Armaments in the Wills of Soldiers of the Crown Army During the Vasa Period (1587–1668)

Abstract

This article analyses the records of weapons and protective equipment in the soldiers’ wills of the Crown Army, serving in the Vasa period (1587–1668). It presents information about the testators: their marital status, formation in which they served, military rank, and the time and circumstances in which the documents were created. The study also focuses on the popularity of specific types of registered weapons in military legates, and specific features (for example: type of lock, construction of the blade, origin), by which the weapon was identified to. The most frequently recorded group of items was firearms. Protective armament was a slightly less common legged element. Cold weapons were the least frequent items that were passed to one’s heirs.

The text also lists groups of people and institutions that are recipients of testamentary bequests. The most common recipients of testamentary legates regarding weapons and armaments were people related to the testators on the professional level: co-companions, originating from the nobility, subordinates from the lower social strata, and officer personnel. The second group of recipients of testamentary legates were members of the testators’ families. Testamentary legates were also transferred to monasteries and parish churches. Testamentary legates with the highest material value were directed to comrades-in-arms, family members and institutions of religious worship. The offensive and protective armament also went to the spouses of the testers, who received the weapons more often as a means of financial security, and not as an item for serving in combat. Weapons of lesser value were bequeathed to the subordinates and servants.