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Medieval German

Historical Overview Section

From the High Middle Ages onwards, the Holy Roman Empire had an uneasy coexistence with the dukes of the local territories as to their autonomy, leading to a fractured political and military reality across Germany as Imperial and "Free" cities jostled for economic power. In the later Middle Ages, many free cities formed alliances (Städtebünde); most notably the Hanseatic League. The resulting money economy provoked social discontent among knights and peasants as the knightly classes found their monopoly on arms and military skill undermined by the introduction of mercenary armies and foot soldiers.

The beginning of this list is really co-terminous with the reign of Charles IV, who was elected him King of the Romans in opposition to Emperor Louis IV in 1349, and also crowned in 1346 in Bonn. After Louis IV died, Charles was re-elected in 1349. In 1355 he was also crowned King of Italy, and Holy Roman Emperor later that year. With his coronation as King of Burgundy in 1365, he became the personal ruler of all the kingdoms of the Holy Roman Empire. His most important act was to promulgate the Golden Bull of 1356 whereby the succession to the imperial title was laid down, which held for the next four centuries. He also organized the states of the empire into peace-keeping confederations in which the Imperial cities figured prominently. The Swabian Landfriede confederation of 1370 was made up almost entirely of Imperial Cities. In wargaming terms, he was a bit of a cheat as he exercised dominance over the eastern borders of the Empire through a succession of treaties with the Habsburgs and the purchase (yes, purchase) of Brandenburg. He also claimed imperial lordship over the crusader states of Prussia and Livonia.

Despite the Golden Bull of 1356, the rules of how the king, the electors, and the other dukes should cooperate in the Empire much depended on the personality of the respective king. It therefore proved somewhat fatal that Sigismund of Luxemburg (king 1410, emperor 1433–1437) and Frederick III of Habsburg (king 1440, emperor 1452–1493) didn;t spend much of their time in Germany proper and instead lived mostly abroad in their own lands. Without the presence of the king dukes often went into feuds against each other that, more often than not, escalated into local wars. The Church were also unable to provide a stabilizing influence and a conflict between several competing popes was only resolved at the Council of Constance (1414–1418) through a pope-on-pope table football tournament, and after 1419, much energy was spent on fighting the heresy of the Hussites.

When Frederick III needed the dukes to finance war against the Later Hungarians in 1486 and at the same time had his son, later Maximilian I elected king, he was presented with the dukes' united demand to participate in an Imperial Court. For the first time, the assembly of the electors and other dukes was now called Reichstag (to be joined by the Imperial Free Cities later). While Frederick refused, his more conciliatory son finally convened the first Reichstag at Worms in 1495, after his father's death in 1493. Despite being militarily rather useless, and losing to a variety of enemies including the Later Hungarians, the Ordonnance Burgundians of Charles the Bold and several minor nations deemed not worthy of their own lists such as the Bohemians, Bavarians and Austrians, Frederick prevailed in all those conflicts by outliving his opponents and sometimes inheriting their lands through marrying their daughters - not a strategy recommended in wargaming circles if playing in a 2.5 hour time limited game on a 120x80 table.

At the age of 77, Frederick III died at Linz in a failed attempt to have his left leg amputated, to be succeeded by his son Maximilian I of Habsburg in 1493, who ruled as Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 until his death (although he had ruled jointly with his father for the last ten years of his father's reign, from circa 1483). Maximilian had a busy wargaming life, After he married Bianca Maria Sforza, a daughter of the Duke of Milan on 16 March 1494, Maximilian sought to expand his power in parts of Condotta Italian Italy, bringing in turn Ordonnance French intervention in Italy and inaugurating the prolonged Italian Wars. He also was trhe German Emperor who ended up at the 1499 Treaty of Basel acknowledging the de facto independence of the Swiss confederacy from the Empire as a result of the Battle of Dornach - possibly inspiring him to form the Landsknechts.

Using the army in ADLG

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Army Lists

Sample army lists for this army
German Team Tournament 2024
Ordinary, included Unreliable
2 Pikemen Pikemen Mediocre
1 Pikemen Pikemen ------
1 Militia Crossbowmen Light Infantry Crossbow ----
1 Militia Archer Light Infantry Bow ------
2 MAA (Can Dismount) * Heavy Knight Impact ----
==
Brilliant
1 War Wagon Crossbow War Wagon Crossbow ------
1 Teutons Heavy Knight Impact Elite
1 MAA (Can Dismount) Heavy Knight Impact ----
2 Pikemen Pikemen Mediocre
1 Halberdier Heavy swordsmen polearm ----
1 Hungarian Light Cavalry Bow ------
2 Militia Crossbowmen Light Infantry Crossbow ----
1 Mounted Handgunners Medium Cavalry Firearm ----
==
Competent
1 MAA replaced Heavy Cavalry Impact ------
2 Handgunners Light Infantry Firearm Elite
3 Free Canton Militia Medium Spearmen ----
1 Militia Crossbowmen Crossbowmen ------

(Brilliant wasn't enough for the 2nd command, he had too much to do. There are also too many Mediocre troops, and the Halberdiers are not really as good as more pikemen would have been)


10th place CLWC 2022 (Stan)
Command 1
CinC Competent 1@3=3
Foot Knight 4@12=48
LMI Crossbowmen + Pavise 2@8=16
Light Artillery 1@6=6
Heavy Cavalry Firearm 1@11=11
==
Command 2
Sub Commander Competent 1 @3=3
Light Infantry Crossbow 4@4=16
Pikemen 4 @11=44
Pikemen Mediocre 2@8=16
==
Command 3
Sub Commander 1@3=3
Medium Infantry Spearmen 4@7=28

