A Landsknecht WebRing site,
operated by
The RingMaster.
After 1500, when Maximillian allowed them to hire out as mercenaries units, they became the most sought after as well. The Landsknechts fought in virtually all of the major European conflicts from 1482-1660. They were employed by Henry VII, Henry VIII, and Elizabeth I of England, Louis XI, Francis I and Henri II of France, and, of course, Maximillian I, Charles V, Ferninand I, and Rudolph II, and Maximillian II of the Holy Roman Empire.
They were renowned for their fierceness and professionalism, but they were also known for their drunkenness, brutality, and loyalty to only their commanders and the money provided them. The saying "Landsknechts are as good as the gold you pay them, and last about as long as the beer"< is a modern Renaissance Festival axiom, but it is accurate neverless.
Renaissance warfare was a dirty, bloody business, and the average life expectancy for a footsoldier was about one year. Still, young men flocked to the armies for valor and glory, and also because of the opportunities they provided.
In a time when most peasants-farmers earned roughly two marks per year, the lowliest Landsknecht was paid four marks per month. Additionally, soldiers were often given incentive pay, being allowed to keep anything they could carry off from a conquered city or town.
When the Landsknechts sacked Rome in 1527, the looting lasted for over a year, and in the end, the mercenaries were paid to leave, since no force could drive them out. If a soldier survived three or five years of hard campaigning, he could retire as a wealthy man.
It was a generally accepted fact of the time that one could not send a soldier off to was without someone to cook, clean, dress, heal and otherwise look after him. Then, as today, support services were extremely important, and support personnel often outnumbered the combatants. Unlike today the Landsknecht commanders were not about to hire the additional men required, and then not be able to use them in the fighting.
"What's a Fahnlein?"
Then, as now in historical reenactment, the Fahnlein (company) is a symbiotic entity. By that, it means that everyone is very dependent upon everyone else to pull their own weight, and do their jobs well. The only reason the women were with the army then, and are at the events now, is to take care of the men. The only way the men could survive in the army then, and survive doing the events now, is because they are looked after by the women.
The division of labor was a very real thing in the sixteenth century, and we, as re-enactors, are required to recreate it. This means women don't (usually) carry pikes and fight with swords, and men don't (usually) carry water and wash dishes.
In a modern recreation, the campfollowers main duties during the day are to march with the men during drill, parades, and/or progress; hold back the crowds at battle pageants, watering and body-looting when possible; fix lunch (and possibly breakfast and dinner too) and clean up afterwards; and guard camp whenever necessary.
"Who (or what) is a Kriegshunde?"
"Krieg" is war and "hunde" is hound or dog as in "dogs of war". The Kriegshunde Fahnlein is a living history organization which represents a group of 16th century German mercenary soldiers, known as Landsknechten, from the Holy Roman Empire, with a range of years from 1520 to 1580. Our purpose is to learn about this segment of history through research, and to convey this information to the public by recreating the characters and the environment of a military encampment with the greatest possible accuracy, and participating as a parade unit.