Steaguri de mercenari străini la curtea lui Mihai Apafi (1663-1684)
The foreign mercenary flags at Mihail Apafi court(1663-1684)

Summary/Abstract: The military innovations of the early modern period had a considerable influence on the Transylvanian principality. In the Sixteenth and Seventeenth century most European armies had compact groups of foreign soldiers, recruited for their efficiency and their ability to use the new weapons of that period. For similar reasons the Transylvanian rulers employed foreign soldiers, usually as a part of their guard. Although he was not considered a strong prince, with remarkable political or military accomplishments, Michael Apafi had a significant group of mercenaries at his disposal. According to the official documents of the princely court from the period 1663-1684, the army of the court consisted of: two units of German soldiers, one unit of Seimeni (Walachians, Moldavians and Serbs), one unit of Hungarian soldiers, three units of Polish soldiers (the so called French companies) and 10-13 of Hungarian cavalry units. Maintaining this small standing army, in spite the high costs it involved, is a poof of Apafi's intention to restore the political influence and prestige of Transylvania.

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