Landsknecht/Bio & Battles

"We took Rome by storm, put over 6,000 men to the sword, seized all that we could find in churches... and burned down a great part of the city, taking apart and destroying all."

- Paul Dolstein, landsknecht, on the sack of Rome, 1527

During the Renaissance, professional standing armies were much too expensive for most European leaders. Instead, mercenaries were the primary fighting force, with major rivalries forming between different bands. Perhaps the most famous mercenaries of this time were the Landsknecht (German for "country servant"), first formed by Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. Garishly dressed and willing to fight for anyone as long as the price was right, Landsknecht bands served in just about every armed conflict of the 1500s.

Battle vs. Mughal Soldier (by Kaiser of Metcalfer99)
TBW

Winner: Landsknechts 

Expert's Opinion
TBW

To see the original battle, weapons and votes, click here.

Battle vs. Jacobites (by KelvarNinja)
In an open field, a Highlander is practicing with his weapons on a home-made straw dummy. Behind him, a Landsknecht, sent by the king of England to kill him. He is plaining to kill him with his Pike. The Landsknecht gets in pike range and is about to stab the Highlander, but get's out of the way just as the Landsknecht attacks! Instead, the Pike impales the dummy. The Highlander runs back a few feet and throws his Ball and Chain, which only dents the Landsknecht's armor.

The Landsknecht pulls out his Zweihander and the Highlander, his Claymore. They charge at each other and get into a longsword fight. After a little while, the landsknecht knocks the Claymore out of the Highlander's hands. To gain an advantage. The Landsknecht throws his longsword aside to lose some weight. The highlander runs into some old castle ﻿ruins. The landsknecht walks in and looks for his target. Suddenly, the Highlander runs up behind him and hit's him in the side with his War Hammer's spike. The Landsknecht grabs his wound.

The landsknecht pulls out his dagger and tries to stab the highlander in the leg, but he blocks his attacker with his Targe. The highlander tries to stab the landsknecht with his Targe and Dirk, but the landsknecht tricks the highlander to stab the Dirk into a wall, breaking the dagger and scraping his hand. The landsknecht then pulls out his Katzbalger and stabs the Highlander in the back. The Highlander falls down, dead. The Landsknecht then shouts a war cry.

Expert's Opinion
The Landsknecht's weapons were even bigger and badder than those of the Highlander's, and the superior armor and flamboyant professionalism of the Landsknecht led the mercenary to victory over the Scottish rebel.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.

Battle vs. Samurai (by El Alamein)
The air is still and calm. Deep in the Japanese mountains, a samurai warrior kneels in meditation inside a small, one-room temple. A waterfall quietly splashes off in the distance, but the smell of fresh water and mist drifts peacefully into the shrine. The samurai has left all of his weapons outside - except for his katana, which he has kept sheathed in its scabbard on his belt. He controls his breathing and keeps his eyes closed, focusing on the noise and smells around him to sharpen his senses, especially for when he'll need to use them in battle. Despite the tranquil setting, the samurai's heartbeat still pounds quickly with a vague excitement or anxiety, but he continues breathing and relaxes.

Up in the green trees above, a bird makes its call, the sound echoing off of the mountaintops surrounding it. The bird is loud enough to temporarily mask the noise of a Landsknecht mercenary making his way through the forest. He holds his matchlock musket in his hands, his Zweihänder hanging at his waist in its scabbard. His pike is strapped to his back, along with a few other supplies. As he goes along his way, the sound of the waterfall attracts him, as he realizes how thirsty he has become in the mild noonday sun.

''The Spanish monarchy, after seeing the success of their South and Central American expeditions, have kept on with the flow of explorers to the mysterious west but have also turned their attention to the mysterious east. Japan has cut off any communication with Western civilization and is enjoying its peaceful isolation (civil wars aside) and is ripe for the picking. The Spanish have hired Landsknecht mercenaries to spearhead the invasion of the Far East in the hopes that these flamboyant mercenaries will enjoy the same bountiful success that 'the conquistadors have had against the Aztecs.''

The Landsknecht kneels by the waterfall and drinks to his fill. Standing up, he wipes his mouth with the back of his sleeve and looks around, breathing in the fresh, brisk air. He lazily walks down a stone path he finds, and makes his way up to the samurai shrine. The Landsknecht pokes his head in the entrance and sees the samurai kneeling.

