Landsknechts (German, Land "land, country" + Knecht "servant": i. e. originally "a soldier of the German empire" as opposed to a Swiss mercenary; plural sometimes also Landsknechte in English publications; French lansquenet) were European, most often German, mercenary pikemen and foot soldiers from the late 15th to the early 17th century, with the formidable reputation for being the most effective fighting troops during the European Renaissance.

History

The first Landsknecht regiments were formed by Maximilian I, the Holy Roman Emperor and German king 1459 - 1519. They later went on to fight in almost every 16th century military campaign, sometimes on both sides of the engagement. The landsknechts took over from the redoubtable Swiss mercenaries when the rigid Swiss battle formations became vulnerable to the increased fire power of arquebus and artillery. The landsknechts used much more efficient tactics better suited to these recently introduced weapons technologies, and soon adopted the new weaponry as well.

The landsknechts typically came from Swabia, Alsace, Flanders, and the Rhineland, but ultimately the regiments were made up of men from all parts of Europe.

Organization

The regiments often expanded from 4,000 to 10,000 men according to circumstances, and it was this flexibility which allowed them to be used in various battle conditions. Oberste (colonels) were given recruiting commissions by the Emperor to form regiments, with a lieutenant-colonel and various regimental staff, and units divided into Fähnleins (companies) with a Hauptmann (captain) in charge, as well as lieutenants and Fähnriche (ensigns). Other ranks included majors of the court-martial and officers in charge of camp followers.

Weapons

Landsknechts were well-known as the most efficient pikemen, trained in the use of the famous long pikes. The majority of Landsknechts would use pikes, but others were more specialized, and used different weapons. An experienced Landsknecht would be called a Doppelsoeldner, and instead of wielding a pike along with the new recruits, would employ a six to eight foot long halberd or partisan, or a zweihänder, two-handed swords as long as 6 feet. These great war swords could be used to hack off the heads of enemy pikes, in order to break through enemy lines. Doppelsoeldner meant double soldier/mercenary, because they were paid double the wages of their less experienced counterparts. Other Landsknechts would use Arquebuses, the precursor to muskets. When the Landsknechts were first formed, Arquebusiers took up a quarter of the total number of soldiers, but the number gradually grew to be about half.

Clothes

However, what made the landsknechts so conspicuous was their elaborate dress. Doublets, deliberately slashed at the front, back and sleeves with shirts and other wear pulled through to form puffs of different-colored fabric, so-called slash and puff; parti-colored hose; jerkins; ever-broader flat beret-type hats with tall feathers; and broad flat shoes, made them bodies of men that could not be mistaken.

Associations

There are Landsknecht associations in various European countries, as well as in the USA, which promote interest in the Renaissance tradition of the landsknechts and who often stage revivals and festivals.

External links

• Pages of interest (http://www.geocities.com/wolfgng13/index.html)
• Landsknecht clothing (http://www.theweebsite.com/)