Maximilian Imperial German
These 10 packs represent the last few minis needed to complete our early 16thC range. This is the info I’m just about to stick under Mr Collier nose, if you like to comment please do so… none of this is set in stone, Mr C has the last call on everything.
Maximilian I, dies in 1518, but the troops of his armies go on for a generation or so, some useful in Imperial armies of the 1560’s.
We’ve covered the foot troops with our Early Landsknechts, only the Cav/Art/Gens part of the equation need attention.
General (1 pack)
Max himself would be great, there are quite a few more modern versions of what he may have looked like in armour, the Ruebens version is 100 years later, so not really a great source.
The White King, Der Weiß König, with illustrations by Hans Burgkmair, is a vailed biography of Max I, and right on period. Two mounted & one foot mini? I’d suggest the other mounted mini be a herald, as I don’t plan to make a ‘Command group’ for the Burgundian heavy cav.
https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/jbksak1888/0083/image,info (the whole thing digitised, take an hour)
Burgundian Men at Arms (2 packs)
Fully armoured men at arms, on armoured horses, the earlier 1480’s looking types have a bit more French dash, but the later Maximilian ones are a touch more gothic. New dolls, not sure??? If I’m only planning 6 models are dolls necessary? Sources are numerous, Hans Burgkmair again, and the Maximilian Triumph in progress, are bang on contempory, plus there are a fair number of surviving suits on show in various collections. Lance up, lance couched.
Feudal Knights (3 packs)
Everything that was’t a Burgundian goes here, worse armours, unarmoured horses. For me the Durer sketch for the Knight Death & the Devil, is perfect, but again there are many sources. Mittelalterliches Hausbuch von Schloss Wolfegg has lots of detail of less than fully armoured Germans. Lance, side arms, & a command?
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hausbuch_(Schloss_Wolfegg) (view these wiki pages in German for more better images)
Mounted ‘shot’ types (2 packs)
One pack of mounted crossbowmen is the easy part, these are pictured quite nicely in the House Book, sketched with real character.
The other pack is a bit trickier. Mounted ‘arquebusiers’ or mounted troops with… early firearms. Some images are more like a Burgundian or Feudal knight with a ‘hand-gun’ attachment fitted to the front, others more like the mounted crossbows with arquebus.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/Hand_cannon_for_a_knight_called_a_petronel.jpg
Our (now ancient) army list allows for one tiny unit, 6 models max… so one sort of mixed pack might work… or if we don’t find real evidence, they get the heave-ho.
Artillery (2 packs)
Organ gun and crew. Ribauldequin were common in the late 15th & early 16th C, multi barrelled small gauge, Davinci sketches a few and there are a few extant, and others reimagined online. One or two ‘Master gunners’ in full Maximilian dress, couple of peasants at the fiery end.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/Ribauldequins_-_Leonardo_da_Vinci_studies.jpg
Foot 5, Mounted 23 inc 3 armoured horses, and a Gun.
Maximilian sallets
The only thing i’ve been repeatable asked for since starting to speak about this project, is more heavily armoured infantry for the front of our early Landsknecht pike blocks… this we might consider.