The samurai's eyes fly open and the Japanese warrior tears the katana out of his scabbard lightning-fast. The Landsknecht shouts in surprise and clumsily pulls out his Zweihänder, swinging upward just in time to deflect the samurai's first strike. Keeping on the offensive, the samurai tries to exploit the Landsknecht's weakness at very close range and lands blow after blow on the mercenary. The Landsknecht counters with a vicious swing of his own that slams into the samurai's chest plate and knocks him down. Raising his sword over his head, the Landsknecht swings down but the samurai rolls out of the way and sprints to the side of the shrine where he has left his other weapons.

Taking an opportunity he knows he might not get again, the Landsknecht sets up the stand for his musket and lowers the firearm onto it, aiming at the bent-over samurai. The match burns and the Landsknecht flinches slightly as the musket goes off, smoke and powder flashing up in front of his face. He coughs slightly and decides to reload, taking the gun off of the stand and readying another shot. He hears a loud bang from down the forest and a musket ball slams into his shoulder plate, denting it severly and sending a huge flare of pain across his arm. The Landsknecht falls to the ground, howling in pain.

Smoke obstructs the samurai's vision too, and he throws his Tanegashima musket to the ground and approaches with his yari spear. The Landsknecht staggers to his feet and grabs his pike off the ground where it had fallen, holding it out in front of him menacingly. The samurai coolly sidesteps the first lunge and swings the yari downward, hitting the wooden handle of the pike and splintering the weapon nearly in two. The blade of the yari gets stuck in the wood, though, and the samurai's look of triumph turns to one of surprise and shock as the Landsknecht brings the shaft of the pike upward, breaking the weapon and cracking the samurai across the face. The samurai stumbles back and draws his katana again, while the Landsknecht takes the Zweihänder sword in his hands. The two men lock eyes and charge.

The samurai's strike to the Landsknecht's neck goes low and strikes his breastplate, glancing off and doing no damage. The Landsknecht's powerful swing to the gut, in turn, does not penetrate the samurai armor but inflicts a massive amount of blunt trauma on the Japanese warrior. He collapses onto the soft grass and gasps for air, coughing in pain. The Landsknecht leans against a tree to check himself for any wounds, and after wincing again upon touching his shoulder, he walks toward the downed samurai.

The Landsknecht sneers and brings his sword down to his feet, then swings upward in a massive attack. The samurai puts his arm in front of his face and the limb absorbs the damage. The samurai shouts in pain but pulls himself up to a knee and pulls out his wakizashi. Mustering all the strength he can, he lunges at the Landsknecht and tackles him to the ground, stabbing deep into his thigh under the plate armor with an angled thrust. The Landsknecht grabs the samurai's hand and pushes it away from the wakizashi. He punches the samurai in the face, sending the Japanese warrior rolling off of him, and he picks up his katzbalger from the grass. He swipes at the samurai's face, slicing through his nose and cutting through to one of his ears. The injured samurai spits blood from his mouth and picks up the wakizashi in his hand.

The Landsknecht throws the katzbalger aside and rushes over to grab his Zweihänder. He raises it high over his head one final time as the samurai plunges the wakizashi into his own neck, defeated. Enraged, the Landsknecht brings the blade down and the dead samurai's head rolls over in the grass, away from its body. The Landsknecht stares at his fallen foe in battle frenzy, breathing heavily, before he turns and looks at the temple behind him. He was sent here for treasure hunting after all, and why not look inside and see what treasures there are to take?

Expert's Opinion
This battle was very close, especially when you boiled down the weapons and fighting styles. The swords were very similar but were used very differenly, and the Zweihänder was long enough to keep the samurai at a distance and keep him from snatching a close-ranged victory. The Landsknecht owes his victory to his armor and training, however, because his munition plate armor protected more of his body and offered greater protection against musket fire than did the samurai's tosei gusoku armor. The Landsknecht was used to fighting where muskets were just as present as swords, and while the samurai did adapt rather well to gunpowder-based combat, it was ultimately their undoing, and this battle just goes to prove that one more time.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.

