sovnya
A sovnya is a category of traditional polearms used in Russia. Similar to the glaive, the sovnya had a curved, single-edged blade mounted on the end of a long pole. The modern term refers to weapons used by late-medieval Muscovite cavalry and were retained in use until the mid-17th century. • Illustration — Head of a sovnya The term was essentially coined in the 19th century by Russian soldier and military historian A. Viskovatov and the weapon was not referred to as such during its period of service.
sovnya
И.Н.Кушнерев, А.Е.Пирогов · Журнал "Русская военная сила" · Public domain
- Field
- pole weapon
- Region
- Kievan Rus'
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wikidata · Q774924 · wikipedia · Sovnya
In this article
Overview
Overview
The only original use of the term was in the Novgorod First Chronicle, describing a pointed weapon of unclear design. Viskovatov's edition of the Chronicle translated the plural into Russian as sovi or sovni, where more reputable translations instead render it as сулицы, "darts", further distancing Viskovatov's terminology from historical reality.
Ратники в тегиляях и шапках железных.
Историческое описание одежды и вооружения российских войск, под ред. Висковатова А.В., Часть 1. — СПб.: Воен. тип., 1841-1862.— Илл. 92
Weapons. Kolomna local museum.
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Kievan Rus'
Country
sovnya is associated with Kievan Rus'.
Country
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Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Sovnya, revision 1338328247 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Историческое описание одежды и вооружения российских войск, с рисунками, составленное по высочайшему повелению : в 30 т., в 60 кн. / Под ред. А. В. Висковатова. — Т. 1. — С. 66.
- 2.Совь // Энциклопедический словарь Брокгауза и Ефрона : в 86 т. (82 т. и 4 доп.). — СПб., 1890—1907.
- 3.Чубинский А. Н. К вопросу о русских названиях древкового средневекового оружия. — С. 311.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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