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At the height of its power,
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00:01:01,607 --> 00:01:04,518
the Polish state stretched
from the Baltic to the Black Sea,
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00:01:04,599 --> 00:01:07,058
comprising a territory
with a combined surface area
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00:01:07,139 --> 00:01:08,675
of a million square kilometers.
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00:01:08,756 --> 00:01:10,323
Since the end of the 15th century,
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00:01:10,404 --> 00:01:12,065
Poland was an aristocratic republic,
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00:01:12,155 --> 00:01:14,867
governed by the king, the Senate,
and the Chamber of Envoys.
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00:01:16,034 --> 00:01:19,457
The 17th century was a period of
constant warfare for the Republic.
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00:01:19,538 --> 00:01:23,041
The security of the country
depended on the training of its soldiers.
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Berestechko, 1651
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I am Błażej Wronowski
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00:01:42,186 --> 00:01:43,936
of the Topór coat of arms.
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Martial affairs
must have their proper order,
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00:01:48,876 --> 00:01:52,834
so we stand in formation awaiting command.
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Standing among my brothers with
lance in hand and saber at my side,
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I want to tell you about my life,
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00:02:03,749 --> 00:02:08,921
which I again offer under the protection
of the Most High before battle.
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00:02:11,459 --> 00:02:16,792
I came into the world
in the year of Our Lord 1612.
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My father, being a martial man,
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equipped our manor with
all varieties of arms
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and there, among the
sabers of my ancestors,
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he raised me in the spirit of knighthood.
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The saber has an honored
place in my fatherland.
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As they say, it binds together
the circle of life and death.
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At my baptism, my father
did not hold me in his arms,
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but atop two crossed sabers.
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He was clearly saying
that I was the saber’s son;
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with it I must live,
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and with it I must die.
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Blasius ego te baptizo.
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In nomine Patris,
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Et Filii,
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Et Spiritus Sancti.
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Amen.
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- Amen.
- Amen.
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When baptizing their sons,
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Polish hussars
held them on two crossed sabers,
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symbolizing that this child
was born for the saber
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00:04:01,158 --> 00:04:02,868
and must therefore
live and die with it.
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00:04:02,951 --> 00:04:05,204
Swordsman, author of the
reconstructed Cross-Cutting Art
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00:04:05,285 --> 00:04:07,547
This symbolism was later
adopted by the broader nobility,
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00:04:07,623 --> 00:04:09,977
and later, by the Bar Confederates
of the 18th century,
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00:04:10,042 --> 00:04:13,042
who, it is believed, were also
baptized on crossed sabers.
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00:04:13,501 --> 00:04:17,241
On these sabers, they often
had images of the Virgin Mary
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or the name of Jesus,
above which was a cross
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or the eye of Providence.
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This custom is described by
Kazimierz Władysław Wóycicki
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in the year 1843,
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but it is unknown whether
this is a historical account
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00:04:31,542 --> 00:04:33,125
or perhaps a legend.
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00:04:35,876 --> 00:04:38,813
My father did not spare expenses
for my schooling.
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00:04:40,113 --> 00:04:44,201
Valuing a military education,
he wanted to hire a teacher for me,
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who would give me lessons
in chivalric training.
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There was a man who could do that.
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00:04:50,667 --> 00:04:52,725
His name was Jan Jerlicz.
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00:04:53,375 --> 00:04:56,876
It was he who with a firm hand
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taught me to know justice,
wisdom, and courage.
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00:05:02,112 --> 00:05:05,378
His past was a secret to me,
but I knew that years ago,
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00:05:05,459 --> 00:05:08,293
while serving under my father,
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00:05:08,374 --> 00:05:11,348
he had been take into Muscovite captivity.
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00:05:12,792 --> 00:05:15,209
Strange stories circulated about him.
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00:05:15,670 --> 00:05:20,237
It was said that he fled captivity,
that he threw himself into combat alone,
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00:05:20,318 --> 00:05:23,318
that he sought vengeance
for the wrong done to him.
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00:05:24,199 --> 00:05:29,002
In the spring of 1620,
a letter arrived saying he was alive,
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that he was returning to the country,
and that he was seeking shelter.
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00:07:10,626 --> 00:07:13,334
You were supposed to watch him!
And what did you do?
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00:07:13,475 --> 00:07:16,695
Have you got nothing to say?
Staring is all you’re good at!
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00:07:16,812 --> 00:07:19,313
A horse like that! Such a fortune!
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00:07:19,523 --> 00:07:21,664
Agnieszka, I told you to get out!
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00:07:22,456 --> 00:07:24,652
How could you, you fool?!
It’s almost still a foal!
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00:07:24,733 --> 00:07:26,774
I forbade you from going
anywhere near the stable.
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00:07:26,864 --> 00:07:29,746
- Maybe it will get better?
- Get better?! Nothing will get better!
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00:07:29,876 --> 00:07:33,626
Błażej, you ought to be beaten
with a whip and your skin torn to shreds.
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What were you thinking, you mule?
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00:07:36,537 --> 00:07:39,288
You lamed the horse!
Its rear is like a rock.
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00:07:39,835 --> 00:07:42,169
You ruined my horse!
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00:07:42,516 --> 00:07:45,308
All Father knows how to do is yell.
If Mom was alive…
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00:07:45,613 --> 00:07:48,239
Don’t you say anything about your mother!
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00:08:16,164 --> 00:08:17,122
Where will you go?
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00:08:18,768 --> 00:08:20,060
I don’t know yet.
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00:08:21,156 --> 00:08:22,198
I have to rest.
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00:08:22,878 --> 00:08:23,795
I understand.
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00:08:24,907 --> 00:08:26,449
Years of wandering, the war.
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00:08:27,304 --> 00:08:28,888
Who ransomed you out of captivity?
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00:08:44,709 --> 00:08:45,959
Thank you, Jerzy.
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00:08:47,206 --> 00:08:48,206
Thank you!
