1:72nd scale Flags

 

Late Medieval, Renaissance / Landsknechts /
Habsburg Empire 15th - 16th century Swiss cantons, Burgundian wars,
German peasant´s uprisings, Hussite wars

Flags series conceived together with Thomas Willers, Germany.

Swiss Cantons / Burgundian Wars / Swiss Infantry / Wars against the Habsburg Empire

1385 the Swiss confederation had to defend against Imperial Habsburg troops who threatened their frontiers. After the Swiss had destroyed several castles, count Leopold III. of Austria mobilised an army of 4000 men - local Levys and Italian mercenarys - to march against Luzern. At the Sempach mountain pass they were confronted with 2000 men of the Swiss confederation.

Count Leopold was slain together with 600 of his knights and several hundred men of his levys. The victory of the swiss made clear that disciplined pikemen were able to defeat heavy armoured cavalry which hitherto had dominated the battlefields.

The Sempach victory ended the Domination of the Habsburg Empire in the Austrian frontier area and made the Swiss independent from the Habsburg reign.


Swiss infantry with their distinctive long pikes and disciplined fighting spirit became the most asked for mercenaries within whole Europe. They named themselves "Knechte" or "Reisläufer" whereas "Landsknechte" was how the German mercenaries called themselves.

Burgundian War 1476/77

When Charles the Bold of Burgundy tried to incorporate Lothringen into a "Great-Burgundian Empire" reaching from the Alpes mountains to the North Sea, he collided with the Swiss and the king of France.
Burgundian troops were heavily defeated at Granson 1476, at Murten and Nancy 1477. The death of Charles the Bold at the battle of Nancy ended the war.
1/72-55a: Swiss confederation and Burgundy 1476/77

Burgundian Infantry 1450-1500 / Burgundian cavalry: banner of Louis de Chalons-Chateauguyon, captured by the Swiss at the battle of Granson 1476 / Burgundian infantry and cavalry 1450-1500 / Swiss: canton Uri cavalry and infantry banner / Basel cavalry and infantry banner / Zürich levy banner / Appenzell levy infantry banner.

1/72-57a: Swiss Cantons ca. 1476 - 1530


Zürich levy, banner for musketeers and crossbowmen fähnlein / Appenzell canton, Infantry banner / Bern canton, Infantry and cavalry banner / Bern canton, Infantry banner / Uri canton, infantry banner from end of 14th century on / Swiss confederation cavalry flag / Fribourg, musketeers and crossbowmen fähnlein flag.
A suitable figure to use as a cavalry ensign will be found in the KAMAR-Zinnfiguren set "Schweizerische Reiterei bei Nancy 1477 ma-008"
The Holy Roman Empire of German Nation under the reign of Emperor Maximilian I. of Habsburg (Reigned 1493 - 1519) and under his successor Emperor Charles V. of Habsburg (Reigned 1520 - 1556).

Germany under the reign of the Habsburgers.

1440 Albrecht II. of Austria is crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, now named Frederic III. of Habsburg.

The Empire had to defend its eastern frontiers against attacks of local Hungarian and Bohemian kings. Also territory was lost to Burgundy. Within the Empire´s frontiers, many a local nobility fought for domination, they robbed and suppressed the people. Longterm economic changes which already had begun about more than 100 years ago had confused the structures of European societys. Powerty spread among the ordinary people. With the domination of money economy especially the nobleman as a knight had lost the basis of existence when conflicts more and more were fought with hired mercenaries. This was the case predomenantly with the lower nobility who often had no other possibility to survive than to become a robber-baron.
Rulers and towns united in alliances, for example the "Schwäbischen Bund" (Suebian confederancy) to fight the castles of those knights who offended the law.
1484-1490 Turkish troops took Vienna and parts of Lower Austria.
At last, Frederic III. by arrangements of marriage and heriditary contracts managed to set the basis for a "Holy Roman Empire of German Nation" of which Hungaria, Austria, Bohemia and Burgundy will be part and within which "the sun never sets".

The Reigns of the Habsburg Emperors:

Frederic III. 1440-1493

Maximilian I. 1493-1519

Charles V. 1519-1556

Ferdinand I. 1556-1564

Unter the reign of Charles V. Spain and Spanish troops becomes more dominant within the Empire and its wars. The old conflict with France and Burgundy affecting the posession of North Italian territory leads to the war against the French king Franz I. from 1521 to 1526. To a great part, the fights were fought with the help of Swiss and German mercenaries. The French were beaten at Pavia 1525.

With the help of changing alliances, the Empire saw further campaigns against France. At the same time within the Empire´s frontiers itself arose an opposition against the Catholic Habsburg Emperor: Protestant rulers, together with some of the mighty towns, associated within a Liga and were confronted and beaten by imperial and papal troops 1546/47.
After the protestant Counts allied with Henry II. of France, Charles V. had to leave the throne. He was succeeded by his brother Ferdinand whereas his son Philipp II. of Habsburg was given the Spanish territories. The Empire had fallen apart.

The German Landsknechts

1/72-158, 1/72-159, 1/72-160, 1/72-164
The German Landsknechts.

After defeating the Habsburg Army cavalry at the battle of Sempach 1386 - the first time that men on foot successfully fought against armoured mounted troops - Swiss infantry became the most asked for mercenaries in the European states during the rest of the 14th and during the 15th century.

