Landsknechts: Some of the Most Sought-After Mercenaries of Early Modern Europe

[@SandRhomanHistory]

Another re-upload. We completely overhauled the visuals in this one which was necessary because the old version looked quite dated. We also re-recorded the voice over and updated all maps, even the battle maps. But the main reason for the re-upload is that there was a mistake in the old version. We didn't mention that Frederick stayed in his ancestral (Habsburg) Lands because of the Hungarians. Another thing that bothered us in the old video was that we had to rely on 17th century illustrations because back when we first uploaded this video we literally had no money to pay artists to create new illustrations. The only thing available to us at the time were stock images which, for the most part, were not really representing the heyday of the Landsknechts (16th century). Lastly, we also changed the wording in the etymology part of the video. We hope you enjoy! Cheers, Sandro & Roman

[@curranlakhani]

Thank you for your dedication to presenting history in a concise, high quality and interesting manner while remaining true to the historical sources. Ridely Scott could learn a thing or two from you! Also this is by far the best channel that covers the pike and shot era, which is one of the most underrepresented and underrated periods in history.

[@clintmoor422]

the movie wasn't half bad though, was it? @@curranlakhani

[@Ihavpickle]

Thanks dad

[@curranlakhani]

@clintmoor422 Yeah, if you like fictional period dramas and romcoms, then it's not a bad film. As a historical epic, it's frustratingly inaccurate. Who's idea was it to have Napoleon shooting cannonballs at the Pyramids? They forgot about the entire Italy campaign despite it being the reason Napoleon gained power and popularity so quickly. I liked the actress who played Josephine. As a film, it's not too bad if we pretend that it's an alternate timeline version of Napoleon.

[@ryanprosper88]

I thought this looked familiar

[@user-vf1zw3wn3m]

Being an Eu4 player. It was also very interesting hearing about the Burgundian inheritance in real life. I think I will go play Switzerland again and just make a ton of mercenaries. Great video, loved it

[@SeverusFelix]

Hire your army out as condottieri as Switzerland

[@trueKENTUCKY]

youtube isnt real life go touch grass

[@SeverusFelix]

@@trueKENTUCKY nobody here is mad but you.

[@napalmpudding]

​​@@trueKENTUCKYHe says while having nothing but video game videos on his channel 😂🤡

[@natheriver8910]

👏👏👏

[@silverchairsg]

After decades of extensive debate and research using battlefield simulations created with the aid of modern technology, historians have finally concluded that Landsknechts had an attack of 11 and a charge bonus of 4.

[@adept7497]

*very hardy

[@jakemocci3953]

This is one of the best history channels on KZbin, anyone disagrees gets my pike.

[@EokaBeamer69]

Kinda crazy how pointy sticks were the pinnacle of weapons technology for millenias and then gunpowder came around.

[@MrWaterlionmonkey]

Gunpowder did not get rid of pointy sticks. Pike and shot was the standard war winning strategy from the late 15th and early 16th centuries and after that bayonets have always been important in warfare.

[@MauricedelTaco]

Wow! The quality of these videos impressive. Well done

[@teniente_snafu]

There was another world for soldier or warriors: Kriegsknecht. With "Krieg" meaning war. "Knecht" is actually related to the English word "Knight". It could be applied to anyone who did tasks on another ones behalf. This could be a lowly servant, an apprentice but also a squire or a ranking position. "Rossknecht" (Horse Servant) was a top position on any large estate or a kings court. The word Knecht became more derogatory only over time, and the verb "knechten" today means aggressively exploiting someone's labour.

[@blumetzy8405]

In 1526, the Battle of Mohács, 12 000 Landsknects were fighting under the hungarian king against the ottomans. After the hungarian cavarly was beaten on either flank, the pikemen were encircled and their formations were assaulted many times by ottoman cavarly and infantry. After failing to breach the formations, the ottomans -out of frustration and thousands of losses- shot the soldiers to pieces by 150 cannons. The landsknechts did not surrender, they just stood there, knowing there’s nothing they can do.. incredible regiment of the middle ages

[@divicospower9112]

Charles' death is funny in a way. He was laying on the ground and he was calling for help. Even to be taken prisonner. Imagine the money that you could get if you capture him. A Swiss walked through and saw him. Unfortunately for Charles, he was deaf so he did not hear what he was saying. The Swiss hit him with his halberd and kept walking. In Marignano, the French won only because the Venetians came to help. Their ranks were broken and on the brink of collapsing. During the battle of Bicoca, the Swiss attacked in such a bad position because they had not get their pay. They forced the French general to attack. If not, they would have simply retreated. It led to a massive frontal push against canons protecting by digs and trenches.

[@alerojas2952]

Lying not laying. Back to school you go.

[@wiktorberski9272]

A really interesting piece of military history. So thank you very much

[@Hedgeknight420]

1400-1500 were such a unique time for Arms and armors with the hand cannons , plate armor and long spears / halberds .

[@WelcomeToDERPLAND]

Do you think you could someday do a video entirely on 'Two-and-a-half men" or Zweihander using mercs/knights? I think most of what I know is basically from just reading side note paragraphs in other places or from short mentions on them by your channel in other videos. Thanks.

