Ref.: ROME-54072
Lanzichenecco doppio-soldo In order to defend the territories acquired after his marriage to Margaret of Burgundy from the attacks of the Burgundian, Bohemian and Bavarian princes, the emperor Maximilian the 1st constituted an army of landsknechts inspired by a Swiss model. Landsknecht is a German term which means servant of the land. The army consisted of regiments made up by ten companies each one consisting of platoons of ten landsknecht or six double-pay. The lands were armed with pikes, harquebus, and swords. The double–pays were armed with double handed broadswords with double cutting edge. These men received double pay because in battle they were required to have a special courage and also because after the battle they were unable to plunder due to the dimensions of the broadswords.