Lisowczyks or Lisowczycy was the name of an early 17th-century irregular unit of the Polish–Lithuanian light cavalry. The Lisowczycy took part in many battles across Europe and the historical accounts of the period characterized them as extremely agile, warlike, and bloodthirsty. Their numbers varied with time, from a few hundred to several thousand.
The Polish Rider by Rembrandt. A Lisowczyk may be the subject of one of the Dutch master's greatest works. Though the rider's identity is not known, one theory is that it is a portrait of Grand Chancellor of Lithuania Marcjan Aleksander Oginski, made in c.1655. It has little to do with the Lisowczycy, though much of the clothing and war gear would have been similar that worn by the real Lisowczyks of 30 years earlier.
Lisowczyk – painting by Juliusz Kossak, circa 1860-65, after Rembrandt. National Museum in Warsaw.
Lisowczycy (Archery) – painting by Józef Brandt, 1885, Kościuszko Foundation in New York
Lisowczycy at the inn – painting by Józef Brandt
Aleksander Józef Lisowski
Aleksander Józef Lisowski HNG was a Polish–Lithuanian noble (szlachcic), commander of a mercenary group that after his death adopted the name "Lisowczycy." His coat of arms was Jeż (Hedgehog).
Lisowczyk – painting by Juliusz Kossak
