Continuing last week’s list of Lion Rampant resources, this week we’ll review blogs as a source for Condottieri skirmishing. Reminder: I’m not a historian.

Glossary

Let’s define our terms, per Wikipedia.

Condottieri were mercenaries contracted by Italian city-states and the Papacy. The root word is condotta : “contract.” Thus, a condottiero is a “contractor,” singular. In English, you’re more likely to see the singular spelled condottiere . And condottieri is simply the plural. You’ll likely see sources that should know better mixing up the singular and plural! Condottieri were prominent in the 14th through 15th centuries, and declined as city-states began to give way to the larger armies fielded by emerging nation-states.

were mercenaries contracted by Italian city-states and the Papacy. The root word is : “contract.” Thus, a is a “contractor,” singular. In English, you’re more likely to see the singular spelled . And is simply the plural. You’ll likely see sources that should know better mixing up the singular and plural! Condottieri were prominent in the 14th through 15th centuries, and declined as city-states began to give way to the larger armies fielded by emerging nation-states. Landsknechts (German plural is Landsknechte, but I’ll stick with English) were the “universal mercenaries of early modern Europe,” fighting with pike and supporting infantry. Landsknecht means “lowlands-servant,” or “foot-soldier.” Landsknechts were known for their colorful uniforms and were prominent in the late-15th through 16th centuries…

… which means if you wish to field Condottieri and Landsknechts on the same table, you have a relatively narrow window of about three decades, beginning in 1494-ish and ending in 1525 at the Battle of Pavia. You can probably get away with mixing a box of Perry Mercenaries European Infantry 1450–1500 with a box of Warlord Games Landsknechts and no one will send you home.

Or if sent home it will be for your poor déportment and not for your lack of authenticity. This leads us to…

The Italian Wars, a series of conflicts from 1494–1559 involving many Italian city-states and most of Western Europe. At various times France, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, England, Scotland, and the Ottoman Empire got involved in the mix, as well as Landsknechts and Swiss mercenaries. Playing in the earlier decades of this period means you can select from an incredible array of miniatures from late-Medieval and early-Renaissance armies. After the Battle of Pavia in 1525 tactics began to change significantly, which takes us beyond the scope of Lion Rampant.

Blogs

A number of blogs cover Condottieri and Landsknechts: how they fought, what they wore, and how to paint them.

Veritable Hokum by Korwin Briggs. “What You Might Wear if You Were a Landsknecht” is a good place to start, with a colorful cartoon and punchy prose:

There are two big things to know about landsknechts: they dressed like circus clowns, and for most of a century, they beat the crap out of nearly everyone they faced on the battlefield. They weren’t the only ones dressed in brightly-colored clothes that had been slashed to floppy ribbons, but theirs tended to be the most brightly colored, most slashed, most floppy clothes around. Apparently the Holy Roman Emperor exempted them from sumptuary laws (which restricted clothing choices, among other things) on account of their ‘short and brutish’ lives.

Army Royal, the first of two blogs we’ll cover by Stuart Mulligan. While Stuart writes about Henry VIII’s forays in France and Flodden — well north of Italy — in 1513, the period is perfect and includes 29 articles on Landsknechts. Stuart’s focus is creating historically accurate tableau: the scenarios are inspired by real battles, the terrain looks real, and the uniforms, weapons, and armor are crafted and painted with great care. The After Action Reports (“AAR”) are thrilling and occassionally silly. While you could pick any entry at random, I found the following especially useful: