"Pike to Shot ratio of the Italian Wars. " Topic

Im interested in the different views on the ratio of pike to shot in the Italian Wars. From what I can gather, it seems like the Swiss generally had a ratio of one arquebusier per ten men, spanish coullenas had a ratio of one arquebusier per six men, and Landsknects had a ratio of one arquebusier per four men. Can anyone tell me if this is accurate? Also, what were the ratios for other formations, such as Italian infantry, French, ect?

Base on my counts of some specific battles, particularly Pavia, I'd put Landknechts and Swiss both at around 1:7 or 1:8 and the Spanish closer to 1:1 or 1:2.

I suspect it varies widely, depending upon the period, from 1494 – 1525, or 1530, and also by the nationality, or city state/province as well.

Seems as if Venice had a lot of pike, and IIRC, were early adopters of firearms.

Others seem to have kept using crossbows until about 1515, and/or mixed crossbow and gun units.

For Landsknechts:
A usual company (Fähnlein) had an idealized strength of 500, of which 50 were usually handgunners. So 10% or 1:9 would be the ratio. In campaigns the strength of a company varied widely, down to 250 or up to 800 (though more were rare), but the 50 handgunners were usually set, as they got more money. Any free place would be grabbed up, and more would simply not be paid.
There are pretty detailed list for the Black Guard at the eve of Hemmingstedt, were roughly a quarter would be killed and the rest reorganized but lost the cohesion as larger unit (8 companies before, 5 after).

The usual effective strength would probably be at 400-450, so 1:7 to 1:8 sounds absolutely right.

I think you will find the 1:8 figure about normal for most of the Italian Wars.
However, units weren't composed of both arms like they were later in the century, or in the 17th, so it is an army ratio rather than a unit ration.

You might have a unit of Italian Arquebusiers in a French army, alongside a unit of Picard pike, who had no attached shot.

The Spanish, as mentioned, were a little bit more organized. Gonsalvo converting both pikemen and crossbowmen to arquebus early in the Century. However, they never seem to have got above 1 shot to 3 or 4 pike until later in the century, and then not above 1:1 until late in the 17th century.

As with a lot of historical period, training manuals and "memoirs" may quote precise ratios and formations, but in reality people used what they had. And firearms and gunpowder were still relatively expensive.

Phillius,
If you look at actual Spanish muster rolls rather than the theoretical paper organisation you'll find that the Spanish went past a 1:1 ratio in the 16th Century, for example the 4 Spanish tercios which invaded France in 1596 only mustered 25% pikemen and in 1601 the Spanish companies of the Army of Flanders were only 33% pike. Even the paper organisation varied a fair bit, the Tercio organisation for the army of Flanders only had 22,4% shot while a Tercio in Italy had 46,6% shot. The Walloon & Low German units had a 1:1 ratio as early as 1566 and adopted a 1:4 (1:4,4 to be precise) ratio in 1592.

At least the Germans were using fähnlein of mixed arms from the very start of the Italian wars and the Italians had them by 1528, French aventuriers also turn up in groups with mixed arms but I've never seen a detailed company level break down of their organisation.

Ratios from the Swiss was depended a lot on wether the troops were mercenaries or were an official force of the Swiss confedracy. The former were usually hired for their skill with pike and halberd and included comparativly few shot while the later could contain a much more substancial number of shot, for example 1/4 of the army was shot in 1512.

As for the Landsknechts 50 shot in a fähnlein is a common number but it is not the only number used. (And IIRC I've mainly seen it in units recruited for French service) Dolnstein has 75 shot in a 400 man fähnlein for example.
Looking at actual numbers the fähleins of Marx Sittich von Ems and Georg von Frundsberg were able to detach some 1500-2000 shot to serve with the forlorn hope led by De Vasto and I doubt that two such experienced commanders detached all of their shot. 1500-2000 is a considerable number given that the over all strenght of the Landsknechts was 12-13000 on the day of battle and more than should have been present with 50 shot in each fählein. (There were 29 fähnlein if the sources are correct)

Well, 29 Fähnlein make up some 1500 shot. Perhaps they even had some surplus arquebus not used (or rather: not paid for) but manned (and waiting for an official slot), and an "all or nothing" attitude was afaik in character at least for Frundsberg. If there is need for shot, its better to send out all to make it decisive. Some shot will not help if kept back, but may be missed where it counts.

That said, 50 was the common number, it was not a law. War makes people flexible in approach, so another theatre may see other ratios. If Dolnstein reports 75 I have no doubts that this was the number. It may be that the French were more conservative. No idea how the Fähnlein in Russian service at Orsha were composed, or the Landsknechts fighting in 1490 in the Bretagne – or 1532 against the Akinci in Austria.