 The great German Landsknecht ( land servant ) Sword was a long two handed sword that was used from around the 16th century up until around 1750. It was 6 foot 3 inches tall ! and was utilized by the tallest and strongest men who were  specially selected out of the Swiss and German front line
military divisions.The sword derived its name from those who used it and the Landsknechte (plural) were special soldiers who were paid double salaries two adopt and fight with this Longsword. The main purpose of equipping special soldiers with a sword of this ilk was so that they could attack the enemies frontline charging horsemen, the Landsknecht were also employed to slice off offending enemy pike and halberd heads...and the occasional soldiers head as well ! If you wanted to bring it on, on the ancient battlefields of Europe, then you would have opted for the Landsknecht divisions.  Many of these Landsknecht swords were made with the vicious 'flamberge' wavy edge blade that was more efficient at slicing open flesh, similar to the infamous Kris dagger shown here...  ... except of course the Landsknecht blade was a lot longer, 4½ feet in fact. The hand guard was also quite a feature on this sword which usually sported 17½ inch wide cross guard and big double rings so that the sword could be held in such a way as to apply maximum leverage. In the right hands, penetration of an enemy soldiers shield or armor was not conceived as a much of problem with the Landsknecht. Modern practitioners of medieval sword fighting techniques usually refer to facsimiles of sword fighting training documents that were written hundreds of years ago to get the right technique. The gent in the image below is showing one of the hundreds of different parry's that could be achieved with this sword.  This particular thrusting move would apply enough force to penetrate most of the types of armor worn in day when these swords were king of the battlefield. As stated previously, it was usually the biggest and tallest men out of the military divisions would be selected to carry and use these swords as front line Landsknecht soldiers. They would have engaged cavalry who would have their saber's and lances and foot soldiers who were armed with pikes and halberds. Of course all men at arms could use these swords...if they were tall enough ! a 5ft 3in person with a 6ft 3in sword was however, at a slight mobility disadvantage !  Don't be too overawed with the size of these swords though, as they were apparently quite wieldly and with several hours of practise anyone of decent stature and upper body strength could get to grips with a Landsknecht. There are a few pages on the internet that suggest these swords weighed as much as 20 to 30 lbs, well this is total rubbish ! the Landsknecht weighed about 7 lbs, and at that, was one of the heaviest swords on any European battlefield. As stated on one of my other web pages dedicated to swords, the German Landsknecht Doppelsoldner were mercenaries and these "hired" men would use the Landsknecht amongst other great swords such as the Gross Zwiehänder or the Grossmesser. The Coldsteel's two handed great sword - (gross zwiehänder) is an impressive sword a over 4½ feet long.  Below is an image of a modern day re-enactor, playing the part of a Landsknecht Doppelsoldner, and of course, he is suitably armed with a Landsknecht. It is also possible to see the large handle loops that accompanied the quillions on this large assuming sword.  Some people may ask "what was the best sword ?" and the response may be " why the Landsknecht was, of course ! ", but to be fair, there is no best sword. A nice and light rapier or small sword for example, would be 100% better than a Landsknecht in a narrow alley or inside a tavern but would be 100% useless against an armored and shield toting soldier with a Longsword. SUPPLEMENTARY:    The term Galloglas or Gallowglass is derived from Irish-Gaelic, Gallóglaigh meaning foreign soldiers, incorporating the word, Óglach, which is derived from oac, gaelic for soldier. The gallowglass were a tough mercenary élite from among Gaelic-Norse clans residing in the highlands and Western Isles of Scotland (or, Hebrides) from the mid 13th century to the end of the 16th century. As Scots, their tradition descended from the Irish, but they had intermarried with the 10th century Norse settlers of the islands and coastal areas of Scotland, and the Picts, and so the Irish called them Gall Gaeil ("foreign Gaels").  Before the advent of gunpowder the Gallowglass were at the front of Scottish and Irish warfare, and dependant upon "as and when" service with their Irish Liards. A military chieftain would often select several gallowglass mercs to serve as his personal bodyguard, because as a foreigner, the Gallowlass were not influenced by local wars. In 1259 Prince Aed O'Connor of Connaught received a dowry of 160 Scottish warriors from the daughter of the King of the Hebrides. This was the first record of actual use of Gallowglass mercenaries under the Irish.  