Armed Peasants

In the first half of the 16th century, arms and armour of the light cavalry consisted of a coat of mail, helmet, shield, spear, and sabre. In the second half of the century, light cavalry soldiers, or hussars, were equipped with a coat of mail or a suit of armour, helmet, shield, spear, sabre, dagger, and club (mace) or hatchet. Depending on his purchasing power, a hussar could also be armed with a gun. There were entire troops of hussars armed with guns only.

There are no detailed data on infantry arms and armour. Some infantrymen were musketeers, but infantry did not usually use firearms. German mercenaries were armed with spears or halberds and had a sword around the waist. A dagger was usually fastened in the belt. Some German mercenary units were armed with heavy two-handed swords.
What were the peasants armed with? There are no accurate data on that, we only know that the investigating judges mostly asked questions about firearms. According to a report from Juraj Drašković, the Bishop of Zagreb, the peasants were ‘fierce, well armed, mostly trained at the border …’. They did have some firearms. One of the peasants declared they had had twenty heavy guns and a falconet on wheels. However, the peasants did not have too many firearms. Older historians mention bludgeons, flails, scythes, axes, field and house tools, sabres, guns and confiscated mortars and cannons on wheels. There is no evidence that field and house tools were used as arms, but we can assume with certainty that they were used in battles. Village blacksmiths were certainly able to make simple weapons, such as spears.

From the weapons likely to have been used in the Revolt, the Museum has Bauernwehrs (peasant’s battle knifes), a hook-gun, spears, an axe, a mace, and a flail replica.

Infantrymen's Weapons

Mace Mace is a hitting weapon with an iron head mounted on a wooden shaft. Maces were used by cavalry and infantry alike. Infantrymen would carry them in their right hand, and cavalry soldiers would hang them on their saddle. It was usually thrown on an adversary, and blows given by the head would be equally strong as those given by the shaft. The Croatian term for a mace or any similar spiked club is kijača (kij, kojac or kijec).

Mace

Axe
A battle axe was a part of both infantry and cavalry arms.

War Hammer
War hammer is a hitting weapon ending in a beak. A handle, sometimes mounted with silver, is fastened into the lock. It was primarily an infantry weapon, but was also used by cavalry. It was used to penetrate helmets and to throw an adversary off a horse when hooked up on his coat of armour.

A Hand-and-a-half Sword
This type of weapon was frequently used in duels.

Two-handed Sword
A weapon of German mercenaries, used for hitting and cutting in attacks.

Cut-and-Thrust Sword
A cut-and-thrust sword resembles a sabre in hilt. Light cavalry soldiers would wear it under the saddle. It was used in attacks to stab by penetrating a coat of mail through holes in links.

Knife
Knife was primarily a house tool used for eating, but it could be used as weapon, when necessary. It was used by peasants and poorer layers of the society.

Bauernwehr (peasant's battle knife)
Bauernwehr is a kind of a big knife. It was a weapon of common people exclusively, made by blacksmiths and sold at a low price.

Halberd
Halberd is a weapon of Swiss mercenaries. It consists of a spear point, an axe blade, and a pick beak. It is mounted on a wooden pole by a cylinder and a long slide bar. There is a great variety of types. Decorative forms appear on halberds in the 16th and the 17th century and they become signs of non-commissioned officers.

Tabar
Tabar is a double axe with a wide blade and a long handle.

Hook-gun (bradatica kukača or bradatica)
Hook-gun (Croatian bradatica, German Hakenbüchse) is a weapon between a cannon and a gun. It was hooked to a curtain wall and lighted by a wick.

Armour

The armour of Croatian warriors during the Turk wars in the 15th and 16th century consisted of a coat of mail, a partial or complete coat of armour, boots, and a helmet.

Coat of armour	Coat of armour Coat of armour is a part of protective equipment. A breastplate and a backplate would normally be worn.	Coat of mail
	Coat of mail Coat of mail was included in the standard cavalry armour in the 16th century. It was lighter and handier than a coat of armour. It was made of tiny interwoven links. through holes in links.

Helmet	Helmet There were different types of helmets. Those of a simpler making were intended for use by common soldiers.	Gauntlets
	Gauntlets Gauntlets were a part of a heavy cavalry coat of armour.