Landsknecht

Landsknecht (from German: farmer-servant) were the regiments of mostly agricultural workers, called up by the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in the late 1400s to defend the Empire. By the 1500s, they were transformed into mercenaries and were used by most of the central European powers. Their flamboyant uniforms and brutal tactics made them seem more important than they actually were. As ‘stateless’ soldiers for hire, they sometimes fought on both sides of the same battle. They were a murderous feature of the “Thirty Years War.”