in theoretical struggle between Lithuania and Sweden during the Deluge. In such situation do not use the army Special Rules. You
may use the force as one of the additional regiments in the Lithuanian Division for the period
1658-60. Treat the regiment as Allies.

13

ARMY OF COURLAND 1654-58

NOTES:

40%

Special rules:
On Their Own Land, Courland Marshes and Forests,
Modus Defensionis

+1 FSP for a Landhofmeister

instead of
+1 FSP for a Captain #

14

The army of Courland step by step

Courlanders, or at least noblemen and townsmen, dressed in Western (German) style so
its very easy to field this army using Swedish
miniatures: reiters, musketeers and dragoons. We prepared this short guide for those
of you that are looking for some additional
information or would like to have their army
to stand out on the battlefield.
Infantry
The easiest way is to use new type infantry from SWE-6 set. As with reiters, colors of
their clothes should be mixed. One or two
companies were in the service of Courland
for a longer time, so you can try to paint
them in a more uniformed way, while soldiers of the two newly enlisted companies
were probably still using their civilian clothes. Because of the harsh climate some of
the soldiers might have had fur hats see
conversions guide below.

Dragoons
Easy choice, just use SWE-9 set. As theyre
levied from peasants you should use clothes
of various colors.
Rossdienst
Courland levy of nobility is much more challenging and interesting. Of course we used
reiters (SWE-4 or SWE-1) as the basic choice.
To show their irregular appearance its good
to make some modifications though. First of
all we mixed the figures from both sets as
some nobles used long firearms and while
others didnt. Then you can add one or two
Cossack style cavalry (POL-6) or Polish levy
of nobility (POL-5) figures as some nobles
sent replacements instead of serving in person. Majority of nobles didnt use any armor,
so its a good idea to remove the buff coats
from models see the additional guide. You
can also give fur hats to some of your nobles.

Fur hat
Soldiers from regiments enlisted in Courland to serve in Netherlands in 1670s were depicted with fur hats. We dont know if soldiers used them during the Deluge but such hats were quite popular in area throughout the whole
17th century. So if you want to make a conversion of one or two figures per company to wear a fur hat it should be
fairly accurate historically. Below you can see an easy way to make such a fur hat.

Step 1.
Cut off the brim of the hat.

Step 3.
Use a sharp tool (for example a
needle) to genty form furr-like texture around the head (not on the
top).

Step 2.
Roll some modelling putty and
place it around miniatures head.
You can also put some green stuff
on top of the head.

Step 4.
And heres final result!

In 1655, after the Lithuanian

-Swedish treaty at Kiejdany, at
least three Courland
officers from the Lithuanian arm
y resigned their commissions and
enlist with duke
Kettlers forces. These officers
were: Christoph von Grotthuss
(former lieutenant colonel of field hetman Wincenty
Gosiewskis reiter regiment), Joha
nn von Manteuffel-Szoege (former captain in Ma
ciej Gosiewskis dragoon regimen
t) and Lorenz
Vietinghoff (former major in the
15foot regiment of Wilhelm Ernest Korff) von

The army of Courland step by step

The commanders
There shouldnt be any problems here. You
can use the officer from SWE-4 set as the
captain. A Swedish general in full armor is
a perfect miniatures for the landhofmeister.

Mercenary reiters
In this case the miniatures from SWE-4 set
will work just fine. You can also mix them
with SWE-1 set because we dont know if all
the reiters were equipped with arquebuses.
As mercenaries they didnt have uniformed
clothes, so there should be mix of different
colors in each company.

Ducal reiters
Once again a very simple choice. Just take
two bases of armored reiters (SWE-3 set) and
thats it. We dont know what the color of
the uniforms of this unit during was the
Deluge, so there are plenty of options. This
unit seems to have been well equipped so it
may be good to use similar colors for whole
company.

How to remove a buff coat

Below you will find the easiest way to remove buff coats from reiter miniatures

Step 1.
Remove the edge of buff coat, so
clothes look like a coat (wams/justacorps). In order to achieve this effect
use a modeling file on the miniatures shoulders.

Step 2.
Here you can see that the buff coat
disappeared. Additionally you can
use some modeling putty, but only
if necessary.

16

Step 3.
Time to paint our miniature. We
decided to paint the justacorps red.
Both trousers and hats are red as
well, as in 17th century they were
very fashionable. Gloves and shoes
are painted to looks like bright leather. The Courland noble from
Lehnsfane is ready!