THE GERMAN PEASANTS WAR: 1524-6

1-237420

Companion volume to the Army of the Swabian League in this series. Examines the popular 1524-1526 uprising which occurred within the German-speaking part of the Holy Roman Empire. Presents a description and analysis of the rebels' tactics and weaponry used against the Landsknecht armies of the German nobility and seeks to provide a more holistic explanation for the ultimate collapse of this revolution. Includes 67 b/w illustrations, 19 b/w photos, 29 color illustrations, and 20 maps.

The war took place against the backdrop of massive political, economic, technological, and cultural upheaval and a Reformation of religious worship and belief. These developments had a profound effect on the methods of warfare as the mounted fully armored knight with retinue gave way to the use of squadrons of light horse, the deployment of massed ranks of pike, and the continuing development of field artillery and firearms.