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00:08:50,501 --> 00:08:53,710
Thank you for your hospitality
and your gracious bread.
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I will rest a few days
and then continue on my way.
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00:08:57,751 --> 00:09:00,667
Where will you go?
Service is tough everywhere.
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00:09:01,291 --> 00:09:03,250
I don’t think retirement is for you yet.
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00:09:04,306 --> 00:09:06,431
You have military experience.
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00:09:07,047 --> 00:09:08,548
You can still sit on a horse.
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00:09:09,751 --> 00:09:12,585
Not to mention your hand you
were always deft with a saber,
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00:09:14,459 --> 00:09:15,542
Old Man.
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00:09:22,354 --> 00:09:23,189
Enough of that.
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00:09:24,834 --> 00:09:28,125
Bygones are bygones
that matter is settled.
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00:09:31,989 --> 00:09:33,282
I have some business with you.
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00:09:36,721 --> 00:09:37,639
Błażej!
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00:09:40,122 --> 00:09:41,623
Don’t stand there behind the door.
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00:09:41,789 --> 00:09:42,623
Come here.
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00:09:43,724 --> 00:09:47,475
A veteran that found shelter
in a hospitable manor
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00:09:47,556 --> 00:09:49,941
Historian, lecturer at the
University of Białystok
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could also be employed as a
preceptor a teacher for his host’s sons.
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00:09:54,250 --> 00:09:56,014
He taught them swordsmanship,
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00:09:57,042 --> 00:09:59,345
riding on horseback,
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00:09:59,433 --> 00:10:03,849
and trained them in marksmanship
both in archery and with firearms.
107
00:10:04,459 --> 00:10:10,126
The potential of old soldiers
and war veterans was utilized individually
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to train the chivalric youth
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at the magnate courts and
manors of the nobility.
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00:10:26,502 --> 00:10:28,836
- Do you know what this is?
- A cross...
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00:10:29,829 --> 00:10:32,204
No.
This is your world.
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00:10:32,896 --> 00:10:35,772
It has four quarters
and you will walk on it.
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00:10:41,013 --> 00:10:42,429
Get to work, crybaby!
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00:10:43,977 --> 00:10:46,128
My teacher armed me with a waster,
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instructing me in the
direction of my cuts.
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00:10:48,918 --> 00:10:50,542
Step towards the heel Again!
117
00:10:50,623 --> 00:10:53,160
He determined the order of the blows,
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00:10:53,403 --> 00:10:55,948
and I had to cut through
the air until my arm was tired,
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00:10:56,033 --> 00:10:57,532
Go on, strike! Put your back into it!
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00:10:57,613 --> 00:10:59,989
in order to get
the stick to utter a whistle.
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00:11:02,042 --> 00:11:04,940
Listen to me and remember:
pain is your friend,
122
00:11:05,646 --> 00:11:07,147
and I won’t let it abandon you.
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00:11:07,501 --> 00:11:09,722
He told me to strike
at a wooden post…
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00:11:09,867 --> 00:11:10,905
I can’t!
125
00:11:10,986 --> 00:11:14,236
...until the stick broke and
my hand got used to the pain.
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00:11:14,299 --> 00:11:15,364
Crybaby!
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00:11:25,753 --> 00:11:28,205
As I was of meagre posture,
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00:11:28,667 --> 00:11:32,834
he set my strength as
a goal and began to form it.
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00:11:35,753 --> 00:11:37,836
The difficulty
of his lessons and exercises
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00:11:38,125 --> 00:11:39,751
increased with every day.
131
00:11:53,099 --> 00:11:56,391
There was little rest,
which intensified my anger.
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00:11:57,182 --> 00:11:59,391
With dread I recall those days,
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00:11:59,678 --> 00:12:04,928
for I had to pay for his
tenacity with sweat and blood.
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00:12:49,042 --> 00:12:50,042
Again.
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00:13:04,334 --> 00:13:05,459
Father said,
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00:13:06,370 --> 00:13:08,037
that you are a prime swordsman, Sir.
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00:13:08,205 --> 00:13:10,664
He told me how,
during your studies in Wittenberg,
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00:13:11,708 --> 00:13:14,292
you gave testimony to such prowess
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00:13:15,959 --> 00:13:18,668
that western swordsmen
couldn’t help but be amazed.
140
00:13:18,915 --> 00:13:20,332
Your Father talks a lot.
141
00:13:21,792 --> 00:13:24,375
Allegedly you, Sir, manhandled five
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00:13:25,764 --> 00:13:27,723
German hose-wearers with a stick,
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00:13:28,083 --> 00:13:30,292
meted out some lashes with
the cross-cutting art, and…
144
00:13:30,373 --> 00:13:32,415
And you talk too much, too.
Here!
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00:13:33,522 --> 00:13:34,605
Today, too?
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Yes, today, too, you little devil.
And pour some more water.
147
00:13:41,417 --> 00:13:42,500
But it’s full!
148
00:13:46,501 --> 00:13:48,283
It’s awfully heavy!
149
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Heavy?
150
00:13:57,034 --> 00:13:58,867
Then here, have a rock.
151
00:14:02,885 --> 00:14:05,541
- What did I do wrong?
- It’ll make you stronger.
152
00:14:35,584 --> 00:14:41,251
I was afraid of my instructor,
but my curiosity was stronger than fear.
153
00:14:42,174 --> 00:14:44,174
The weapons with which he arrived
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00:14:44,449 --> 00:14:49,950
ignited my imagination,
sending my thoughts to far-away places.
155
00:14:54,269 --> 00:14:56,605
There was some kind of magic in this,
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00:14:56,855 --> 00:14:59,773
the likes of which human
reason cannot explain.
157
00:15:04,962 --> 00:15:08,215
Audaciously, I would bare his
saber from its scabbard
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and, like a military commander,
would victoriously raise it in the air.
159
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God called us
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to be like candles in the darkness.