[@clintmoor422]

to me is seems more likely that the first thesis you mention is correct. a servant with a lance makes sense, like to men-at-arms.

[@MarcoCaprini-do3dq]

9:02 When the Landsknecht managed to break through the walls of Rome they began to plunder the city, but they found heavy resistance by 189 Swiss Guards, the mercenaries at the protection of the Pope. The Swiss Guards were slaughtered but they managed to save the Pope and bring him to Castel Sant'Angelo

[@Blorguehad]

You've won me over. Great stuff! 10/10 Recommend

[@SandRhomanHistory]

Glad to hear it!

[@MasterOfBaiter]

Personally in modern Swiss dialect saying someone comes from the land means that a person comes from a rural area. I wonder if the landsknecht were potentially called as such because they also came from outside the centers of power of the empire

[@Vickzq]

Probably were "Leibeigner" before, and paid 10% to the ones owning the land, before 1291.

[@mariushunger8755]

Nice one! I‘m curious about the forlorn hope: how did they fight, why did they chose to go on a suicide mission, how successfull were they really?

[@Lohgoss]

Thank you for bringing Fronsperger to my attention. Für Deutschsprachige, das Kriegßbuch ist digitalisiert und barrierefrei verfügbar über die Bibliothek des deutschen historischen Museums.

[@therealottawasteph]

I appreciate the linguistic aspect. Danke!

[@thcdreams654]

You guys make such fantastic content. Thank you!

[@bigsarge2085]

Always interesting and informative!

[@ScaryFoot]

15:55 did he just say South America? That is insane!

[@arashinoakumyo3535]

A friend’s great great great grandad was a landskenecht it’s how they got their minor noble title (just afew acres of lands and a nice house) he was one of the zweihander wielders due to the fact he was discribed as a giant of a man (going by his wife’s diary that they also found and restored).

[@ashercroy4982]

That’s pretty badass. If only my ancestors had left me a nice parcel of land in Europe as well

[@arashinoakumyo3535]

@@ashercroy4982 they still own it! It’s not far from the border of the Czech Republic it’s just a farming estate.

[@technicolortornado]

Has anyone published that journal? That would be invaluable to Landsknecht researchers

[@potentiallyunfunnyguy9716]

I really do find the lack of nuance in the terminology used to discuss the 'infantry revolution' of the middle ages to renaissance to be a strange blindspot for a lot of online historians. People will point to it and go "look, that's where infantry finally started to matter and all mounted prominence started going downhill". But if you look at the battles such Kortrijk, Nancy etc. you see that infantry played a key role on both sides, and in any battles before that as well. Infantry has only seldomly not been the backbone of a medieval army. Since the best way heavy cavalry can be applied is for tackling engaged enemy troops in the rear or flanks (to my limited strategic knowledge at least). Don't you kinda need infantry in most situations to fully utilize knights and men-at-arms to their fullest? And aren't both infantry and cavalry present in various forms adapted to the style of warfare at the time in most battles fought from the middle ages to the early modern period? With regards to Kortrijk I understand though, but that doesn't really strike me as proof that one type of troops were objectively superior, moreso that the duke of Artois was hungry for glory and gave up his advantage to take the day, and the Flemish and Zeelander troops managed to overcome a reckless charge because they were in a prepared position. The French actually had plenty of crossbowmen and infantry on-hand to, in combination with their knights, theoretically win that battle. The reason they lost is largely cause of the immensely costly failed charge. I get that a lot of people like stories of the 'little guy' fighting the 'big arrogant elite'. The invincible ironclad dreadnought with his pretty heraldry cast from his high-horse by a humble honest soldier etc. But considering that heavy cavalry remained in fashion with a lot of prestige well until the Napoleonic era, it just feels a bit strange to frame it as the beginning of the end for mounted nobility. Especially given that a lot of prominent nobles still served as armoured mounted troops well into the time of the introduction of the arquebus. Granted I like knights so I'm of course incredibly biased on this. and I am no historian. If anyone is more knowledgeable on this, do lemme know. I may just be subconsciously butthurt that the people with the shiny armours and pretty feathers aren't still around. Also loved the vid, this is just a weird tangent that popped up in my head. Apologies!

[@vinz4066]

On top of that Knights arent Just cavalry. They could and often did fight on Foot.

[@fjz4289]

Jörg von Frundsberg, führt uns an, Tra la la la la la la

[@KarlPHorse]

Friend: Why is your party in M&B warband 90% spearmen? Me: 🎶Wir zogen in das feld! Wir zogen in das feld! Da hatten wir weder sackl noch geld! Strampede mi!!!🎶

It must be admitted that this video is really an improvement over the old one, both in the way of presenting the information and in the animations you make. With respect to the Landsknechts, I believe that the most epic and dramatic moment in their entire history occurs right in the middle of the Battle of Pavia on February 24 of 1525, in which the rival regiments of the famous Black Band (fighting on the French side) fought against the imperial Landsknechts of Georg von Frundsberg (the famous father of the Landsknechts); There was so much hatred between the two German groups, that each one considered themselves traitors, ending the confrontation in a bloody climax in which the survival of their respective regiments was at stake, with the Black Band being completely annihilated when it was surrounded by the Spanish Coronelias (the direct predecessor of the Tercios, reforming 11 years after this battle) and the Imperial Landsknechts, fighting to the end while covering the retreat of the French and Swiss... quite a spectacular confrontation, if we take into account that on both sides were the most veteran troops in all Germany (something was never repeated again).

