"Italian Wars Landsknecht Pikeblock " Topic

Superb job!

More here
link

Amicalement
Armand

Liking that a lot.

Fantastic painting and modelling. Just the Flag….

1st, the Black Band (at least the famous one) was in French Service, while the other Flag shows the personal Motto of Charles V. No way these two flags were ever close, except perhaps at Pavia where the Imperials annihilated the Black Band.

2nd, this particular Flag is for the Bande Nere – the Italian unit serving under Giovanni di Medici. Same name, same time, different unit. Chamberlin made the same mistake in "Sack of Rome" :-) Afaik historical depictions of Pavia or Marignano only show geometric designs for the Landsknechts.

Well enough wiseguying. I wish I could paint and build half as well. Brilliant unit.

Glad you like it my friend.

Amicalement
Armand

@Puster. Thanks for your kind words and the information on the banners. Actually, I realize that the flags are 'in conflict' but I simply liked the colours and so just ran with it (sacrilege, I know). :)

Also, each flag in my units are a discrete base, so I can mix-and-match to fit to scenario. I used the 'Bande Nere' banner simply as I didn't have a Landsknecht colour for their Black Band (or 'Black Legion'). Is there one documented? If so, what did it look like?

Again, thanks for the comment and thank you Tango01 for the extra press. :)

Curt

> Is there one documented? If so, what did it look like?
There are some contemporary pictures on the battle of Pavia, though you never know how accurate these are.

link

Afaik the "Black Band" was just formed up for the campaign and given the name more as a title then to specify a unit. There is some continuity in the "Black Guard" from around 1497 to 1500, and for the "Black Band" from 1514 to ~ 1520. The latter was formed in Saxony, fought in Frisia, was hired by the Duke of Gueldern and led in support to fight at Marignano (beside some 12000 Landsknechts in French service that were not part of it) and then returned to fight for the Duke of Gueldern vs. various Rebels. Traces vanish there (for now). The 1525 force seems newly hired (as it was in 1514, there is probably no direct continuity from the 1500 unit), just as the Landsknecht band hired for the campaign in 1528 was also again called "Black Band".

It is likely, however, that despite the unit not existing in continuity that core members did return to service. Its also interesting to see that the destruction and dispersion of the Black Legion of Mathias Corvinus happened in 1493, shortly before the Duke Albrecht hired forces for a war in Flandern – a force that, when later dispersed, created the Black Guard as independent force, which was said to be officered by Germans but containing many foreign mercenaries.

So in short: no flag, but the paper flag at redoubt are as good a guess as I could make.