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We must do our duty
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and extinguish
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when the time comes.
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And that was fear.
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Your greatest enemy
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and once your most faithful companion.
167
00:16:13,876 --> 00:16:15,627
It is against it that you will fight.
168
00:16:16,459 --> 00:16:21,005
Come to love it like a brother
and it will never surprise you.
169
00:16:27,459 --> 00:16:30,816
The saber (pol. szabla) was
conjoined with Polish history long ago…
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Linguist, Professor
of Humanities
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...although the word szabla
itself is of eastern origin,
172
00:16:35,501 --> 00:16:37,422
and we aren’t even sure
exactly where it’s from.
173
00:16:37,497 --> 00:16:39,664
It is suspected
that somewhere, at its origins,
174
00:16:39,745 --> 00:16:43,285
there was the Tungusic word
seleme, and then unfortunately,
175
00:16:43,667 --> 00:16:47,551
before a word for it
entered the Polish language,
176
00:16:47,633 --> 00:16:51,883
the word sablia was used in
Old Ruthenian and szablya in Hungarian.
177
00:16:51,964 --> 00:16:54,506
We adopted it from
the Hungarians in the end,
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00:16:54,765 --> 00:16:56,324
or otherwise from the Russians.
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00:16:56,520 --> 00:16:58,481
The szabla was
most characteristically Polish.
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00:16:58,562 --> 00:17:01,934
It was our language,
our literature,
181
00:17:02,015 --> 00:17:04,974
and our various sayings,
that it entered most strongly.
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00:17:05,334 --> 00:17:07,167
There were also many ways
183
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in which the word for saber
could be employed idiomatically.
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00:17:09,780 --> 00:17:12,205
Sometimes even a person
could be referred to as a saber.
185
00:17:12,286 --> 00:17:14,994
For example, the first saber of
the Commonwealth was, as we know,
186
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Michał Wołodyjowski,
although he himself didn’t say as much,
187
00:17:18,769 --> 00:17:20,025
claiming that others, too,
188
00:17:20,106 --> 00:17:22,809
had put a few notches in
him during saber duels.
189
00:17:22,876 --> 00:17:26,710
Going into battle,
one called: “To your Sabers!”
190
00:17:27,005 --> 00:17:28,727
Or: “Sabers in hand!”
191
00:17:28,826 --> 00:17:31,267
Indeed, “Sabers in hand,
bows in the saddlebags,
192
00:17:31,348 --> 00:17:32,755
and strap down the plunder,”
193
00:17:32,949 --> 00:17:35,939
is what the gentlemen
from the elite would sing.
194
00:17:36,083 --> 00:17:42,319
In any case, sabers were drawn
any time there was a fight.
195
00:17:42,400 --> 00:17:44,382
But were they drawn only
in need of fighting?
196
00:17:44,481 --> 00:17:46,919
Afterall, we know that
when it comes to sabers,
197
00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:49,454
it’s best to have companions
that are, as the saying goes,
198
00:17:49,528 --> 00:17:51,321
“good for the saber, and good for party.”
199
00:17:51,405 --> 00:17:52,455
It is said that,
200
00:17:52,626 --> 00:17:55,505
“Poles and Hungarians brothers
be; good for saber, and good for party.”
201
00:17:55,626 --> 00:17:57,909
Sabers were something
completely natural for a Pole.
202
00:17:57,990 --> 00:17:59,657
They were even said to grow into the hand
203
00:17:59,738 --> 00:18:02,355
“Ha! It flies in the hand as
though it had fused itself to it,”
204
00:18:02,436 --> 00:18:04,687
said the character of Cześnik
about his damascene saber
205
00:18:04,751 --> 00:18:06,253
in Aleksander Fredro’s play, Revenge.
206
00:18:06,331 --> 00:18:09,439
“She has turned many a mere
candidate into a representative!”
207
00:18:09,631 --> 00:18:13,760
The saber is the most standard weapon.
“For every Pole, there’s a saber.”
208
00:18:13,834 --> 00:18:16,335
It is unknown whether the
Cossacks truly had such a saying
209
00:18:16,416 --> 00:18:19,624
or if Sienkiewicz put it in their mouths.
210
00:18:19,850 --> 00:18:26,231
But we do know that instead of
saying “man” you could say “szabla”.
211
00:18:26,292 --> 00:18:28,581
For example, “And how many
sabers there were,”
212
00:18:28,662 --> 00:18:31,079
or “We rode two hundred sabers-strong”.
213
00:18:31,486 --> 00:18:33,945
How many sabers there were means
how many people there were.
214
00:18:34,026 --> 00:18:36,527
Sabers equal people, people equal sabers.
215
00:18:37,209 --> 00:18:40,626
Linguistically, we do not know
if this is meant to indicate partnership,
216
00:18:40,746 --> 00:18:42,450
or if it is in substitution
217
00:18:42,531 --> 00:18:45,225
for a man can be a
saber and a saber a man,
218
00:18:45,459 --> 00:18:48,792
and a man can be with his saber
and a saber with its owner.
219
00:18:53,417 --> 00:18:57,459
- With experience and beneviolence,
- Benevolence,
220
00:18:57,554 --> 00:19:03,179
benevolence, he will serve the
beginning of the other si-side.
221
00:19:05,854 --> 00:19:06,853
Who’s that?
222
00:19:07,501 --> 00:19:09,960
- Turkish warriors.
- Did you ever fight them?
223
00:19:10,567 --> 00:19:11,692
I did.
224
00:19:12,986 --> 00:19:14,988
They’re cunning and dangerous.
225
00:19:16,083 --> 00:19:19,931
We have peace on our borders now,
but we should be watchful of them,
226
00:19:21,207 --> 00:19:22,958
watchful and ready.
227
00:19:23,923 --> 00:19:26,086
They have shields.
You know how to do that, too.
228
00:19:27,876 --> 00:19:29,001
I do. I do.