[@Albukhshi]

@ 11:30 He was a Bavarian, wasn't he? EDIT: just looked him up: called it! He was a Bavarian! (For those wondering: I have an infantry Regulation book from Bavaria dated to 1754; it's the only German-Language regulation from the period that calls the colonel an "Obrist". The Saxons, Prussians, and Hessians all use the modern "Oberst").

[@uelibinde]

the name could also come from the fact that they were recruited in the lands of the empire.

[@lerneanlion]

Same but also not the same question: How did the Ottoman military dealt with the Landsknechts?

[@pinchevulpes]

Janissaries

[@iseeyou5061]

After hearing the old video the voice caught me off guard ngl

[@ingold1470]

Using "Lance" to refer to foot spears is as recent as the 18th century. Captain Cook's memoirs frequently refer to the spears and javelins of the various tribesmen he encounters as "lances"

[@shredwerd009]

dope, new sandrhoman re-upload

[@PowermadNavigator]

Thank you for bringing these stories to us and doing such great work!

[@pabloscagliotti7428]

6:57 -Be me -Italian -MFW

[@betteorhowardswarts7674]

I’m a descendant of Martin Schwartz who died at Stokes Field in England

[@aaltair97]

👍🏼

[@MuhammadUsman-mi4jk]

Landsknechts in North Africa and South America? I gotta hear more

Well, I'll give you clues as to what he means by that, so you can investigate it (in case he never makes a video about it). Of the two cases, I am sure that with respect to his interventions in Africa, it refers to the campaigns that Emperor Charles V carried out against the Turks and Berber pirates, generally he always carried a component of mercenaries on those expeditions (among them the Landsknechts ) and I suppose that is what SandRhoman is referring to, for example in Algiers and Tunisia; In the second case, I am not entirely sure, but I understand that there were imperial German troops in Venezuela, trying to establish a colony with permission from Charles V, to help in the conquest, but in the end the expedition did not prosper and it ended up entirely under dominion. Spanish. I hope this helps you investigate this interesting topic.

[@genericpersonx333]

It is interesting how historians can argue over what seems so simple. Landsknecht seems to just be a logical evolution of old Germanic words meaning "male servant on the ground," the implication being they are professional warriors who operate on foot rather than horse, distinguishing them from Mounted Men-at-Arms who hitherto dominated the professional military ranks. Same time the Landsknecht are becoming popular in Germany, the English have generally adopted the cognate Knight to refer to their warrior elites, emphasizing the knights were male servants of the hierarchy rather than focusing on their tendency to fight as Mounted Men-at-Arms. French and other Germanic traditions were favoring terms relating to warriors being horsemen, be it the Germanic Ritter (rider in English) or French Chevalier (horseman in English). Ideas about the Lands referring to lances and all seems to be grasping at straws on the face of it, historians just being contrarian to the apparently obvious answer, but yet has a logic of its own that is sufficient to justify more research to make sure we are not making mistakes by taking the path of least resistance. Long and short, good history is about never taking for granted the obvious answer and instead putting all answers to the test.

[@eingrobernerzustand3741]

I disagree with your claim that it's obvious. Unlike English , Lanze in German can imply a spear on a horse, but it can also imply a spear in the hands of a footman. To add to this, we love turning hard and sharp sounding sounds into less sharp sounding sounds in dialect(I know, very contratian to what English popculture says about how German sounds. But to me, Englisch is the agressive sounding language, compared to both high German and the dialect of Bavarian that my native language is.) For example: tra turning into dro We also have a tendency to turn z sounds into tz sounds. So it's very well possible it shifted from lanz to Lantz to Lands

[@genericpersonx333]

For sure, what is obvious is subjective, which is the important reason we should test all hypotheses, lest we discount one out of hand that ends up having the best attestation in the historical record.

[@morwickchesterham3875]

I like these units in AEO3... effective at close range... but used to get slaughtered at a distance.

[@jeremiahsafford1389]

Do you know the term "ersatzsolder"? I've seen it in the game Warhammer Fantasy (which is based on 16th and 17th century Europe), but I don't know if it is a real term, made-up, or a mistake.

[@Adidas_der_schwanger_war]

could be a mistake since Solder is not a word but Söldner is, which means mercenary. Ersatz translates to Reserve or Replacement in military jargon.

[@angelcamachodelsolar]

In the battle of Bicoca (1522), it was the Spanish Tercios harquebusiers of Fernando de Ávalos, supported by the imperial artillery and the Frundsberg Lasquenetes, who destroyed the Swiss pikemen, causing more than three thousand casualties and none in the imperial army. In the battle of Pavia, it was also the Spanish Tercios harquebusiers of Fernando de Ávalos who destroyed the French cavalry, supported by the departure from the city of Antonio de Leyva and captured the French king Francisco I, always supported and protected by the Frundsberg laskenets.