Nevertheless, as they fought for nothing but money when in the service of foreign kings or dukes, they used to leave the battlefield when their payment did not arrive in time.

The Army of the Holy Roman Empire dominated by the Habsburg Emperors during that period, consisted of mercenaries from different European regions. These men were not always confident, even when properly payed, and they often were ill-disciplined.

Emperor Maximilian was convinced that infantry established of mercenaries coming from Germany itself could be as effective as the Swiss, when carefully trained. During his reign from 1493 to 1519 the German Landsknechts became an efficient infantry after the Swiss model, composed of men armed with long pikes, swords and muskets and lead by capable commanders like the famous Georg von Frundsberg. Notorious for their "unmodest" colourful and extremely slashed clothing fashion, German Landsknechts were badly criticized by many an authority of church and state.

A Landsknecht regiment was composed of 10 "Fähnlein" (about 400 men each). Each Fähnlein carried a flag, which by this time usually had a short stave and a comparatively large bunting. The flagstave was carried and waved by the fist of one hand.

After victorously fighting for their Emperor Charles V. of Habsburg at Marignano, Bicocca and Pavia in the North Italian wars, the German Landsknecht´s fame finally rose over that of the Swiss footsoldier who from now ceased to dominate the European battlefields.

At the end of the first halve of the 16th century with further development of firearms, Landsknechts lost their significance as a factor in battle.

1/72-158: Holy Roman Empire under Maximilian I., 1493 - 1519 (1)

Imperial infantry flag / Suebian infantry flag / German infantry flag / Duchy of Bavaria, Artillerie flag ca. 1500 / Duchy of Bavaria, cavalry flag.
1/72-159: Holy Roman Empire under Maximilian I., 1493 - 1519 (2)

Imperial Landsknechts flags, 3 different / Georgs von Frundsberg, knight and imperial leader, personal flag ca. 1500 / Duchy of Bavaria, cavalry flag ca. 1500 / Imperial cavalry flag.
1/72-160: Holy Roman Empire under Charles V. , 1520 - 1556 (1)

3 different German Landsknechts flags / Landsknechts flag of "lost company" / Imperial cavalry flag
1/72-161: Holy Roman Empire under Charles V. (2). Mixed

Battle of Pavia 1512: Spanish infantry, 2 different flags / Milano Infantry flag / Frannce: 1 infantry and 1 cavalry flag / Holy Roman Empire: cavalry flag.
Peasant´s Uprisings in Germany up to 1525

As in other parts of Europe and in England, the later medieval and Renaissance period also saw such uprisings in Germany.
Peasants and Craftsmen pressed by loss of traditional rights and steadily rising taxes, sometimes allied with poorer noblemen as Götz von Berlichungen or Franz von Sickingen.
Religious and charismatic leaders like Thomas Münzer or Martin Luther supported the rebelling people. At first succesful, the rebellion failed at last for lack of structure and disciplin, but also for treaty. Also the Roman Empire together with German rulers had much more possibilities to afford skilled troops in sufficient numbers. 1525 the peasant´s army was completely slain at Frankenhausen.
1/72-162: 15th/16th century. German peasants wars

Flag of peasants leader Thomas Müntzer / peasant´s "Bundschuh" flag / Nürnberg town infantry flag / Memmingen town infantry flag / "Georgischild" knights association flag.
1/72-164: Holy Roman Empire under Charles V. , 1520 - 1556 (3) Mixed

Imperial Landsknechts flags, 2 different / Memmingen town infantry flag / Bavarian infantry flag / Electorate of Saxony, cavalry flag.

Late medieval flags of the Maximilian I./Charles V. period may be used with: ORION 72002 and 72004 "Landsknechts XVI-XVII cent."

Also suitable to Strelets 15th cent. knights and infantry.

1/72 MINI-ART 72011 German Knights 15th cent.

Hussite Wars 1419-1437

The development of money economy within Europe lead to revolutionary changings within the social structures. As powerty was spreading and hopelessness arose among the ordinary people, religious communitys different from the official Catholic church dogma were much sought after. These groops demanded for social egality and the neglection of a privileged nobility and criticised the Catholic officials for extensively consuming pleasures of life.
The Clerus reacted by declaring those who searched for a simple and genuine way of religious living for heretics. Inquisition was the fate of those who did not accept papal law.
One of those diffamed as heretic had been the popular Bohemian preacher John (Jan) Hus who was burnt 1415. His death lead to a general uprising of his followers. These "Hussites" with their well-organized army between 1419 and 1437 invaded Austria, Bavaria, Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg.
1/72-163: Hussite Wars 1419-1437

Crusader´s flag / Bavarian flag / Bohemian flag / Austrian flag / Saxon flag / Hussite cavalry flag / Hussite wagon pennon / Hussite infantry, 2 different flags.
Literature

Miller / Embleton: The Swiss at War 1300-1500, Osprey Men-At-Arms Nr. 94, London 1991

Michael / Embleton: Armies of Medieval Burgundy 1364-1477, Osprey Men-At-Arms Nr. 144, London1983

Gerry Embleton: Medieval Military Costume Recreated in Colour Photographs. Europa Militaria Special Nr. 8, Crowood Press 2000