A historical term for a Hungarian or Eastern European foot soldier, brigand, or irregular soldier, especially during the Ottoman period.
From Hungarian hajdú, referring to a class of warriors or peasant soldiers; the term entered English through contact with Ottoman-era Balkans and Eastern European military traditions.
Heyducks were the medieval special forces of Eastern Europe—semi-lawless soldiers who fought both for and against empires, and they left such an impression that European armies later created heyduck-style uniforms as a fashion statement.
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