Landsknechts (Men-At-Arms Series, 58) [Paperback]

Douglas Miller (Author), Gerry Embleton (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Men-at-Arms | Publication Date: March 31, 1994

The Landsknechts were German mercenaries who served during the reigns of Maximilian I and Charles V in the sixteenth century. Having signed up, these Landsknechts were read a very detailed code of conduct, organized into companies, paid one month in advance, and sent into battle! Their major weapon was the pike, which could be up to 18 feet in length, but those whose duty it was to advance in the front line carried instead the fearsome Zweihänder; an enormous battle-sword around 66 inches in length! Douglas Miller describes in detail the organisation, tactics, weapons, uniforms and history of these remarkable soldiers.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Packed with specially commissioned artwork, maps and diagrams, the Men-at-Arms series is an unrivalled illustrated reference on the history, organisation, uniforms and equipment of the world's military forces, past and present.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (March 31, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0850452589
• ISBN-13: 978-0850452587
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.3 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,384,864 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Landsknechts, September 9, 2001

By 

Lee Freeman "lfreeman_histgen" (Florence, Al United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Landsknechts (Men-At-Arms Series, 58) (Paperback)

The Landsknechts, by Douglas Miller, part of Osprey's Men-at-Arms series is a very useful little book. Despite the book's short length ( only 40 pp ), it is nevertheless packed with useful information on the history of the Landsknechts, as well as their structure and organization. Especially satisfying to this reviewer were the 8 pages of color plates, illustrated by G. A. Embleton, which contain illustrations of men of various ranks and positions within this mercenary company, such as dopplesoldner, captain, standard-bearer, sutleress, etc, as well as illustrations of several battle flags. This book, like all the books in this series is very attractively done.The book has served me well as a handy reference guide, as have the other Medieval/Renaissance books in this series. This is a very well-done series. Lee Freeman

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Good Start, but not the Last Word, May 6, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Landsknechts (Men-At-Arms Series, 58) (Paperback)

The Landsknechts, by Douglas Miller, is a good basic introduction to these mercenary soldiers and campfollowers of the Holy Roman Empire during the Renaissance. As its original publication was in 1976, its scholarship is understandably outdated. It serves well as an all-around overview of the organization, weapons, tactics, battles, and lifestyles of the landsknechte, and would be a good volume for study by those with a passing interest in the subject. If you are serious about studying, reenacting, or re-creating the landsknechte, I would recommend that you read this book, along with the other landsknecht-oriented Osprey books, and then seek out more serious and scholarly works, especially those of more recent publication. -Anjabeth

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another fascinating Osprey book, August 28, 2008

By 

Steven A. Peterson (Hershey, PA (Born in Kewanee, IL)) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Landsknechts (Men-At-Arms Series, 58) (Paperback)

I have not looked at one of these Osprey volumes for a while. But one of my Amazon friends reviewed it, and this seemed like an intriguing volume. And I'm glad that I purchased this.

For those not familiar with Osprey, the publisher specializes in short books, normally with nice illustrations. This is part of their "Men-at-Arms" series. The focus is on German "Landsknechts," an equivalent to the Swiss Pike men, a more well known set of troops.

These German soldiers were mercenaries. The book notes their military strategy, the nature of their equipment, how their pike technique differed from the Swiss. Several battles are discussed, providing a sense of how the "Landsknechts" were deployed. One of the more telling discussions was of the battle of Pavia (I think I'm right; sometimes it gets a little uncertain what the role of Landsknechts were in certain battles and which battle the author is writing about)--where German mercenaries were on both sides! And fought one another!

The book notes that the use of such soldiers was coming to its natural end, as cannon and early relatives of the musket were beginning to come into play. Their mercenary nature (and sometimes refusing to fight if they didn't get paid what they wanted) began to undermine their usefulness.

At any rate, an interesting look at these "men-at-arms."