Next Project: Early and Later Swiss 14th-15th Century

The "Warriors of Ifriqiyah" 25mm Project is eventually coming to a close. My second 15mm army, Parthian(II/37), is almost finished too. And Alex, yes, I'm halfway through with painting your scythed chariot, merry Christmas! Soon I can focus on a long postponed 25mm project: The Swiss Army 14th - 15th century. I will actually paint two DBA-Armies.
Early Swiss 1240-1400 (IV/41);
Hilly hometerrain; Aggression 1;
1x6Bd (Gen), 1x2LH or 2Ps, 8x6Bd, 2x2ps; and

Later Swiss 1400-1522 (IV/79);
Hilly; Aggression 3;
1x4Pk (Gen), 1x6Kn or 6Bd, 7x4pk, 2x2ps, 1x2Lh or Art.

I'm not happy with the timeframe and the composition set by the DBA-Authors. In short: there are too much pikes too early. Maybe I'll use the Humberside-Extension-version for the time between 1460-1499 (1x3Kn or Art or 2LH, 4x4Pk, 2x4Pk or 4Bd, 3x4Bd, 2x2Ps). We'll see.
But I'm especially excited about the nine 6-Blade Elements! They will look massive on the gameboard. I will use the Foundry Swiss ranges for the Bd, Pk, Art and Ps (crossbows and "handbüchsen") elements. I have chosen Crusader-Miniatures for the Knights-element (War of the Roses Range).
As a warm-up I will show you a couple of pictures from swiss chronicles of the late 15th century and from Hans Holbein (early 16th century). I have not found any earlier contemporary pictures showing swiss troops. Enjoy.


Tschachtlan Chronik 1470. Troops of the cantons Schwyz and Glarus look on the routing soldiers from Zürich getting on a boat in the Background. This is an episode of the "Alter Zürichkrieg" 1444, a severe conflict between Zurich and the other cantons of the confederacy. Note the troops equiping themselves with armour and weapons left behind by the Zurichians.

Spiezer Chronik by Diebold Schilling 1480's. Battle at Fraubrunnen. Bernese Troops fight Enguerrand de Coucy and his Armagnacs 1375/76.












Amtliche Berner Chronik 1483 by Diebold Schilling. The Bearers of the Banners of the 8 Kantons of the Confederacy plus their allies ("zugewandte Orte") lining up just before the Battle at Murten 1476. From left to right:
1. Fribourg (1481)
2.Glarus (1352)
3. Schwyz (1291)
4. Appenzell (1315)
5. Bern (1353)
6. Zug (1352)
7. Zürich (1351)
8.Unterwalden (1291)
9. Uri (1291)
10. Biel (allied)
11. Luzern (1332)
12. Solothurn (1481).
Note there is NO Swiss Flag. It did not exist in those days. The swiss soldiers used to stich or paint white crosses on their chlothes or armour.









Schodelers Chronik 1515. Bernese troops on the march harrowing the Waadt (Savoy) taunting Charles the Bold of Burgundy around 1475/1476. The clothng and equipment is slightly too modern (1515)








The King of France Charles VIII on his campaign to Naples in 1494 with his his Body Guard "Les cent Suisses" (100 Swiss) and other allied swiss troops. Luzerner Chronik by Diebold Schilling the Younger 1515.











Battle at Dornach 1499. Contemporary etching. The decisive swiss victory in the "Schwabenkrieg" against Maximilian, his "Landsknechte" and Cavalry ("Welsche Garde").











Chalon-sur-Sâone 1480: The King of France Louis XI welcomes the first of the 5950 allied swiss troops (+400 Cavalry) from eight cantons, led by William von Diesbach (Berne) and Jacques de Faussigny (Fribourg). Luzerner Chronik by Diebold Schilling the Younger 1515.


















Hans Holbein, early 16th century. "Reisläufer" (swiss warriors) and "Landsknechte" blowing each other's headlights out.
















Some Warhammer Imperial Troops I painted 10+ years ago in the colors of Bern (red-back) combined with purple (an imperial color), a colorscheme I copied from a glaswindow in the Museum (16th c.). Note the historically incorrect uniformity. The banner is the Flag of St. Maurice, an important patron-saint for the swiss troops (the leader of the 1000 marthyrs of the roman Theban Legion, decimated in the late 3rd century AD). It probably signifies a special task force. It is often depicted in the chronicles as a banner of the "Vorhut" or the "Verlorener Haufen". Is this the origin of the swiss national flag? The scholars are still debating.