Wojsko kwarciane
Wojsko kwarciane was the term used for regular army units of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The name was used in 1562–1652.
Formation
Wojsko kwarciane was formed from earlier obrona potoczna units.Name
The term "quarter" in the name of the army comes from the type of the tax paid for their upkeep : a quarter of income from the crown lands was supposed to be used for that purpose. As monarchs usually leased their land to szlachta for short-term benefits, they didn't have direct control over cash flow and this often resulted in corruption and delayed payment of military wages. Military commanders often had to pay the wages of wojsko kwarciane and hired mercenaries from their own purse. Sometimes disgruntled unpaid units formed confederations in order to lawfully collect their wages by force.History
The standing numbers of wojsko kwarciane varied by peacetime and wartime. On average, the peacetime army totalled about 2,500 cavalry. Besides this, there were the supplemental units raised for wartime, which were called wojsko suplementowe.It was a relatively small standing army when compared with other contemporary countries, especially considering the Commonwealth's huge area. Commonwealth armies would almost always be stretched thin to defend its territory from its aggressive neighbours.
In 1632 new quarter or royal taxes was created to pay for artillery units.
In 1652 wojsko kwarciane was replaced with wojsko komputowe.