Battle vs. Streltsy (by BattleGames1)
Landsknecht:

Streltsy:

In an open field near an abandoned village, 5 Streltsy (with the prikazi/chief on horseback) continue firing their pischals in the direction of the village, scaring off and/or killing the villagers inside. From a distance, 5 Landsknecht mercenaries (with their Hauptmann/captain on horseback) are walking down a dirt road near a forest when they hear the gunfire and screaming. The Hauptmann, concerned, orders his men to ready their arquebuses while he readies his own. Unfortunately, the prikazi has noticed the Landsknecht taking aim and yells for his men to duck as the Landsknechts open fire. One of the Streltsy men however is too slow and is hit by one of the bullets going through his stomach. While the German arquebusiers hastily reload their weapons, the prikazi has his men ready their bardiches and pischals to return fire. The Hauptmann notices this and orders his men to scramble but one of them is killed with a hit on the neck while another is knocked down with a hit to the chest. Noticing his fallen comrade, the Hauptmann helps his fallen comrade up onto the horse as the 4 mercenaries scramble in different directions all charging towards the village. The Streltsy continue to hold their ground, albeit panic-stricken as they hastily reload their pischals. As one foot soldier charges with his pike, a Streltsy man fires and hits the Landsknecht in the face. The prikazi then orders his men to retreat into the village with their polearms and swords drawn. The three remaining mercenaries stop at the entrance to the village, firing their arquebuses but missing their shots. The Hauptmann and his soldier dismount from their steed and all three men walk inside, preparing their swords as they do. The three men continue to stride further in with no sign of the Streltsy yet. Reaching the village centre, one of the men notice a hut with an open door in it. The Hauptmann has his man go inside to inspect it, not knowing that a Streltsy with his spontoon is lying in wait. As the Landsknecht enters the premises, the Streltsy holds his ground waiting for the Landsknecht to go past him. When he sees the Landsknecht's back facing him, the Streltsy sneaks up and hits the mercenary on the back, not being able to pierce the armor but at least throwing the mercenary to the ground. The Streltsy prepares to strike the spontoon into the Landsknecht's face but the mercenary rolls out just in time for the spontoon to strike the floor... and get stuck. As the Streltsy tries to pry his polearm out of the floor, the Landsknecht gets on his feet and slashes the Russian's nape with the katzbalger, killing him. As the Landsknecht exits the house on command of the Hauptmann, he warns the two mercenaries of the two Streltsy coming up behind them. Turning around, they see the pair charging up from behind them - one with a sabre and the other with a spontoon. The prikazi, meanwhile, is hiding behind a window with his pischal at the ready. The 4 warriors then duel with the Landsknecht from before preparing his arquebus. At first the Streltsy gain the upper hand but are unable to get past the armour the Landsknecht are wearing. Eventually, the pike-wielding mercenary begins to tire out and tries to stumble back but the Streltsy stabs the Landsknecht in the thigh before drawing his sabre out and slashing the Landsknecht in the face. Unfortunately for him, he is then shot in the chest by the arquebusier from before who is in turn shot in the neck by the prikazi from the window. The Hauptmann, meanwhile, continues duelling with the sabre-wielding Streltsy; the prikazi tries to sneak away via the front door just as the two swordsmen find themselves stuck with their swords locked. The Hauptmann, out of the corner of his eye, notices the prikazi leaving and this distraction gives the Streltsy enough time to headbutt the Hauptmann making him stumble to the ground. The Streltsy then tries to charge at the mercenary captain but as he raises his sabre, the Hauptmann stabs the katzbalger in the Streltsy's stomach. The Hauptmann stands up in pain and kicks his dead opponent aside as he sheathes his katbalger and brings out his zweihander before rushing in the general direction he saw the prizaki rush off in. Down a little avenue, the prizaki turns back and fires another shot from his pischal but misses. Knowing that he has run out of ammunition, the prizaki continues running down with the Hauptmann in pursuit but unfortunately, he reaches a dead end. Realising his blunder, the prizaki unsheathes his bardiche as the Landsknecht captain comes into view holding his zweihander. After staring each other down, the prizaki charges at the Hauptmann and swings his bardiche only to be countered by a swing from the zweihander and no matter how hard the Streltsy chieftan swings his bardiche, he is either countered by the zweihander or blocked by the armour. Eventually, he manages to slash the Hauptmann across the cheek but that only serves to anger him more. Eventually after a few more seconds of fighting, the prizaki begins to tire out - giving the Hauptmann a chance to swing his zweihander and break the staff of the bardiche in half before taking another swing and cutting into the prizaki's head. Looking at his fallen opponent, the Landsknecht notices a bag of gold around his waistbelt. After taking and inspecting the contents of the bag, the Landsknecht holds onto it tightly as he sheathes his zweihander and walks out into the sunlight.