They were organized into 100 man groups known as a "Corrughadh". In return for military service, gallowglass mercenaries were often given big bonuses or land and they were entitled to receive supplies from the local population. There were around 60 gallowglass groups by 1512 paid by wealthy Irish nobility to fight their wars and settle their disputes. The Gallowglass were noted for wielding the two handed Sparthe axe, long broadsword or claymore. They wore chain-mail shirts over thick and heavy padded jackets, shields and iron helmets, they was usually accompanied by two young caddies, who toted their spears, crossbows, spare armor, foodstuffs and other provisions.  The importation of gallowglass into Ireland was a major factor in containing the Anglo-Norman invasion of the 12th century, as their ranks stiffened the resistance of the Irish lordships. Throughout the Middle Ages in Ireland, gallowglass troops were maintained by Gaelic Irish and Hiberno-Norman lords alike. Even the English Lord Deputy of Ireland usually kept a company of them in his service. The 16th century in Ireland saw an escalation in military conflict, caused by the Tudor re-conquest of Ireland. Gallowglas fighters were joined by native Irish mercenaries called buanadha (literally "quartered men") and by newer Scottish mercenaries known as "redshanks". The flow of these skilful sword fighting mercenaries into Ireland was such a threat to English occupation that Queen Elizabeth I had a bit of a panic attack and took steps against them in 1571 when around 700 of them were rounded up and executed. In spite of the increased use of firearms in Irish warfare, gallowglass remained an important integral part of military forces in the Nine Years Irish War. After the combined Irish defeat at the Battle of Kinsale in 1601, recruitment of gallowglass started to dwindle, although Scottish Highland mercenaries continued to travel to Ireland until the 1640s, as the money was good and always available to be earned.  However, with the passage of time and trends the gallowglass ceased to exist to function as a military unit and gallowglass members worked solo for whoever could pay for their services. Even this waned off though with normal soldiers and local garrisons offering more law and order within communities. The age of the gallowglass then drifted slowly off into oblivion. The family names of many gallowglass contingents live on to this day, often concentrated in areas where their ancestors were settled in the service of Irish lordships. The most common names derived from gallowglass families include: MacSweeney, MacDomhnaill, MacDonnell, MacSheehy, MacDubhgaill, MacDougall MacCaba, MacCabe and MacRory. One of the most famous gallowglass mercenaries was Alasdair MacColla. So, if you are reading this page and your name is one of the above, then rest assured, your family has a strong heritage from a fighting class. A class of fighter not too unlike the Japanese have with the Samurai. SUMMARY: The Irish the warrior elite were known as
gallowglass, these men were generally foot soldiers, wearing
chainmail, jerkins, helmets, gauntlets and large two-handed
The large two-handed sword of the gallowglass had a long, broad double-edged blade and the guard was of cruciform type often with a cut out E shape or some other similar detail on each guard end. Pommels were always of the distinctive hollow circular type and the tang of the blade could be seen running up through the pommel itself, and could be looked upon as a symbol of strength and loyalty to the very center of the gallowglass.
The fearless and fearsome Irish gallowglass fought as mercenaries not only in Ireland but also with the Scots, and even with the English armies of Henry VIII. It could be reasonably assumed that when King Henry VIII first heard of these mercenaries, the first question he asked was " How much are they? " Apart from the paranoid Queen Elizabeth 1st, most kings, ruling powers, governments of the day etc liked and employed mercenaries, they were useful, and loyal as their allegiance was bought and paid for...at the right price of course. The Gallowglass were ultimately famed for their courage, strength and ferocity, skilfully armed with their distinguished, sharp and deadly two-handed swords. "Blood, truth and honor"  Photos and some text extracts of the Gallowglass from www.albion-swords.com |
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swords. The
gallowglass were supported by lightly armed retainers known as the Kern.