Landsknecht with a Zweihänder Just like the Reisläufer, Landsknecht formations consisted of men trained and armed with pikes, halberds, and swords. [11] 300 men of a Fähnlein would be armed with a pike, [27] though a Landsknecht 's pike was generally shorter than a Reisläufer 's at about 4.2 meters (14 ft). [28] Experienced and well-equipped soldiers, receiving double a normal Landsknecht ...
Cover photo: Swiss and Landsknecht soldiers engage in the exceptionally-fierce hand to hand combat known as “bad war.” The long spear shafts are their pikes, which became awkward to handle if the push of pike became too disorganized. In that case, halberds and swords became the deadliest weapons. Engraving by the German-Swiss painter and printmaker Hans Holbein the Younger, a significant ...
Landsknecht, German mercenary pikeman of the late 15th and early 16th centuries. At the height of their success, the Landsknechte ranked among the most-effective foot soldiers in the world. Though there is no consensus on the origins of the word Landsknecht, it likely meant “servant of the land.”
Initially, the Landsknecht used the crossbow as the principle missile weapons but later began fielding the arquebus (an early form of handgun). Armour was rarely worn but when employed usually consisted of a breastplate with tassets (thigh guards) and a steel skull cap worn under a wide brimmed hat.
Landsknecht troops were drawn mainly from poorer classes in society, although it was not uncommon for nobles to take up positions as officers. Maximilian recruited Reisläufers to train the Landsknechts, and with the capable leadership under Georg von Frundsberg, known as the “Father of the Landsknechts,” the Landsknechts became a well ...