[@Vickzq]

If you paid a little attention... Spain was late medieval times. Around 1100-1300, nobody was talking about Spain.

[@Tago-h1b]

​@@VickzqOf course. Spain was born in 1479, it is impossible to talk about it before.

[@Vickzq]

@@Tago-h1b Absolute nonsense to bring up Spain and how superior that would be... when talking about something that happened 300 years earlier in 13th and 14th century.

[@Tago-h1b]

@@Vickzq Then you should watch the full video, it goes back to the 16th century. In my comments I highlighted how important the Lasquenetes were in the armies of the Spanish Empire and how well they fought alongside the Spanish Tercios.

[@Vickzq]

@@Tago-h1b Besides the fact everybody knows swiss mercenary business almost stopped completely compared to earlier, after Marignano 1515.

[@lachlanaugust7011]

Amazing

[@jamesbeeching6138]

Stoke Field during the War of the Roses was a disaster for a Landsnecht force under mercenary commander Martin Schwartz... When the came up against massed longbow they were slaughtered!!

[@exarkun1652]

Personally I blame Martin He was a terrible commander, a coward, given to drink and ladies of leisure To my understanding he was notoriously loose splintered but sadly well connected

[@jamesbeeching6138]

@@exarkun1652 I think it was a combination of the wrong tactics and weapons against an English army and being heavily outnumbered!! Only 1 of Henry's Battles actually engaged!! Also the rebels only had a few handgunners which were completely outclassed by the longbows!!

[@jamesbeeching6138]

@@exarkun1652 he couldn't have been THAT much of a coward as he died alongside his men!!

[@KingTrouser]

The longbow had a habit of getting the drop on those not used to facing them. Only later did they start getting dealt with by experienced opponents. Commander Schwarz was not prepared.

[@jordansblabbering6303]

I love this, the landsknechte are by far my favourite group of soldiers in history. I've got a question tho, how was it that they always wore so fanciful outfits with so much fabric wasted, was there a decree for a uniform like that or what?

[@Romahelten]

Not a historian, but I believe it was primarily to effectively be clothed in currency, as all pieces of colored cloth had universal value it could be both relatively easily exchanged whilst also signifying status and looking hella good.

[@jordansblabbering6303]

@@Romahelten actually different coloured cloths had different prices, for example black would be expensive, while light green or brown or even red accents would be cheaper, so I don´t really know about that

[@zZGzHD]

If you looked rich while at war you were more likely to be captured and ransomed back rather than killed.

[@RPcropland]

People had one pair so the more extravagant the better. Often additional flourishes were attached to indicate status or wealth thus the flamboyant appearance. So a siple shirt with a wavy colar artached. Or hat with top cut off and more fabric attached etc. Since it was all you had, you upgraded as you got more matterial(often but not necessarily). Its not like clothes of today that fall appart and tear easily the fabric was good and often expensive for average peasant. Thats why you see deifferent colors cuz they got whatever available and luckily it was also fashionable then. Also padding is cheaper and lighter than leather or armor, and needed patching with fabric after battle sometimes different colors were used at such time as well.

[@KingTrouser]

I believe Landsknechte were excused from sumptuary laws that restricted the clothing styles for commoners due to their "short and brutal lives", so they spent a lot of their wealth on flamboyant dress to showcase their status. The slashed sleeves became a bit of a fashion statement and was copied by the nobility wanting to display a little mercenary dash and grit.

[@Ataximander]

Thanks to Centurii, I can only imagine them as heavily armed gyarus

[@jamesvandemark2086]

Burgundy- our family's old stomping ground....

[@Lampost_Binbag_Official]

8:57 For the grace, for the might of our lord!

[@silva29]

One of my favorite videos gets an update, nice.

[@napoleonibonaparte7198]

This will be almost the armies of the future if states cannot afford armed forces anymore.

[@BrotherStororius]

this is late medieval not quite early modern.

[@dirksteffens2390]

Great content. However the plural of Landsknecht is Landsknechte, not Landsknechts.

[@artyomarty391]

In English its Landsknechts

[@RaveDecoy242]

It's referenced in the damn video. Stop making comments before finishing the whole thing.

[@adrianmartin1308]

@SandRhomanHistory Are there any studies about the effectiveness of forlorn hope? I know about Winkelried, but are there any other historical texts that talk about it? Love the episode and the fact that I was enthrilled twice :)

[@StopFlaggingVideos]

very interested, the concept itself is so intriguing for warfare. like drugging WW2 soldiers to make them supersoldiers, or mongols using poor civilians as shields in sieges. if these tactics were used, they must've had some degree of effectiveness because there is nothing like war to determine what does and does not work

[@philipptreichl3552]

We do landsknecht reenactment, and we tried ourselves a forlorn hope tactic where we improvised, rammed the bidenhander next to a line of pike and just let us fall on it - the one falling was easily able to block/hinder 3-4 men, a gap which you can easily exploit. So, speaking about historical sources I do not know any, but in the case of experimental archelogy, I'd say they were surely sometimes effective!

