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"1550's Landsknechts" Topic


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©1994-2025 Bill Armintrout
Comments or corrections?

Jagger01 May 2012 2:27 p.m. PST

Were the Landsknechts outfits just as outrageous in the 1550s as around the 1500s? I read somewhere that the Landsknechts had made a shift to the plunderhose at some point. I am assuming plunderhosen is less adaptable to wild outfits than the puffed and slashed clothing of the earlier period. I am also curious whether they dropped the large hats w/feathers and adopted the more standard 1550s and onwards morion helmets.

Daniel S01 May 2012 3:28 p.m. PST

"Plunderhose" is a word invented by SCA-ites & reenactors who did not speak German. The German word is "Pluderhose", the "Pluder" is the baggy fabric which billows out between the panes of cloth which form the outer layer.

Erhard Schön still shows the "classic" style of Landsknecht clothing in his images from the 1530's

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But in Hans Dörings images from the 1540's the style has changed, particluarly as far as the leg wear is concerned

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When Virgil Solis illustrated Fronspergers military texts in 1555 the Pluderhose have appeared in their earliest "true" form.

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By the time Jost Amman illustrates the next edition of Fronspergers work in 1565 the Pluderhose have become even even larger.

picture


This new style of Landsknecht dress could still be rather flamboyant with plenty of puffs and slashes

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However the increased use of armour meant that much of the clothing was now covered by armour

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The typical helmet was the "Sturmhaube" aka Burgonet which had begun to replace the sallets and steel caps in the 1520's. As burgonets became more and more common in the 1530's and 1540's the large hats disappear. Not only did the fashion change but it was no longer possible to wear the hat over the helmet as could be done with the simple steel caps used before the Burgonet.

Morions were also used but at first mostly by the shot but in the last decades of the 16th Century the combed morion in the Italian style became an alternative for the pikeman as well. However the Burgonet remained dominant until replaced by the Duth style morion in the 17th Century.

Rich Bliss01 May 2012 3:55 p.m. PST

That might be the most compete response I've ever seen. There's literally nothing I can add.

pigbear01 May 2012 4:52 p.m. PST

Yes, Daniel S should be on The Editor's payroll.

RNSulentic01 May 2012 5:35 p.m. PST

I concur. Thank you Daniel!

Jagger01 May 2012 6:18 p.m. PST

That is exactly the information I needed. Daniel, thanks very much!

Jagger01 May 2012 6:42 p.m. PST

One consistency from beginning to end are the feathers in the hat.

jay13801 May 2012 10:23 p.m. PST

Did not know I was going to learn that much about landsknechts' fashion today, but thanks Daniel

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