229
00:19:36,834 --> 00:19:41,460
In Turkey, I saw warriors who
slashed at clay with their sabers.
230
00:19:42,227 --> 00:19:43,240
A saber
231
00:19:43,366 --> 00:19:46,658
can easily get stuck in sticky clay
the same way it can in a body.
232
00:19:47,187 --> 00:19:50,440
That’s why you have to strike
from the shoulder while drawing the cut.
233
00:19:51,316 --> 00:19:54,111
There, a good Janissary
cares nothing about fatigue
234
00:19:54,709 --> 00:19:57,834
that’s why you must get at him
with the right technique.
235
00:20:13,881 --> 00:20:15,382
Look, these are Germans.
236
00:20:15,924 --> 00:20:18,341
Methodical and disciplined.
237
00:20:21,860 --> 00:20:24,776
I had man an opportunity
to cool their fervor.
238
00:20:25,184 --> 00:20:28,437
- Are those sabers?
- That isn’t steel. That’s a dussack.
239
00:20:28,846 --> 00:20:31,638
A leather blade,
reinforced with ash wood.
240
00:20:32,581 --> 00:20:35,956
This is what they use to prepare
the arm to wield a saber.
241
00:20:37,154 --> 00:20:42,367
It appears inconspicuous,
but if you get hit, it hurts like hell.
242
00:20:45,334 --> 00:20:49,209
Experience comes
with hard work and pouring sweat.
243
00:20:49,290 --> 00:20:53,415
A man well-versed in the saber
must look and be able to see.
244
00:20:55,380 --> 00:20:57,089
To read movement like...
245
00:20:57,179 --> 00:21:00,138
Like a falcon spotting
a mouse in tall grass.
246
00:21:03,463 --> 00:21:04,393
Exactly!
247
00:21:05,057 --> 00:21:07,059
In the second half of the 16th century,
248
00:21:07,155 --> 00:21:10,572
influenced by the military
successes of the Ottoman Empire,
249
00:21:10,729 --> 00:21:13,959
Europeans began taking note
of parts of oriental armature.
250
00:21:14,399 --> 00:21:16,607
In the German countries,
there appears the dussack,
251
00:21:16,693 --> 00:21:19,496
a form of wooden training saber.
252
00:21:20,113 --> 00:21:22,961
It was then that the Europeans
began to combine eastern arms
253
00:21:23,042 --> 00:21:26,167
with the principles of their
own native swordsmanship.
254
00:21:26,954 --> 00:21:29,373
The Poles draw their
knowledge of saber fighting
255
00:21:29,437 --> 00:21:33,687
both from east and west
as well as the south, via Hungary.
256
00:21:33,876 --> 00:21:36,794
They simplify and modify
individual techniques,
257
00:21:37,339 --> 00:21:40,506
creating in this way the foundations
of the cross-cutting art.
258
00:21:55,274 --> 00:21:56,704
The cross-cutting art
259
00:21:56,785 --> 00:21:59,619
is a brutally effective system
of saber fencing employed in Poland,
260
00:21:59,695 --> 00:22:01,445
which became
universally used in the country
261
00:22:01,530 --> 00:22:02,864
in the 16th and 17th centuries.
262
00:22:02,945 --> 00:22:05,135
It was one of the essential factors
263
00:22:05,216 --> 00:22:09,127
of the Most Serene Polish Republic’s
military power for the next 200 years.
264
00:22:09,501 --> 00:22:11,667
The old Polish style
of swordsmanship was based on
265
00:22:11,748 --> 00:22:14,584
executing lightning-fast
and deadly cross-cuts,
266
00:22:14,815 --> 00:22:18,349
combining elements of eastern
and western combat systems.
267
00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:21,876
The main focus was placed
on the force of the cut,
268
00:22:22,259 --> 00:22:23,634
as well as its precision,
269
00:22:23,719 --> 00:22:27,052
and a uniquely efficient
method of movement.
270
00:22:32,417 --> 00:22:36,125
Mobility is one of the most
important features of this fighting style.
271
00:22:36,459 --> 00:22:38,837
The cross-cutting school
utilizes the footwork technique
272
00:22:38,918 --> 00:22:42,503
developed for medieval swordplay,
which was still in use in western Europe
273
00:22:42,584 --> 00:22:44,417
during the renaissance.
274
00:22:45,412 --> 00:22:48,461
The fighting strategy is based
upon executing two sequential
275
00:22:48,542 --> 00:22:51,709
cuts which cross
one-another’s trajectory.
276
00:22:52,789 --> 00:22:54,748
Here we have an interesting example
277
00:22:54,829 --> 00:22:57,622
of combining
and perfecting various techniques
278
00:22:57,703 --> 00:23:00,020
from otherwise distant
geographic planes.
279
00:23:00,417 --> 00:23:03,209
Eastern arms and their
undeniable merits were combined
280
00:23:03,300 --> 00:23:07,675
with a very effective footwork
method developed in Europe.
281
00:23:48,626 --> 00:23:52,009
When I could be alone,
I used to go to the water
282
00:23:52,584 --> 00:23:55,584
to practice my cuts in
the Cossack fashion.
283
00:23:57,834 --> 00:24:00,543
I dealt my blows to the water’s surface,
284
00:24:00,792 --> 00:24:04,419
checking whether my labors
weren’t going in vain.
285
00:25:10,833 --> 00:25:13,541
My faith in my own strength grew.
286
00:25:13,639 --> 00:25:17,473
One day, wanting to
give show to my skills,
287
00:25:17,768 --> 00:25:20,684
in anger, I attacked my teacher.
288
00:25:24,650 --> 00:25:26,274
Cross-cut, Błażej.
289
00:25:35,285 --> 00:25:37,621
Calm down.
A cool head has its worth.
290
00:25:38,375 --> 00:25:41,167
Get up! Get up!
291
00:25:45,626 --> 00:25:47,042
Get up, crybaby!
292
00:26:01,250 --> 00:26:02,334
You’re dead.