[@13Berzerker]

9:20 ... the legs ..

[@nitesy381]

wtf frundsberg was the original doge meme?

[@SchwarzerWolf1000]

I have long dreamed about knowing more about Landsknecht, which my dream just came true

[@ndld4955]

So what we are saying is that the lance did kinetic 😏 😂

[@DH-.]

Music genre is good

[@dmcf236]

when will talk thirty years war

[@korsetmaken]

In Dutch the words land and knecht have not fallen out of use yet, however the profession under the name landsknecht pretty much has. A landsknecht is translated from Dutch to fieldworker. Not the farmer himself, but his helpers. Hardly servants as this video would suggest. These people had seasonal work and could be hired to fight. The Dutch landsknechten were the predecessors of the German soldiers, as the word doesn't have the umlaut that Germans would have used for their version of the word. The word is Dutch and the origin of the word is still very clear in this language.

[@Squig96]

In which part of the word "Landsknecht" would the germans use an Umlaut exactly?? Its a german word...

[@Feyenoord-el8ip]

All dutch words

[@korsetmaken]

@@Squig96 its in the video

[@thecount1374]

What about the tercio?

[@Philtopy]

12:50 was the Flammberger really that popular or was it just very prestigious, stealing the spotlight from other weapons?

[@Gothmetalhead13]

From my understanding its a variation on the Zwehandler intended to cause vibrations in the enemies weapon when parrying or impacting, thus disarming them.

[@joeerickson516]

​"By the way, would the primitive Stone,🪨 age ancient aztec obsidian and flint rock,🪨 bladed,🔪 edge wooden sword,🔪⚔club,♧ and wooden feathery shield,🛡 called,🤙 the Macuahuitl and Chimali of primitive Stone,🪨 age to early Bronze,🥉age ancient Aztec empire of Mexico,🇲🇽 go up,👆 against the late 15th century to early 16th century renaissance, art,🎨 👤 Southern German,🇩🇪 Landsknecht mercenary longsword called,🤙 the Zweihander, in a sword,🗡⚔ fight?"🤺 "during the siege,💥 of Tenochtitlan Mexico,🇲🇽 in the year of fifteen hundred twenty-one, during the age of exploration,🔭 of the new world,🗺 in the year of fourteen hundred ninety-two to the year of fifteen hundred sixty-five?"

[@kompatybilijny9348]

Greatswords are extremely good weapons, but they are expensive - if you make a sword that big, it pretty much has to be made out of quality spring steel or it will shatter. It is very good at binding multiple polearms at once, parrying hooks offer very good protection against axeheads (so halberds mostly) and having the balance of a sword and mass and leverage of a polearm, parrying is easy. This all makes them extraordinary defensive weapons, but they can't really operate next to one another without hindering each other and from historical depictions we usually see them more dispersed in the unit and not forming ranks of their own, with the exception of things like forlorn hope. As for killing power, it's fine. It's a shorter spear if you thrust and this is the most likely move you will do in 1v1.But swings hit very hard - the weapon is heavy enough for the bludgeoning damage to be dangerous even if you hit armour. People also are not really keen on trying to parry your big weapon, because: - Smaller swords and one handed weapons in general do not have the leverage to even attempt it. I've seen people trying to parry greatswords during demonstrations and it often resulted in the smaller sword bending,or outright breaking. - Polearms are useless when binded. They can't counterattack like swords can. Longer polearms shaft's will also bend when hit, which is also not exactly good for counterattacking. Also, the "Zweihander cutting off pikeheads" is considered a myth, but in actuality it is not entirely false - it is doable if you hit the shaft 3-4 times. Not something you would aim to do in a battle, but it might happen sporadically and in 1v1 it is at least worth considering. So it's more likely they would try to dodge you, parrying only if there is no other choice. Because if your swing connects to something not covered in plate, you are getting either broken bones, or the target dies. Just straight up dies. I've been training on wooden blocks with dull edge zweihander and got 20-30 cm deep by accident. Now you can imagine the difference in durability between wood and flesh and bones.The stories of men getting decapitated, or chopped in half are not exaggerated. Lastly, the greatsword technique is very unique, because it actually involves spinning - in some cases, maintaining the momentum is simply worth it and sometimes stabbing after ending a swing is simply faster if you spin. Also because of how the weapon behaves, you have around 270 degrees area that you threaten at any given time and the exact facing of that area constantly changes when you move, so while suicide plays modern fencing schools teach religiously might very well connect, in a real fight noone really likes trying to "frame-perfect" strkie you if the punishment for failing is catching a huge sword to the head (and don't forget that thanks to adrenaline, even a successful strike might still end up getting punished). Also for the Flammberger blade - it's even more expensive, harder to maintain, but also somewhat better at cutting and slightly better getting through armour because of the reduced contact area during a strike. Overall, it's a very good weapon that shines the most when you need to guard someone, or have to shock and awe a unit, or prevent the more numerous enemy to flank you (put some of those dudes in a semi-loose formation and they will stall everything in front of them). It's main downsides are cost, requiring more space to be fully effective and mediocre anti-armour capabilities. We would have seen a LOT more of those swords, if gunpowder was never invented - melee weapons were becoming obsolete ever more rapidly and so Greatswords disappeared along with them. Still the cooles swords in history and I will fucking duel everyone who says otherwise.

