By the middle of the 15th Century an important change was to occur in European battlefield tactics. In their long war for independence against Habsburg oppression the Swiss Cantons (or ?New Romans? as they preferred to be called) had demonstrated a remarkable ability to put great numbers of men swiftly into the field. Despite lacking significant amounts of cavalry and artillery, the conscript Swiss were time and again able to get the better of the traditional armoured Knights and Men-at-Arms, whose impetuous charges would flounder against the massed blocks of Swiss Halberdiers and Pikemen supported by wings of Crossbowmen and hand-gunners.

Swiss tactics were soon being copied by their erstwhile foes. In particular Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy was to demand the employment of large numbers of similarly armed infantry within his Ordnances. Regrettably, the Flemish infantry that Charles chose to employ proved militarily somewhat less able than their Swiss examples.

In 1487, Maximilian, Heir to the Holy Roman Empire needed to raise an Army to counter the powerful princes of Bohemia and Bavaria. The Swarbian Alliance instigated by Maximilian was to introduce a new armed force onto the battlefields of Europe-The Landsknechts. Maximilian?s army was initially set at some 20,000 foot who were to be trained to emulate the Swiss tactics and 1,200 Horsemen. The raising of this force was entrusted to Graf Eitelfritz von Hohenzollern who was soon training units of German Landsknecht (the word translates literally as ?Servant of the country?) pikemen in the streets of Bruges.

Although Maximilian?s first campaigns in the Netherlands and in Bavaria proved quite successful it was clear at an early stage that the nucleus of this German army consisted mostly of rather ill organized mercenaries. For the 1490 campaign season Maximilian insisted that his men swear an oath of allegiance in which he hoped to emulate a spirit of discipline and espirit de corps. In this he was to be only partially successful, for although the Landsknechts were only originally meant to be employed in the cause of the Empire, success on the battlefield soon made them much in demand amongst other Kings and Princes. So much so that Landsknecht mercenaries were soon being employed throughout the European continent participating in almost every campaign from England to Russia and from the Baltic to Tunisia. They were even to be found in the employ of the Empire’s sworn enemy – France.

Originally the Landsknechts were raised in Companies (F?hnlein) of around 400 men commanded by a Captain appointed by the Oberst (Colonel) who in turn had received his appointment from the Imperial Diet. A Lieutenant would assist the Captain, but the men elected all of the NCOs themselves. Each company would normally be expected to have 300 pikemen who were paid 4 Guilders per month each and 100 Doppels?ldner, experienced men that received double pay, often armed with either the Halberd, crossbow or an Arquebus hand-gun. These Doppels?ldners would usually account for a high percentage of the NCOs and would often be expected to undertake the more dangerous of tasks such as forming the “Forlorn hope” in battle. At a higher level ten Companies would normally be combined into a Regiment commanded by the Oberst assisted by a small staff which would include Doctors, Musicians, Cooks and most feared of all, the dreaded Provost.

From an early stage the Landsknechts were guaranteed by the Imperial Diet a great freedom in the way that they dressed. This freedom was supposed to give the men a little happiness in their lives, which were so full of danger. Throughout the 16th century the Landsknechts would express this freedom in more and more outrageous ways. Slashed sleeves, multi-coloured hose and flamboyant plumed headdress not being unusual in all manners of styles and fashions within the Landsknecht Regiments. One cannot but contemplate the effect that this colourful display may have had on a foe especially when coupled with the Landsknechts fearful war chant of “Hut-Dich-Baur ich Komm” (Look out-Here I come).

Pay was always an important consideration for these men. More than one General, suffering from declining funds, would suffer the ultimatum of “No Pay-No Landsknechts”. To this, the Mercenaries were always given the right to loot any town which they had captured, all except for the church bells which were reserved for the Master-Gunner, for melting down to cast Cannon barrels).

French ambitions towards Italy commencing in 1494 (Maximilian had been crowned as Holy Roman Emperor the year before) was to bring them into conflict with the Empire. The long and dreadful conflict that followed was to see some of the most deadly warfare to be seen on the European continent for almost a century. The Swiss mercenaries in the French Army being counted by the devastatingly efficient Landsknechts with quarter being neither sought nor given by either side. In 1511 the Pope formed a Holy League with Spain, Venice and England against France and by the June of 1513 the combined Imperialist Armies had ousted all the French from Italian territory. The Valois-Habsburg wars were to continue however until 1554 when the Emperor Charles V arranged a marriage between his son, Philip of Spain and Mary Tudor of England. Faced with this three pronged threat the French had no option but to give up forever their claims on Italy. This in effect also saw the end of the age of the Landsknechts too. Increasing ill-discipline within the ranks saw them replaced with an improved system of raising a German army, the Kaiserlicher Fussknecht, which was far less reliant on the personal whims of mercenary adventurers.