Hajduk (Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth)

It was initially a colloquial term for a style of footsoldier, Hungarian or Turco-Balkan in inspiration, that was introduced by King Stephen Báthory in the 1570s, and who formed the backbone of the Polish infantry arm from the 1570s until about the 1630s.

Unusually for this period, Polish-Lithuanian hajduks wore uniforms, typically of grey-blue woollen cloth, with red collar and cuffs.

For close combat they also carried a heavy variety of sabre, capable of hacking off the heads of enemy pikes and polearms.

However, commanders or hetmans of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth continued to maintain their own liveried bodyguards of hajduks, well into the 18th century as something of a throwback to the past, even though they were now rarely used as field troops.

In imitation of these bodyguards, in the 18th century wealthy members of the szlachta hired liveried domestic servants who they called hajduks, thereby creating the meaning of the term 'hajduk' as it is generally understood in modern Polish.