[@kompatybilijny9348]

@@joeerickson516 I can tell you that those sword-clubs were commonly made with obsidian teeth as they were much sharper than regular stone. Problem is, there is a good reason humans switched from rock to copper, then bronze, then steel spearheads - metals are much more durable, they have higher hardness. Rocks also have a tendency to shatter when hit with too much force, while metal will usually bend and rarely shatter outright. The shield is good, it is not really of any lower quality than European ones, with the exception of the reinforced center. I think it would be able to block zweihander strikes, even if the impact would not make it pleasant. Aztec would also do much better with a spear in this matchup, as it has a far lower probability of breaking when struck by zweihander and against a sword-club, the zweihander has significant reach advantage. The biggest difference maker would be what armour the Landsknecht is wearing. If full plate, the German wins. If munitions grade, the German wins. Aztec has a realistic chance of wounding him if the German has only helmet and breastplate, or less. Aztec's armour would not really matter, since they had access to linen armour that was the exact same as European gambeson and bone armour that is a far inferior version of lammellar armour, which in itself offered a protection comparable to mail. Now consider that mail was pushed out by plate armour, because the former granted far worse protection and European weapons developed to counter plate specifically - that's why they discarded shields and began using two handed weapons almost exclusively. I'm gonna be honest, 1v1 fight like this would be extremely difficult for the Aztec. He would have to fight him like 3v1, or maybe even 5v1 to have a good chance of beating the German. And that is exactly how Cortez lost the battle in Tenochtitlan - there were simply too many enemies for his few hundred men to fight.

[@Philtopy]

@@kompatybilijny9348 wow THAT was an elaborate answer for such a small question. What a great read! Thank you for your time :) So I assume this was more likely a mistake of wording on their part. Sounds like it wasn’t „popular“ in the sense of „a common sight“ but in the sense of beeing the pop star of the battlefield.

[@geoffsokoll-oh1gq]

Sir Charles Oman styles Charles of Burgundy as Charles the Rash, in more modern English, Charles the Reckless.

[@FelixstoweFoamForge]

"Hop Williken Hop, England is mine and thine". Marching song of Landsknechts in the pay of Henry VIII of England.

[@theskullkid421]

Umm...reisläufer?

[@marcelosilveira2276]

isn't knetch (servant) the origin of the word knight? I was under the impression that landsknetch was something on the lines of "knights" of the land, as in a way for peasant's to ascend to lower knighthood through military service... if the plans to make them the oficial army had gone forward...

[@DPRK_Best_Korea]

Knecht = servant Ritter = knight

[@deinhausmeister479]

​@@DPRK_Best_Koreaand ritter = reiter, mounted soldiers

[@marcelosilveira2276]

@@DPRK_Best_Korea hah... the ethimology of knight, in english came from the german "knetch", so I assumed it had developed similarly in germany

[@itskyansaro]

@@marcelosilveira2276 no, the German knights were very oriented on the French chévaliers, translated Riders, so from Chévalier=Ritaere (medieval german (to ride)=Ridder(dutch)=Ritter(High German)

[@Trikipum]

@@itskyansaro This cant be sorry. In spain there are both "caballeros" and "jinetes" as medieval and diferenciated units. "chevalier"is about "cheval" which is the word "horse", same in spanish for caballero. The word jinete actually translates as "rider".. They are diferent things. I dont get where the english got the "knight" thing but I believe, in all continental europe the same formula used by the spanish and french was used. Im sure the french also had cavalry units that werent not noble and had a diferenciated name. In spain, "caballeros" had a big status, in most cases from novilty. This was not the case of "jinetes", riders. Which were much lightner units and from a "poorer" origin (you were still kinda rich if you could afford a horse though).

[@tavish4699]

I know you are Swiss just by the way you said gewalthaufen😂 Greetings from Germany

[@silviarosati-u3x]

woooooooo

[@Bamboozlenoodle]

In the Men at Arms book it is mentioned that Maximilian trained the first batch of landsknechte in Bruges, Flanders in the year 1487. Do you have other sources that confirm (or contradict) this?

[@joeerickson516]

"By the way, would the primitive Stone,🪨 age to early Bronze,🥉 age ancient Aztec weapons,🔫 of the Aztec jaguar,🐆 and eagle,🦅 warriors alongside the coyote,🐺 warrior priests of the primitive Stone,🪨 age ancient aztec empire of Mexico,🇲🇽 go up,👆 against the late 15th century to early 16th century renaissance, 🎨 👤 German,🇩🇪 Landsknecht mercenary weapons,🔫 of the German,🇩🇪 Landsknecht mercenaries on horseback,🏇of an English,🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 standard thoroughbred horses,🐴 wearing Southern German,🇩🇪 Gothic plate,🍽 armor and chainmail,🔗⛓ for protection from the primitive Stone,🪨 age to early Bronze,🥉 age indigenous native american weapons,🔫 inside the hot,🔥and humid jungles,🌴 deserts, 🏜 and cold,❄ watery,💦 swamps of ancient Mesoamerica, South America,🌎 in the year of fifteen hundred twenty-one during the exploration of the primitive Stone,🪨 to early Bronze,🥉age ancient Mesoamerica and the andes of South America,🌎 in the year of fourteen hundred ninety-two to the year of fifteen hundred sixty-five, during the age of exploration,🔭 of the new world,🗺 in the year of fourteen hundred ninety-two to the year of fifteen hundred sixty-five?"

