The Savage Landsknechts — The Best Mercenaries of the 16th Century
The devil refused to let Landsknechts into hell because he was so afraid of them
They were brutal. They were skilled with weapons. They were loyal only to money. They were colorful. They were the Landsknechts.
In the 16th century, the Landsknechts fought throughout Europe, North Africa, and even in Venezuela!
Landsknechts were German mercenary soldiers with a formidable reputation. They were known to be effective on the battlefield, but also for the undiscriminating violence towards the civil population.
One chronicler remarked that the devil refused to let Landsknechts into hell because he was so afraid of them.
God forbid if their warlord ran out of gold to pay for them. They would desert him en masse. Then, they would devastate an entire city or countryside to get their pay. They even sacked Rome in 1527 to get money.
Needless to say, they switched sides if the opposing side offered more gold.
No money…no Landsknechts!