Winner: Landsknecht

Expert's Opinion
The experts have noted that while the Streltsy had a big advantage with the pischal dominating over the arquebus, when there was close combat, the Streltsy could stand no chance beating the Landsknecht since the latter had better armour to protect them with and superior close range weaponry (especially the zweihander). If you think this battle is unfair in any way, shape or form, by all means you can go ahead and do a rematch.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.

Battle vs. Hessian (by Goddess of Despair)
Landsknecht    Hessians

The Hessian troops camp outside of Yorktown. They load their rifles and sharpen their swords and axes, in preparation for the fight to come. Their leader examines the enemy forces of the town, and to his surprise were not the usual American rebels.

Covered with steel chest plates, the Landsknecht arm themselves for battle. Each were armed with Arquebus and a either a Zweihander or Katzbalger sword. They were clearly less advanced in terms of weaponry; however the Hessians were low on ammo due to a lack of supplies.

“We’ll have to make our shots count” the Hessian leader decided before signaling his men to march. The Hessians advanced towards the town, just as the Landsknecht began to aim their muskets. As the Hessians began to form their standard formation, they were pelted with a volley of rounds from the Landsknecht, one scoring a hit.

The Landsknecht began to reload their muskets, whilst the Hessians took aim with their own rifles. Two Landsknecht a picked off by the blast of rifles.

One Landsknecht dropped his Arquebus and lifted his Zweihander, his comrade drawing a Katzbalger. The two let out a battle cry as they charged at the reloading Hessians. The Hessian leader drew his longsword, calling his men to do the same. The Hessian leader slashed his sword at one Landsknecht, who parried with his Zweihander. The Landsknecht followed it up with yet another slash, the Hessian leader blocked it with his longsword, however the blade nearly shattered. In desperation, he lunged at the Landsknecht, which was deflected by his armor. With a swing, the Landsknecht split the Hessian leader in two. He was too fatigued to block a strike from another Hessian armed with a battleaxe.

Turning, the Hessian saw his final comrade engaged with the last Landsknecht. The first Hessian slashed at the Landsknecht, but the chest plate prevented the swing from doing anything to harm him. The Landsknecht plunged his Zweihander into the Hessian’s chest, piercing his heart.

Turning, the Landsknecht attempted to slash the final Hessian, however he missed and the Hessian striked the Landsknecht’s hand, making him roar in pain as his Zweihander fell to the ground. Clutching his hand, the Landsknecht looked  The Hessian gave a smile and smashed the Landsknecht’s head with his axe.

The Hessian raised his axe in the air and screamed in victory.

Expert's Opinion
Both Germans were very skilled, however the advanced firearm, the Jager Rifle, was able to kill at a much longer distance, which prevented the Landsknecht from getting close enough to utilize their swords.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.

Battle vs. Rajput (by Kingjofferyjr)
The Landsknecht was growing frustrated. He had been wandering through these forests for over two days and yet he saw no real sign of cizilization. He had been payed generously by the Indian lord for whom he had been fighting for but what use was money when there was nothing to buy? Although he couldn't complain he reflected, his crossbow caught him meals he wouldn't dream of having in his native land. He considered himself an explorer so when a strange animal passed into his sight, he couldn't stop thinking 'when in Rome'.

As he continued to fantasize about various foods, he didn't notice the broad shape emerging from the bushes behind him. The figure brought his hand down to his hip, slowly and quietly drawing a sharpened hoop from his belt. As the man brought his arm up, preparing to throw, the Landsknecht stopped and turned, sensing something was wrong. He looked up just in time to see the Chakram fly towards his face. Relying on instincts and training he ducked, narrowly avoiding the sharp edges. A second chakram caught him unawares, leaving a deep cut on his cheek.

The Rajput smiled to himself as the strange warrior gasped in pain, but his victory was short lived as his opponent leveled a crossbow at his chest. His armour plates just managed to block the arrow head but it had been a powerful blow. He was sent flying out of the bushes, down the hill behind him and into a small plain. He urged himself to stand, pulling the arrow from his chest plate as he did. He looked up at the Landsknecht, crossbow in his hands as he drew back the lever to load another bolt. The Rajput was quick to react, drawing his aara from his back. He ran forward as the European took aim and swung.

The plastic like whip stung as it made contact with his hand. The cross bow was taken from his grasp due to the sheer force of the swing. He jumped to avoid a low blow at his feet before running straight at the Rajput. The Rajput attempted a follow up swing but the Landsknecht was too close to have an effect. He jumped mid run and kicked out with both feet, catching the Rajput on the chest. He sent the man tumbling backwards as he drew his halberd. He jabbed at the Rajput, forcing him back as he advanced He swung his whip again but the man countered with a buttstroke to his forearm using his strange spear. He cursed, dropping the aara as he clutched his arm. He attempted to rush the Landsknecht but he side stepped him and slashed across his back, giving him a deep cut. He ran back and picked up his whip again. He swung desperately but the Landsknecht ducked again and jabbed, barely missing his groin. The Rajput cursed himself for not learning from his mistakes as he drew his khanda. He threw the whip at the Landsknecht confusing him before going in with his Khanda. He slashed downwards with his sword as the man brought his halberd up to block. The heavy sword smashed through the wood with ease and cutting down the front of the Landsknechts armor.

He drew his broadsword as the Rajput advanced. His armies had faced Rajput warriors before, he knew all to well of their skill with swords. He swiped at the Rajput, forcing him back until the man took a jab for his throat. He swept the attack away with his sword before swinging it upwards. The Rajput easily swayed out of the swords reach. They circled eachother, catching their breaths before attacking again. The Rajput swung high but the Landsknecht went low, swinging for his thigh.

The Broadsword just cut the exposed part of his thigh but he kept his composure. They engaged again, more intensely this time. He hacked and stabbed but neither he nor his enemy could land any hits. His forearms ached from the weight of his sword but the Landsknecht was not faring much better. The man slowly brought his broadsword up high but the Rajput saw his chance. He swung low, the heavy blade crashed into the mans ribs. The Landsknecht fell like a rock, his armor was dented and a small trickle of blood escaped from his mouth.

He attempted to stand but a kick sent him back to the ground. The Rajput threw his sword to one side, attaching a katar to his wrist. The Indian warrior stood there, toying with his prey, letting him suffer. He pulled the large ornamental sword from its scabbard, using it as a walking stick. He just managed to raise it, gritting his teeth through the pain. He ran at the Rajput and swung at his head, the man ducked and swiped at his leg. The Landsknecht roared as the pain exploded through his body. He turned in a rage and swung heavily three times, neither strike making contact. On the fourth strike the man countered.

He punched the Katar through the mans cheek and swiped, giving his face the appearence of a bloody grin. The man coughed and moaned but still he stood, unknown to the Rajput that a splinter from the broken Halberd was in his hand. He walked over to the Landsknecht again, to finish him off when the man swung. The man caught the Rajputs arm in his hand and jabbed the splinter through his eye. He screamed in agony as the Landsknecht walked casually over to his broadsword.

He avoided the Rajputs pathetic attempts to stab him with his Katar as he sought to remove the splinter. He swung at the mans arm, his sword severing the mans hand along with his weapon. Before the Indian could scream he swiped across his throat. He collapsed backwards in a series of coughs and grunts as blood filled his mouth. He removed the mans helmet and said a prayer before delivering the final blow to his opponent. His sword penetrated his skull, brain matter spewed out as the Landsknecht collapsed, tired but victorious.

Expert's Opinion
Both warriors were very well-trained and had efficient and effective arsenals, but in the end the match-up went to the Landsknecht for their weaponry which gave them minor advantages in close and mid range combat.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.

Battle vs. Winged Hussar (by Goddess of Despair)
TBW

Winner: Landsknecht 

Expert's Opinion
TBA

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.