[@tfan2222]

@@joeerickson516What the fuck.

[@beepboop204]

[@Serai-l7z]

Puffy sleeves

[@WTfire10]

Gewalthaufen is such a funny word as a german

[@dansmith4077]

Comment for the algorithm

[@hectorfr]

Da gracias a Carlos Primero del sacro Imperio romano Hispanogermano y metete esto en la cabeza: hispanoamerica ,lo sabes, pero los anglos tienen que empezar a escucharlo mas el modelo de America como dos continentes y sus repercusiones geopoliticas han de desaparecer de una vez por todas, de la faz de la tierra. Saludos.

[@YoussefDaanBenAmor]

Its a Dutch word! It means something along the lines of Serf of the countryside or rural/country serf.

[@clintmoor422]

it's not. just because the dutch started using it does not make it a dutch word. it clearly german.

[@uelibinde]

the dutch took it from the germans...

[@brandonwalker5011]

This is like saying rendezvous is an English word just because we use it now 😂

[@darthplagueis13]

It's a German word. Dutch is closely related to German and shares quite a few words.

[@JayzsMr]

Dutch is swamp German anyway

[@Flat_Earth_Sophia]

So called Arthur and your silly knechts!

[@FafnirSiggurdson]

Knecht means peasant in German

[@FeuerKriegDivisionPoland]

It means "servant"

[@Bannermann]

No, It means „Servant“

[@tfan2222]

It really doesn’t. And, funnily enough, it’s a 1:1 with English “knight,” though the meaning is different.

[@korsetmaken]

In Dutch the words land and knecht have not fallen out of use yet, however the profession under the name landsknecht pretty much has. A landsknecht is translated from Dutch to fieldworker. Not the farmer himself, but his helpers. Hardly servants as this video would suggest. These people had seasonal work and could be hired to fight. The Dutch landsknechten were the predecessors of the German soldiers, as the word doesn't have the umlaut that Germans would have used for their version of the word. The word is Dutch and the origin of the word is still very clear in this language.

[@Valhall_warriors_go]

It is "SAUSchwab" not Sou :)

[@demoversion4375]

In some Swiss dialects it's sou

[@Valhall_warriors_go]

@@demoversion4375 Really? Which one? Becuse i am Swabian and i have never heard or seen that spelling. And if i google "Souschwab" i dont find anyting. So please educate me :)

[@mrsullied]

Google berndütsch you souschwab.

[@Valhall_warriors_go]

@@mrsullied Ooooh its a dialect ok, then get it mr cow lover.

[@mrsullied]

@@Valhall_warriors_go I'm actually Bavarian but saw an opportunity and took it 🤷🏽‍♂️😂

[@Lucky_zeven]

Piekenier 😅

[@user-ve3gh5xg9q]

Ja ja nat🇩🇪urlis 😱

[@Trikipum]

They didnt dominate the battlefield where the spanish tercios were... Spain used these guys as "auxiliary" trops too...

[@Omni_Shambles]

Why the bare leg uniform?

[@TitusCastiglione1503]

I think it was kind of a fashion statement, kinda like what punk rockers do.

[@philipptreichl3552]

I'd say it's 50% fashion statement, 50% necessety, as you can guide your pike better with bare skin while in the hedgehog 😅

[@TitusCastiglione1503]

@@philipptreichl3552 how so?

[@IncognitoUnknown-fc2tu]

That time fashion

[@philipptreichl3552]

@@TitusCastiglione1503 because on felt or linen, when it's wet bc of rain, it slides more, in my experience, when u have the area of your knee bare, you can control the pike more, like you feel things easier with your bare hands if you don't wear gloves, it's just that extra bit of control 😅

[@twierdzezamkimiasta]

Mapa chyba z dupy wyciągnięta? Po pokoju toruńskim zawartym między Zakonem krzyżackim, a Polską w 1466 kończącym wojnę 13 -letnią, Pomorze gdańskie wraz w Warmią i Mazurami wróciło do Polski. Co prawda opowieść zaczyna się w 1465 i teoretycznie podział ziem jest prawidłowy lecz na następnych mapach powinno to być zmienione !?

[@OotsutsukiShibai]

Klasycznie musiał sie polaczek popłakać i to pisząc po polsku pod anglojęzycznym filmikiem XD

[@OotsutsukiShibai]

@@twierdzezamkimiasta Ani nie jestem czyścicielem kibli ani nie pracuje w kraju swoich marzeń.

