Companion (military rank)

Use of cultural expressions such as pan ("sir") was frowned upon and the communist regime encouraged use of towarzysz ("companion") or obywatel ("citizen").

In the military of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, (until the 1775 AD reforms) companion was usually a noble who served in the Army for a period of time, usually less than 5 years, as a horseman with his mounted retainers (cavalry) and free servants (hussars, cossack – Armoured companion, Petyhorcy, Hajduk), or with none or one retainer and very few free servants (light cavalry e.g. Wallachian, Lisowczyks, Lithuanian Tatars), organized into banners/companies.

He usually brought between 1 and 4 men (pocztowy or pacholiks) with him in his "retinue" (poczet) prescribed by his current military contract with his commander, the rotameister (rotmistrz), and the state.

He armed, provisioned and commanded his retainers, and his free servants, that provided care for horses and weapons, forage, set up camp and mended equipment.

The richest and most prestigious were towarzysze that came from the winged hussar banners, but their own expenses' burden was the most excessive and grew as the 17th century progressed.