The landsknechts were German mercenaries that had a formidable reputation during the times of early modern Europe. Their colorful attires and their martial expertise made them well known in the battlefields of the continent, in the particularly tumultuous late XV and early XVI centuries.
One of those mercenary troops was the Black Band, a military contingent that served at the orders of Francis I, the king of France. They fought in several battles and campaigns during the early XVI century, including the famous defeat of the French Army at the Battle of Pavia, in 1525, where they were virtually annihilated by the Imperial-Spanish coalition troops, which also captured the French king that same day.
Along the famous dopplesöldners, the men who carried the emblematic two-handed sword called Zweihänder, the landsknechts also included formations of pikemen, halberdiers, and the increasingly important arquebusiers.
The miniature portrays one of these landsknecht arquebusiers, dressed in the characteristic black and red attire of the Black Band. It can be painted in a wide variety of color combinations to represent any kind of other landsknechts.
Group
Sculptural Figure(s)
Condition
unpainted, kit
Scale
Scale 1:24
Material
Resin
Epoch
Renaissance
Time
1420 - 1590
Nationality/Location
Europe
State
New
Not a toy! Not suitable for children under the age of 14!