293
00:27:31,382 --> 00:27:32,382
Again.
294
00:27:47,667 --> 00:27:48,959
Keep tempo, Błażej.
295
00:27:49,837 --> 00:27:51,212
Measure the distance.
296
00:27:56,476 --> 00:27:58,060
Cut from the shoulder!
297
00:27:59,388 --> 00:28:00,638
Draw the cut.
298
00:28:02,209 --> 00:28:03,910
Deflect your opponent’s
cut with your own.
299
00:28:04,209 --> 00:28:06,128
Use the deflection to
parry dynamically.
300
00:28:09,417 --> 00:28:10,501
Get your arm higher!
301
00:28:13,912 --> 00:28:17,203
With time, the fluidity of movement
grew into my body,
302
00:28:17,709 --> 00:28:20,584
and the training stick
became an extension of my arm.
303
00:28:22,542 --> 00:28:25,834
I was taught how
to behead a man with one cut
304
00:28:26,542 --> 00:28:28,918
and how to surprise
my opponent with a slash.
305
00:28:30,257 --> 00:28:34,008
I learned how to predict
my opponent’s movement
306
00:28:34,334 --> 00:28:37,626
and how to gain an advantage over him.
307
00:28:49,209 --> 00:28:52,543
When the day was still dawning,
I would run up to rocky mountain
308
00:28:53,025 --> 00:28:55,192
which had always
served as a temple to me.
309
00:28:59,042 --> 00:29:01,209
Suspended in silence and space,
310
00:29:01,658 --> 00:29:05,533
I felt the strength that
was growing inside of me.
311
00:29:43,867 --> 00:29:45,661
Fighting with wasters (pol. palcaty)
312
00:29:45,744 --> 00:29:48,453
was the central pillar of the
fencing abilities of the Poles.
313
00:29:49,498 --> 00:29:53,001
Thanks to an education system
based on the experiences of veterans
314
00:29:53,085 --> 00:29:56,463
as well as regular bouts fought
with training sticks since childhood.
315
00:29:57,029 --> 00:30:00,279
the Poles mastered the art
of saber combat to perfection.
316
00:30:08,568 --> 00:30:09,568
Amen.
317
00:30:10,795 --> 00:30:15,962
On Sunday, during Mass,
I was taught the sacred tradition.
318
00:30:17,984 --> 00:30:20,525
All of the lords-noblemen
gathered at the church
319
00:30:20,612 --> 00:30:23,778
with sabers at their belts,
in military fashion.
320
00:30:25,831 --> 00:30:29,123
When the priest chanted
the words of the Gospel,
321
00:30:29,204 --> 00:30:32,083
they would draw their sabers
from their scabbards, as if to battle.
322
00:30:33,292 --> 00:30:34,877
With this ritual,
323
00:30:34,960 --> 00:30:40,335
they declared that they were
ready to willingly and boldly fight,
324
00:30:40,756 --> 00:30:44,256
and, if need be, die to defend the faith.
325
00:30:45,997 --> 00:30:48,997
My teacher often repeated
that he who was with God,
326
00:30:49,294 --> 00:30:50,877
in turn, had God with him,
327
00:30:51,327 --> 00:30:53,911
though I do not know if he believed it.
328
00:31:24,302 --> 00:31:26,719
Christ forgave you already long ago.
329
00:31:37,231 --> 00:31:40,899
The youth and other retinue
that arrived with their lords
330
00:31:41,276 --> 00:31:46,172
rushed to the wasters by the
church to recruit passersby.
331
00:31:47,542 --> 00:31:51,125
Some by force,
others through cunning,
332
00:31:51,245 --> 00:31:53,288
they threw them
into the fighting circle,
333
00:31:53,372 --> 00:31:56,250
not allowing them to escape
until they first fought a duel.
334
00:31:58,083 --> 00:32:01,001
Thus, they fought until they shed blood,
335
00:32:01,209 --> 00:32:04,209
the wooden wasters leaving
painful mementos on their heads.
336
00:32:06,680 --> 00:32:08,249
Vivat Red-head!
337
00:32:08,792 --> 00:32:13,125
Vivat Kacper!
Vivat! Vivat!
338
00:32:15,334 --> 00:32:17,709
Silentium! Silentium, brothers!
339
00:32:20,369 --> 00:32:21,619
One more.
340
00:32:27,072 --> 00:32:29,031
Circle!
341
00:32:30,382 --> 00:32:31,507
Form a circle!
342
00:32:32,260 --> 00:32:34,719
Instigators, damn you, come to me.
343
00:32:35,227 --> 00:32:36,519
Come to me, I say!
344
00:32:37,107 --> 00:32:40,149
Move your asses.
Grab a volunteer for our circle.
345
00:32:40,257 --> 00:32:41,417
Quickly!
346
00:32:41,912 --> 00:32:44,037
My turn came as well.
347
00:32:44,667 --> 00:32:48,302
A chick pushed out of its nest
348
00:32:48,642 --> 00:32:51,226
has no idea how high it may soar.
349
00:32:54,501 --> 00:32:55,876
We have a cocky one!
350
00:32:58,729 --> 00:33:00,563
The company welcomes you graciously.
351
00:33:15,042 --> 00:33:16,054
Welcome!
352
00:33:17,501 --> 00:33:18,385
Welcome.
353
00:33:25,518 --> 00:33:27,560
Batter him, the dog!
354
00:33:29,209 --> 00:33:34,209
The crow came to ruffle his feathers
before the falcon’s eyes, what a surprise!
355
00:33:38,209 --> 00:33:40,334
Beat him, Kacper! Beat him!
356
00:34:04,709 --> 00:34:06,042
Vivat Kacper!
357
00:34:12,334 --> 00:34:16,083
Kacper! Kacper! Kacper! Kacper!
358
00:34:27,192 --> 00:34:28,901
Beat him, brother! Beat him!
