Landsknecht Soldier 1486-1560

Warrior Series #49
By John Richards
Colour Plates by Gerry Embleton
Osprey Publishing Ltd, 2002
ISBN 1-84176-243-1
64 Pages, Softbound

Reviewed by John Prigent

This is a great book for figure modellers as well as for anyone with an interest in renaissance warfare.  It begins with their origin in the need of Maximilian I of Germany to defend the Holy Roman Empire against France and Turkey while also fighting brush-fire wars over a wide area.  He needed men, and found them in mercenaries from Southern Germany and Switzerland.  Their organisation, recruitment and life are covered in detail, so there’s a lot more here than simply their combat tactics.

Their clothing was legendarily flamboyant and there’s good coverage of how they looked, the cut of their clothes, the colours and cloths used and how they were actually worn.  The famous “slashing” is investigated too, and of course their armour and weapons are discussed and illustrated.  This is not a battle history, though some notes on campaigns and battles are given.  A particularly valuable part of the book is the inclusion of memoirs from two real Landsknechts, Paul Dolstein and Niklaus Guldi.  Dolstein’s contribution to the text is short, but the Guldi memoir takes up 8 pages and gives a real insight into the life of a Landsknecht.  To all this can be added Gerry Embleton’s plates, showing details of clothing and armour as well as battle, “on the march” and other scenes, and a superb selection of original drawings including many by Paul Dolstein, who was an accomplished artist as well as a diarist.  If you want an eyewitness, here he is!  Highly recommended.