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Pavia, where the military reputation of the Swiss had been broken, the Swabian landsknechte came to be considered the best fighting troops in Europe. Though primarily a German force and always the mainstay of imperial armies, they served in organized bodies as mercenaries elsewhere in Europe; in See also:

France they fought for the See also:

LEAGUE

League and for the Protestants indiscriminately. In fact landsknecht, and more particularly its See also:

French corruption See also:

LANSQUENET

lansquenet, became in western Europe a See also:

general See also:

TERM

term for mercenary foot-soldiers. It is owing to the See also:

lange Spiesse (See also:

long See also:

pike or See also:

LANCE

lance), the typical weapon with which they were armed, that the corrupted French See also:

FORM (Lat. forma)

form, as well as a German form, lanzknecht, and an See also:

ENGLISH

English "lance-See also:

knight " came into use. The landsknechts were raised by colonels (Oberst), to whom the emperor issued recruiting commissions corresponding to the English " indents "; they were organized in regiments made up of a See also:

COLONEL (derived either from Lat. column, Fr. colonne, column, or Lat. corona, a crown)

colonel, lieut.-colonel and regimental See also:

STAFF (O. Eng. staef, cf. Du. staf, Ger. Stab, &c.; Icel. stafr meant also a written letter, and O. Eng. stafas, the letters of the alphabet; " stave," one of the thin pieces of wood of which a cask is made, is a doublet)

staff, with a varying number of companies, " See also:

COLOURS, MILITARY

colours " (Fahnlein), commanded by captains (See also:

Hauptmann); subaltern See also:

OFFICERS

officers were lieutenants and ensigns (Fahnrich). In thus defining the titles and duties of each See also:

RANK (O.Fr. rant or rent, mod. rang, generally connected with the O.E. and O.H.G. bring, a ring)

rank, and in almost every detail of regimental customs and organization, discipline and interior See also:

ECONOMY

economy, the landsknechts may be considered as the founders of the See also:

MODERN

modern military See also:

SYSTEM

system on a regimental basis (see further See also:

ARMY).

End of Article: LANDSKNECHT

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