Page 18 - All About History - Issue 53-17

REFORMATION

THE A LANDSKNECHT

Anatomy

PIKE f EUROPE, 16TH CENTURY

A FEARSOME SPIKE
The main weapon of a
Landsknecht was a five-metre
long wooden spear called a pike,
and their favoured battlefield
tactic was the pike square. The
formation, which they copied from
the Swiss, featured a square of up
to 4,000 pikemen surrounded
by swordsmen, axe-wielders and
shooters, and proved to be an
unstoppable and impenetrable force.
ARMOUR

LACK OF PROTECTION
Unless the town or city that
FEATHERS hired them issued the soldiers
with armour, they would
THE FINISHING TOUCH usually go without as they
The Landsknecht armies could not afford it themselves.
were trailed by hundreds However, those that did wear it
and thousands of followers, usually had a breastplate with
including wives, children and thigh guards called tassets,
sexual companions as well along with a steel skull cap
as merchants. These traders that could be worn underneath
would supply the soldiers a wide-brimmed hat.
with food as well as some of
their garments, including the
colourful feathers they used to
decorate their hats.

ZWEIHÄNDER
BRIGHT COLOURS CLOSE COMBAT WEAPONS
In battle, a line of Landsknecht
STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD wielding two-handed swords
On account of their lives being called zweihänder and
“so short and brutish”, Holy poleaxes called halberd would
Roman Emperor Maximilian I charge at the enemy. Darting
granted the soldiers exemption between their pikemen, they
from sumptuary laws that used their weapons to knock
dictated what clothing each pikes aside and break up the
social class could wear. As a enemy ranks. This tactic was
result, the soldiers chose to known as ‘forlorn hope’ and
dress in the most garish clothing was almost always fatal for
that was possible to flaunt their those taking part.
social status and intimidate
their enemies.

PUFFS AND SLASHES
CODPIECE
KEEPING PARTS PRIVATE SOMETHING BORROWED
The soldiers’ trousers were The gaudy clothing of the
made of two separate pieces soldiers was often taken from
of fabric covering each leg their defeated opponents, and
and were worn over linen so usually had to be slashed and
drawers. This meant that torn to make it fit. The layers
their genitals were covered underneath were then pulled
by only a thin layer of linen, through the holes to form puffs,
and so to help preserve their often in contrasting colours. This
modesty, a triangular piece of distinctive look had the added
fabric called a codpiece was benefit of disguising any rips
used to cover the gap. caused in battle.

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