[@twierdzezamkimiasta]

@@OotsutsukiShibai to po uja zabierasz głos jak nie masz nic do powiedzenia ? Nawet jeśli piszę po polsku to dlatego , że chcę, po drugie jeśli ktoś obcojęzyczny chce przeczytać mój komentarz to ma automatyczne tłumaczenie ?!

[@OotsutsukiShibai]

@@twierdzezamkimiasta Dobra, sklej polaku

[@beans1557]

Wait are these backgrounds ai generated?

[@md_studios9819]

I bet nobody will comment on this comment

[@rthompson7182]

I bet you’re wrong.

[@nodosa994]

Very wrong

[@kennethrollo7891]

You're right.

[@harbinger200]

Where did they find the double headed eagle? Thats Serbian and Russian and eastern Roman.

[@Oswald_of_Catalina]

Double-headed eagles appear in all kinds of coats of arms. That's the banner of the Holy Roman Emperor, specifically.

[@jbusniewski]

It was also a symbol of the Hapsburgs and the Holy Roman Empire.

[@battlez9577]

The double headed eagle was already in use by the HRE before the Serbs took it for their Empire

[@harbinger200]

@@battlez9577 Thats not totally true. While Serbia has its ancient flag with 4 fire metals with a cross, Double headed eagle was used by Eastern Roman empire far before Holy Roman empire (that was not "holy" nor was it "Roman") existed. Seems to me Landsknecht has Slavs or Serbs in it, because Germany was created out of Kelt-Slavic-Serbian population. Germans appeared in middle ages, just like English and French, and in the end Italian.

[@harbinger200]

@@battlez9577 Serbia had no empire. It never controlled territories that where not Serb populated. If you are referring to Tzar Dusans Serbia, his Tzardom was all the lands that Serbs where living in, and that was majority of today Greece. He never had foreign lands in his Serbia. Serbs where ethnically cleansed from Greece around 1910, when Greek population from Turkey was transferred by mass to Greece. Also Tzar Dusan lived before "Holy Roman Empire" existed, so it could not have in use before Serbia or true Rome.

[@Ultima-Signa]

Why the heck do you exclude the ˋHabsburg territory´ from HRE territory 😂😂 Do you not know that the Habsburgs were literally the rulers of the HRE (at that time and for most of its history) with Vienna even being the capital? Switzerland, Venice and the Netherlands have also been regions within the HRE at the time, not outside of it. How is anyone supposed to take your videos seriously or learn from them when you don’t properly convey such basic historical information?

[@SandRhomanHistory]

the red outline is the hre border as with pretty much any map depicting the hre. the Netherlands, the Swiss confederacy and Austria are depicted within its borders… also, Venice wasn’t part of the hre at this time and de facto had been independent even while officially considered byzantine territory in the 9th century. get your facts straight und look at the map properly.

[@crabwalkarms7347]

​@@SandRhomanHistory mike dropped

[@mill2712]

​@@SandRhomanHistory und? Sorry had to point that one out.

[@harraldschmitt9113]

Jesus Christ, anglophones and their inability to speak foreign languages. The plural of one Landsknecht is two Landsknechte. LandsknechtE. E suffix. Landsknecht is German. Ist a compound word build with Land(possessive s suffix) meaning land (and with the possessive s suffix „of the land), and Knecht meaning servant. Translated it means servant of the land. Seeing as Knecht is the last word in this compound word, it’s the word that determines the pluralistic declination. the plural of Landsknecht is LandsknechtE not Landsknechts. Jesus Christ

[@tommyboi4326]

Jesus Christ, go outside for a little while. Jesus Christ

[@harraldschmitt9113]

@@tommyboi4326 Ah, you see. You insult me, but you don’t call me wrong. Because you can’t

[@Markyyourcrackaddict]

Well tf you expect trying to pronounce another language that you never even spoke

[@harraldschmitt9113]

@@Markyyourcrackaddict …the internet exists my guy. Bro could have looked that up

[@Markyyourcrackaddict]

@@harraldschmitt9113 just because someone miss pronounce a word that they haven't even speak doesnt mean your gonna disintegrate into ashes

[@NativeOfTheLand97]

@Skallagrim

[@Undeadaccount]

Is a creepy pus

[@Sealclubber420]

@@Undeadaccount ?

[@NativeOfTheLand97]

@@Sealclubber420 just a little nod to the medieval arms goat

[@romans883]

Landskneht didnt do so spectacular against Polish Winged Husaria when city of Gdansk rebel against Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth... Then again no one was able to stop Winged Husaria for 109 consecutive years !!! Poland in its history of last 500 years fought some 100+ wars and lost only 9 of them ... So yea please put your jokes about Poland aside ... Wizna 39' 760 poles with 6 light field cannons and entrenched in bunkers stop entire Werhmacht division of some 10.000 man with 360 tanks and luftwaffe air support for a week !!! In same war French tanks had 6 reverse gears and 2 forward- just in case if they get attacked from behind ROFL 😂😂😂😂

[@buckplug2423]

polska gurom!!!

[@mrsullied]

Average pole: I don't always lose, but when I do, I lose spectacularly. And now pipe down, this ain't your vid.

[@mrgopnik5964]

Poor Pole, your victories are meager and your state was weak. You lost few wars because that’s all it took to break you.