359
00:34:53,792 --> 00:34:57,375
Vivat the crow!
360
00:35:09,747 --> 00:35:11,081
Vivat the crow!
361
00:35:20,292 --> 00:35:21,292
Vivat the crow!
362
00:35:26,334 --> 00:35:28,083
The crow knocked him out with his beak.
363
00:35:28,170 --> 00:35:30,170
The crow can hold his own, indeed!
364
00:35:30,251 --> 00:35:32,251
Without his feather’s he’ll be meek!
365
00:35:35,624 --> 00:35:39,916
From the perspective of today,
waster fights may seem brutal.
366
00:35:40,641 --> 00:35:42,059
However, we must remember
367
00:35:42,142 --> 00:35:44,746
that their purpose was the
military preparation of the youth;
368
00:35:44,959 --> 00:35:47,209
strengthening it physically
and psychologically.
369
00:35:47,584 --> 00:35:51,209
It formed the spirit of combat
of the Commonwealth’s future soldiers.
370
00:35:51,417 --> 00:35:54,417
It made them resistant to the
difficulties of being military campaign
371
00:35:54,488 --> 00:35:57,157
while usually being
in numerically inferior circumstances.
372
00:36:42,083 --> 00:36:43,917
Leave me be. I’ll do it myself.
373
00:37:01,133 --> 00:37:03,967
The purchase of such a saber
was a two-step process.
374
00:37:04,048 --> 00:37:05,873
Sabersmith, Master of Armscraft
375
00:37:06,334 --> 00:37:08,122
Sabers were bought from sabersmiths,
376
00:37:08,304 --> 00:37:12,137
but sabersmiths didn’t
necessarily make the blades.
377
00:37:12,949 --> 00:37:14,991
The blade could have been
made by a blacksmith.
378
00:37:15,789 --> 00:37:19,039
The blacksmith would already
have the blades categorized.
379
00:37:19,456 --> 00:37:24,206
Despite following approximately
the same technological process,
380
00:37:25,037 --> 00:37:28,457
creating two identical
blades was impossible,
381
00:37:29,249 --> 00:37:31,666
due to varying material quality,
382
00:37:32,211 --> 00:37:34,826
or slightly differing
environmental conditions.
383
00:37:34,922 --> 00:37:37,090
Sometimes he would make good blades.
384
00:37:37,292 --> 00:37:40,043
Other times, he would
make excellent ones.
385
00:37:49,248 --> 00:37:51,915
- Praised be Jesus Christ.
- Now and forever.
386
00:37:56,250 --> 00:37:58,084
Greetings, Your Lordships.
387
00:37:59,375 --> 00:38:02,859
- Where is it that God leads you?
- We are looking for a fine blade.
388
00:38:05,250 --> 00:38:08,751
I believe you will find one here.
389
00:38:10,420 --> 00:38:11,367
Welcome.
390
00:38:22,386 --> 00:38:26,095
My teacher would say that a
nobleman cannot acquire a saber
391
00:38:26,181 --> 00:38:28,014
without first trying it.
392
00:38:29,459 --> 00:38:30,834
He explained to me
393
00:38:30,894 --> 00:38:34,449
how to tell the difference
between true craftsmanship and botchery,
394
00:38:34,626 --> 00:38:37,168
and which methods serve
to discern between the two.
395
00:38:38,026 --> 00:38:40,317
This one is the best.
396
00:39:09,600 --> 00:39:13,395
Blades are not made out of
a single piece of material
397
00:39:13,459 --> 00:39:15,876
but instead possess a lamellar structure.
398
00:39:16,205 --> 00:39:18,080
There is a soft core at the center;
399
00:39:18,224 --> 00:39:20,679
on the outside, there is a
semi-durable cover layer,
400
00:39:20,834 --> 00:39:23,709
while the cutting parts
possess a very hard edge.
401
00:39:23,885 --> 00:39:27,612
And so, all of these materials
must be combined by the blacksmith
402
00:39:27,693 --> 00:39:31,444
by heating them in the proper proportion.
403
00:39:32,234 --> 00:39:34,068
Once we finally form our blade
404
00:39:34,149 --> 00:39:36,158
and stretch it to the appropriate length,
405
00:39:36,261 --> 00:39:38,308
we must remember
to carve out the fuller.
406
00:39:38,501 --> 00:39:41,717
When the fuller
has been complexly forged out,
407
00:39:41,834 --> 00:39:45,000
we must leave enough to
be chiseled out later,
408
00:39:45,081 --> 00:39:49,290
being careful not to exceed
certain parameters for balance.
409
00:39:49,584 --> 00:39:54,834
It’s a very pleasant and easy job,
a woman could basically do it;
410
00:39:55,167 --> 00:39:57,584
which I have shown many times
at various demonstrations.
411
00:39:57,771 --> 00:40:01,786
The ladies were quite surprised
that it was going so easily.
412
00:40:01,959 --> 00:40:07,001
The last step before hardening
the blade is equalizing it.
413
00:40:07,082 --> 00:40:10,126
It isn’t always necessary,
but it sometimes happens
414
00:40:10,202 --> 00:40:13,413
that the blade twists
into a so-called propeller,
415
00:40:13,497 --> 00:40:15,468
meaning it isn’t centrally axial.
416
00:40:15,549 --> 00:40:17,301
That’s when we use a kind of large hammer
417
00:40:17,382 --> 00:40:19,468
with a very broad surface area.
418
00:40:19,751 --> 00:40:23,902
Another person, a helper,
then strikes that hammer
419
00:40:23,983 --> 00:40:25,734
on the leader’s signal.
420
00:40:26,094 --> 00:40:28,678
In this way, we nicely stabilize the blade
421
00:40:28,898 --> 00:40:32,399
and it essentially
becomes ready for hardening.
