Switzerland's Reisläufer: The Mercenaries Who Built an Empire

Before Swiss neutrality became law, Swiss soldiers were among the most feared mercenaries in Europe. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Reisläufer system that dominated European battlefields from the 15th to the 18th centuries. They trace how the Swiss Confederacy's poverty and population pressure drove young men to hire out their pikes and halberds to foreign princes, from the kings of France to the pope in Rome. The conversation covers the 1476 Battle of Grandson, where Swiss mercenaries crushed Charles the Bold's Burgundian army; the notorious 1527 Sack of Rome, when Swiss soldiers fought on both sides; and the eventual crackdown in the 16th century as Swiss authorities tried to stop the 'soldier trade' that bled the cantons of manpower. They discuss the economic impact — mercenary pensions built churches and funded communities — and the cultural legacy, including the enduring Swiss Guard at the Vatican. The episode also touches on the darker side: the brutality of mercenary life, the Swiss reputation for discipline and cruelty, and how the system ultimately undermined Swiss independence before the 1848 constitution changed everything. #Reisläufer #SwissMercenaries #Pikemen #Halberd #BattleOfGrandson #SackOfRome #CharlesTheBold #SwissGuard #Mercenary #EarlyModernEurope #SwissConfederacy #Eidgenossenschaft #Tagsatzung #RenaissanceWarfare #Vatican #SwissHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo