#reislaufer

Landsknecht and  Reisläufer

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Löwendenkmal - The “Lion of Lucerne” is a memorial to the Swiss Guards of Louis XVI who defended the Palais des Tuileries in Paris when it was stormed by revolutionaries in 1792.  About 600 guards were killed in the attack and 200 more died in prison or on the guillotine.

The Swiss Guards were professional soldiers hired to fight for foreign leaders. The young men who joined had several incentives—limited economic options in the still largely rural cantons; adventure; pride in the reputation of the Swiss as soldiers; and a pure love of combat in and of itself.  In other words, they did not die for a cause they believed in; they died doing the dangerous job they were paid to do for anyone who hired them.

The origins of the slashed clothing so popular among Swiss and German (Landsknecht) mercenaries at the beginning of the 16th century are obscure. The usual folktale is that Swiss soldiers slashed tight-fitting clothing captured during their victories over the Burgundians in 1476, so that they could wear it with less strain. This is clearly implausible. Clothing had been looted for generations; most 15th century hose and many doublets were tight-fitting, but went unslashed. (...)

Although the soldier's more gaudily noticeable dress may draw our eye away from armour, at least partial harness was still in widespread use by footsoldiers and horsemen alike. The extent to which the increased use of firearms negated its value should not be over-emphasised. Although the greater weight and expense of bullet-proof armour probably limited its use mostly to cavalry, and although matchlock balls could certainly punch through most 'ammunition' breastplates, the major threat to the footsoldier would still come from blade weapons for several generations to come. (...)

Neatly tailored slashings to ease the movement of shoulder and elbow appear in Italian costume, and then in Swiss and German, during the latter part of the 15th century; among civilians and mercenaries towards 1500; and bursting into a great flourish in 1500-1520. (...)

Although all of the wide variety of styles were shared by Swiss and Germans, there seem to have been certain details, or combinations of details, which each side associated mostly with the other. Individually it may have been difficult to tell friend from foe, but en masse a collective 'look' made them recognisable. Here is a glimpse of how Swiss artists caricatured themselves, the Reislaufer, their allies the French; and their enemies, the Landsknechts.

A) Caricature of a typical Landsknecht by the Swiss soldier/artist Urs Graf.

B, C & I) A wonderful view of foe, friend and employer seen through the experienced eye of Urs Graf:

B) A Landsknecht. This representation is perhaps equivalent to a modern cartoon 'American' identified by a Stetson and cowboy boots -instantly recognisable, but hardly a realistic interpretation of the average US citizen.

C) A Swiss Reislaufer.

D) A French recruiting officer. He is a more conservatively dressed figure; the heavily slashed 'German' style was less popular in France. Interestingly he displays on his arm a fleurde-lys badge, perhaps in yellow, which is also depicted on a Swiss in another of Graf's drawings -see (E). We do not know how widely this and other identifying badges were worn, apart from the frequently depicted white Swiss cross and the St Andrew's saltire of the Empire.

F) Rear view of a Landsknecht showing the construction of the hat and how it was worn slung on the back. His sword is the typical short, double-edged German infantry 'Kalzhalger' or 'Cat-Mangier'. His hobnailed spare shoes are tied to his halberd, a detail drawn by Urs Graf.

G) A typical Swiss on campaign, his purse around his neck and his gaudy clothes beginning to show signs of wear and tear. Both Urs Graf and Niklaus Manuel frequently show soldiers reduced to rags and tatters. Sandals might replace worn-out shoes during the Italian wars. The long hand-and-a-half sword is more Swiss than Landsknecht, but there is really nothing about this figure that could not equally have been worn by a German. The constant fighting, looting, and consequent interchange of clothing and weapons must have made them indistinguishable at times.

H) This cap, with its brim slit to make two pointed 'ears', is shown by Urs Graf and may have been a transitory Swiss fashion.

I) This wonderful print by Urs Graf compares a German Landsknecht (left) with a Swiss Reislaufer (right), exaggerating the former's flat cap, moustache, and S-shaped sword quillons.

J) For comparison we show here the costume worn by a typical German peasant at the end of the 15th century - old fashioned, and showing none of the exaggerations of his oppressors' dress styles. Wagoners and followers accompanying the mercenary armies frequently wore clothing like this.