422
00:40:34,667 --> 00:40:36,834
In the very process
of hardening the blade,
423
00:40:37,229 --> 00:40:41,229
the moment of quenching
the blade in cooling liquid
424
00:40:41,542 --> 00:40:43,214
and orienting it in relation
425
00:40:43,402 --> 00:40:45,779
to the geographic cardinal
directions are important.
426
00:40:46,459 --> 00:40:49,542
The blade tends to curve,
427
00:40:49,751 --> 00:40:52,417
to bend either right or
left during quenching
428
00:40:52,498 --> 00:40:54,498
if we change the orientation.
429
00:40:54,959 --> 00:40:57,918
By maintaining
the magnetic north-south line,
430
00:40:58,292 --> 00:41:02,209
the blade always comes
out much straighter.
431
00:41:02,626 --> 00:41:05,959
I’ve tried it multiple times
and I know that’s how it is.
432
00:41:15,547 --> 00:41:18,214
The blade achieves its true hardness
433
00:41:18,626 --> 00:41:24,792
only after a period of 8-9
months, during which it rests.
434
00:41:25,125 --> 00:41:26,738
That’s how it was once done.
435
00:41:26,820 --> 00:41:29,619
The blades would make their way
to appropriate storage areas,
436
00:41:29,751 --> 00:41:34,042
and there they matured for
some time before being fitted.
437
00:41:34,119 --> 00:41:37,998
I would again take up and finish
blades that had been tempered
438
00:41:38,081 --> 00:41:41,294
tempering meaning
prepared for further work
439
00:41:41,435 --> 00:41:45,378
after the aforementioned
period of 8-9 months,
440
00:41:45,459 --> 00:41:48,001
and they’d be hard as glass,
441
00:41:48,209 --> 00:41:51,251
so there must be something going
on with them during that period.
442
00:41:51,385 --> 00:41:52,848
What that something is
443
00:41:52,930 --> 00:41:55,795
whether it is magic or some
kind of mysticism, I cannot say.
444
00:41:55,876 --> 00:41:58,250
I can only state the fact
that that’s how it is.
445
00:42:01,473 --> 00:42:05,000
My teacher cleaned the blade
with the flap of his robe
446
00:42:05,167 --> 00:42:09,209
to remove the grease that some
blacksmiths use to hide defects.
447
00:42:10,364 --> 00:42:11,448
Soon afterwards,
448
00:42:11,532 --> 00:42:14,199
he inspected the spine of the
saber to see if it was straight,
449
00:42:14,660 --> 00:42:17,538
because only such a blade could
reach its target in flight.
450
00:42:17,709 --> 00:42:19,545
He cut a cross in the air
451
00:42:19,623 --> 00:42:21,753
so that the saber would
let out a vibrant whistle,
452
00:42:21,834 --> 00:42:23,334
confirming its sharpness.
453
00:42:24,584 --> 00:42:27,542
Then, he dashed the flat
of the blade against the bend of a saddle,
454
00:42:27,792 --> 00:42:31,375
in order to feel the vibration
and judge the rigidity of the blade.
455
00:42:32,984 --> 00:42:39,483
Finally, he held the saber tenderly
and moved his big finger along the back,
456
00:42:39,584 --> 00:42:43,584
searching for a notch that might
betray weakness in the blade.
457
00:43:11,667 --> 00:43:13,000
You’ve earned it.
458
00:43:46,620 --> 00:43:49,465
Sabers were handed down
from generation to generation
459
00:43:49,546 --> 00:43:51,798
as the most precious family treasures;
460
00:43:52,341 --> 00:43:54,676
treasures that were
witness to past battles
461
00:43:54,760 --> 00:43:56,551
and important historical events.
462
00:43:56,970 --> 00:43:59,594
Sabers were blessed;
they were given names;
463
00:43:59,751 --> 00:44:03,083
they were surrounded by great
esteem a particular respect.
464
00:44:03,918 --> 00:44:07,070
It was a perfect weapon,
which found its special place
465
00:44:07,417 --> 00:44:09,459
in the hearts of Polish people.
466
00:44:14,250 --> 00:44:15,542
Is that enough now?
467
00:44:18,667 --> 00:44:21,459
A damascene, Sir,
is worth its weight in gold.
468
00:44:31,000 --> 00:44:34,083
A blade alone, however,
is not enough to make a saber.
469
00:44:34,792 --> 00:44:39,792
One must also have a guard and
it is that which truly defines
470
00:44:39,873 --> 00:44:42,758
whether a saber is Polish or foreign.
471
00:44:43,127 --> 00:44:46,836
It isn’t the blade that
determines this because,
472
00:44:46,937 --> 00:44:49,898
often, Polish sabers
employed foreign blades.
473
00:44:49,999 --> 00:44:52,625
These blades were often
Austrian, Styrian, Italian,
474
00:44:52,918 --> 00:44:56,250
or Turkish, equipped with Polish fittings.
475
00:44:56,417 --> 00:45:00,885
The guard is quite complex
and is made up of two crosses,
476
00:45:01,070 --> 00:45:05,695
one of which may be slightly different,
from which we form the thumb-ring.
477
00:45:05,930 --> 00:45:09,497
The guard of the saber developed
over the course of centuries.
478
00:45:09,751 --> 00:45:12,710
At the turn
of the 16th and 17th centuries,
479
00:45:13,209 --> 00:45:16,792
the so-called Polish-Hungarian
type of saber was developed
480
00:45:17,000 --> 00:45:21,292
that is, a saber
equipped with a thumb-ring.
481
00:45:22,097 --> 00:45:24,568
It is an invention which we utilized
482
00:45:24,649 --> 00:45:30,358
having adapted solutions from
western Europe to our Polish saber.
483
00:45:32,125 --> 00:45:35,125
Poland occupies
a special geographic location,
484
00:45:35,360 --> 00:45:37,171
and thus we had the opportunity
485
00:45:37,252 --> 00:45:40,684
to combine all of these
beneficial qualities
486
00:45:40,959 --> 00:45:43,959
of both eastern and western arms.
487
00:45:44,167 --> 00:45:46,667
Not in the salons,
but in the fire of battle,
488
00:45:46,959 --> 00:45:52,083
through tests and trials
did this weapon of ours prove itself.
489
00:45:52,586 --> 00:45:53,961
It was a perfect weapon.
490
00:46:20,209 --> 00:46:23,667
The szabla settled duels, tavern brawls,
491
00:46:23,867 --> 00:46:25,536
and local council disputes.
492
00:46:26,083 --> 00:46:28,917
It was said that “without a saber,
don’t leave the bedchamber,”
493
00:46:29,162 --> 00:46:30,504
but although the saber
494
00:46:30,585 --> 00:46:33,278
accompanied the nobility
in their everyday lives,
495
00:46:33,359 --> 00:46:35,060
its true element was war!
496
00:46:41,692 --> 00:46:45,775
In the summer of the
year of Our Lord 1632,
497
00:46:45,969 --> 00:46:48,927
the Muscovite armies
besieged Smolensk.
498
00:46:50,328 --> 00:46:53,954
Two years later, our banners
arrived with a relief force
499
00:46:54,137 --> 00:46:56,638
and repelled the enemy
onto the left bank of the Dnieper.
500
00:46:58,873 --> 00:47:02,331
To finish him off,
we furtively snuck through the forests
501
00:47:02,482 --> 00:47:04,065
in the direction of their camp.
502
00:47:05,080 --> 00:47:08,539
We wanted to cut off
their line of retreat.
503
00:47:16,936 --> 00:47:18,978
It’s a trap!
Take cover!
504
00:47:31,894 --> 00:47:32,769
Fasten the fuses.
505
00:47:34,584 --> 00:47:36,834
- And you, stay close to me, clear?
- Clear.
506
00:47:47,326 --> 00:47:48,242
Sit.
507
00:47:48,584 --> 00:47:49,501
Bloody hell.
508
00:47:52,383 --> 00:47:53,259
They’re coming.
509
00:47:58,883 --> 00:47:59,774
Fire!
510
00:48:44,125 --> 00:48:45,542
They surprised us.
511
00:48:45,709 --> 00:48:50,251
We fought like mad but we had to yield
under the pressure of our foe.
512
00:48:51,125 --> 00:48:55,417
I myself had to fight for my
life against the czar’s officer,
513
00:48:55,626 --> 00:48:57,417
Dimitri Repnin.
514
00:49:00,107 --> 00:49:00,983
Run.
515
00:49:05,542 --> 00:49:06,495
Run!
516
00:49:22,751 --> 00:49:23,672
Fall back.
517
00:49:32,667 --> 00:49:36,083
To the left, Błażej,
to the left! Run! Run!
518
00:50:27,125 --> 00:50:28,083
No!
519
00:51:58,250 --> 00:51:59,307
Son of a bitch!
520
00:52:06,834 --> 00:52:07,709
Blyat’!
521
00:52:24,936 --> 00:52:26,270
Cross-cut, Błażej.
522
00:52:27,605 --> 00:52:31,356
Deflect your opponent’s cut with your own.
Use the deflection to parry dynamically.
523
00:52:48,334 --> 00:52:49,959
I’ll slaughter you!
524
00:53:46,260 --> 00:53:47,338
Look,
525
00:53:51,982 --> 00:53:53,316
look how beautiful it is.
526
00:54:59,292 --> 00:55:01,292
...And we must extinguish
527
00:55:04,792 --> 00:55:06,292
when the time comes.
528
00:56:36,375 --> 00:56:40,417
Preserving the memory
of Jan Jerlicz’s sacrifice,
529
00:56:40,709 --> 00:56:43,667
I found peace in further battle.
530
00:56:47,042 --> 00:56:51,253
I carried a trophy
Muscovite saber in my saddlebag
531
00:56:51,334 --> 00:56:53,626
as thanks for my saved life,
532
00:56:54,709 --> 00:56:58,167
and this I offered at our church
as a votive sacrifice.
533
00:57:03,417 --> 00:57:05,542
It was a difficult time
534
00:57:05,959 --> 00:57:09,667
and my heart was filled with
pain after the loss my teacher,
535
00:57:10,167 --> 00:57:13,959
but I also felt
a great gratitude towards him.
536
00:57:15,626 --> 00:57:19,584
And so, I bade farewell
to my savior with a prayer.
537
00:57:42,584 --> 00:57:46,210
Wars continue to sweep
through the Commonwealth.
538
00:57:47,709 --> 00:57:52,751
Dismounting my horse and putting down
my saber has become a rarity for me.
539
00:57:55,584 --> 00:57:58,167
Though I alone don’t mean much,
540
00:57:58,417 --> 00:57:59,941
standing side by side
541
00:58:00,022 --> 00:58:03,251
with soldiers from
different parts of the country,
542
00:58:03,332 --> 00:58:04,958
with different faiths,
543
00:58:05,042 --> 00:58:07,375
we form a great wall
544
00:58:09,459 --> 00:58:13,375
that strikes fear
into the hearts of our enemies.
545
00:58:14,918 --> 00:58:17,417
Because it is our duty
546
00:58:17,626 --> 00:58:21,876
to stand with saber in hand and
to fight for the glory of the fatherland,
547
00:58:22,000 --> 00:58:23,918
to hold death in contempt,
548
00:58:24,125 --> 00:58:28,250
and to defend the majesty
of the Most Serene Republic.
549
00:59:05,796 --> 00:59:07,339
This film is the crowning achievement
550
00:59:07,428 --> 00:59:09,758
of the Sieniawski family's
many-year efforts to preserve
551
00:59:09,842 --> 00:59:12,842
the traditions of the Polish saber
and recreate the "Cross-cutting Art".
552
00:59:14,638 --> 00:59:16,556
Directed by
553
00:59:19,501 --> 00:59:21,419
Written by
554
00:59:24,729 --> 00:59:28,729
Starring
46227
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