This site is created for collectors of mainly composition vintage toy soldiers produced by great toy makers of the past: Elastolin, Hausser, Lineol, Durso, Kienel, Starlux, Leyla, Schusso, Armee, Trico, Duro, Durolin, NB, Triumph, GJ and many others.

Toy soldiers and real battles: Swiss mercenary pikemen

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Sunday, January 13, 2019

Swiss mercenary pikemen

Swiss mercenary pikemen made by CBG Mignot.
Swiss mercenaries (Reisläufer) were notable for their service in foreign armies, especially the armies of the Kings of France, throughout the Early Modern period of European history, from the Later Middle Ages into the Age of the European Enlightenment. Their service as mercenaries was at its peak during the Renaissance, when their proven battlefield capabilities made them sought-after mercenary troops. There followed a period of decline, as technological and organizational advances counteracted the Swiss' advantages. Switzerland's military isolationism largely put an end to organized mercenary activity; the principal remnant of the practice is the Pontifical Swiss Guard at the Vatican.




Schweizer Reislaeufer ueberqueren die Alpen (Luzerner Schilling)


Lansquenet in red: Painting by Fernand Hodler (1895). Winterthur, Oskar Reinhart

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