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Landsknecht

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Landsknecht

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Also known as Landsknechte

thumb|upright=1.7|Landsknechte, etching by [[Daniel Hopfer, c. 1530]]

Wikidata facts

Subclass of
mercenary
Image
Three Soldiers and a Dog.jpg
Show 7 more facts
Commons category
Landsknechts
topic's main category
Category:Landsknechts
Commons gallery
Landsknecht
different from
Lansquenet
present in work
The Betrothed
significant place
Sentiero del Viandante
Sources (4)

via Wikidata · CC0

~16 min read

Encyclopedic overview

11 sections
Contents
  • Etymology
  • History
  • Organization and recruitment
  • Equipment
  • Tactics
  • Camp
  • See also
  • Notes
  • Citations
  • References
  • External links

thumb|upright=1.7|Landsknechte, etching by [[Daniel Hopfer, c. 1530]]

The ' (singular: , ), also rendered as Landsknechts or Lansquenets', were German mercenaries used in pike and shot formations during the early modern period. Consisting predominantly of pikemen and supporting foot soldiers, their front line was formed by Doppelsöldner ("double-pay men") renowned for their use of Zweihänder and arquebus. They formed the bulk of the Holy Roman Empire's Imperial Army from the late 15th century to the early 17th century, fighting in the Habsburg-Valois wars, the Habsburg-Ottoman wars, and the European wars of religion.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Landsknecht” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (27)