The Army of the Swabian League 1525
The Swabian League was established as a defensive alliance of princes, prelates, and Imperial cities to maintain the peace within the territory of Southern Germany. In 1525, the League faced an existential threat in the form of an attempt by the exiled Duke Ulrich of Württemberg to retake his territory, and a series of localized peasant uprisings which united into a movement for political reform. The League was forced to mobilize a mercenary army at a time of financial crisis and a shortage of Landsknechts, many of whom were fighting in the Italian Wars.
This book presents a detailed inside account of the different components and internal organization of the League army. It focuses on two campaigns led by its supreme commander, Georg Truchsess von Waldburg, to maintain discipline during an intensive six-month campaign to thwart the Duke of Württemberg and smash the peasant rebellion, whilst attempting to appease his political overlords within the League.
Paperback
248mm x 180mm
104 pages
45 black-and-white illustrations & maps