Fortified Camp 1@6=6



227 Noodlers Med German USTT 2020
Competent
3 lancers Heavy cavalry impact ------
2 landsknecht Pikemen Mediocre
2 crossbow Crossbowmen ------
2 halberdiers Heavy swordsmen 2HW ------
==
Competent
2 landsknecht Pikemen Mediocre
1 crossbow Crossbowmen ------
2 mounted crossbow Medium cavalry crossbow ------
1 mounted firearm Medium cavalry firearm ------
2 hungarians Light cavalry bow ------
==
Competent, Included, Unreliable
2 landsknecht Pikemen Mediocre
1 crossbow Crossbowmen ------
2 mercenaries Heavy knight impact ----
2 light infantry Light infantry firearm ------

227 Medieval German (Amey - Britcon 2019)
Competent
4 Men-at-Arms Heavy knight impact
1 Heavy Cavalry Heavy cavalry crossbow
2 Hungarians Light cavalry bow
==
Competent
3 Spearmen Heavy spearmen ------
2 Men-at-Arms Heavy knight impact ------
1 Light foot Light infantry crossbow ------
1 Halberdiers Heavy swordsmen armour 2HW ----
1 Handgunners Light infantry firearm Elite
==
Competent
2 Hungarians Light cavalry bow
2 Light infantry Light infantry crossbow
2 Men-at-Arms Heavy knight impact



227 Medieval German (Young - Britcon 2019)
Competent
1 HI Spearmen Armour
1 Militia Crossbow Pavise
2 Men at Arms H Kn Impact
1 Militia LF XBow
1 Skirmisher LF Bow
1 Halberdier HF 2HW
1 Mounted XBow HCv XBow
==
Competent
1 HI Spearmen Armour
1 Militia Crossbow Pavise
2 Men at Arms H Kn Impact
1 Low Countries HI Pike Mediocre
1 Skirmisher LF Bow
1 Halberdier HF 2HW
==
Swiss Ally Competent Included
5 Hlaberdiers Elite
1 LF Crossbow

227 Medieval German (Bohm - Britcon 2019)
Competent
Qty Troops description Troop type Quality Cost Total
4 Feudal knight Heavy Knight impetuous Elite 14 56
2 Mounted crossbowmen Medium cavalry crossbow Ordinary 9 18
==
Competent Ally Swiss
4 Swiss pikemen Pikemen Elite 13 52
2 Swiss halberdiers Medium swordsmen 2HW Ordinary 8 16
2 handgunners Light infantry firearm Ordinary 4 8
==
Ordinary Unreliable
2 War wagon War wagon crossbow Ordinary 10 20
2 Heerban Levy Ordinary 3 6
2 Militia Light infantry crossbow Ordinary 4 8
2 Heavy Spearmen Heavy spearmen Ordinary 8 16

227 Medieval German Orphan Brigade USTT 2019
Ordinary
1 Crossbow Crossbowmen pavise
3 mounted gunners Heavy cavalry firearm
1 hungarians Light cavalry bow
==
Ordinary
2 light inf Light infantry firearm
2 landsknechts Pikemen
1 Crossbow Crossbowmen pavise
2 halbertiers Heavy swordsmen 2HW
1 levy Levy
==
Ordinary
2 hungarians Light cavalry bow
1 Crossbow Crossbowmen pavise
5 men at arms Heavy knight impact

200AP from Derby 2017
Competent CinC
3 Men-at-arms Heavy Knight impact
2 halberdiers Heavy swordsmen 2HW
2 Light infantry bow Light infantry bow
==
Competent 2inC
2 Men-at-arms Heavy Knight impact
1 Replace some mounted crossbowmen Medium cavalry firearm
2 Hungarians Light cavalry bow
2 light infantry Light infantry crossbow
==
Competent 3inC
4 German landsknechts Pikemen
2 foot knights Foot Knight
1 Levy Levy


200AP Roll Call
Brilliant
6 Men-at-arms and mercenaries Heavy Knight impact
Competent
3 Free Canton militia Medium spearmen
1 Militia Crossbow pavise
2 Militia Light infantry crossbow
1 halberdiers Heavy swordsmen 2HW
Competent
1 halberdiers Heavy swordsmen 2HW
3 Mounted crossbowmen Medium cavalry crossbow
2 Spearmen Heavy spearmen
2 Militia Light infantry crossbow

C London 1-dayer 2016
Competent Included General

  • 4 Heavy Knights Heavy knight impact
  • 1 mounted Xbow Heavy cavalry crossbow
  • 1 skirmisher Light infantry bow

Competent Included General

  • 4 Heavy Knights Heavy knight impact
  • 2 Mounted Xbow Heavy cavalry crossbow

Competent General

  • 4 Crossbows Crossbowmen pavise ----
  • 4 Militia Medium spearmen Mediocre
  • 1 skirmisher Light infantry bow ----


Patrick Lefebre - Worlds 2016 200 AP
Swiss ally

+0 included

3 pike elite
1 LI XB
===

+1 included

2 HKn
2 PK
1 HI 2HW
1 MI Spear
1 LI XB
1 LMI XB
1MC Hand gunner
===

+1 included

2 HKn
2 PK
1 HI 2HW
1 MI Spear
1 LI XB
1 LMI XB
1 WWG XB

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