Emperor’s Gambit? On the Role of Urban Culture and Fencing Fraternities in the Military Reform of Maximilian I Habsburg

Abstract

This paper aims to trace potential links between the military reform undertaken by King Maximilian I Habsburg, initiated by forming the first Landsknecht regiments in 1486, and the privilege issued in 1487 by his father, Emperor Frederick III, for the first association of fencing masters in German history, the Brotherhood of St. Mark (Marxbrüder). The analysis presented in this paper begins with a description of the Army of the Empire (Reichsheer) prior to its reform at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, with particular focus on the role and military potential of the ministeriales. Next, the socio-cultural contexts and outcomes of the aforementioned reform are discussed, which serves as a backdrop for tracing the evolution of social perception and functioning of professional swordfighters in Germany. Especially important from this perspective is a change in the social standing of this group – from marginalisation as lose Leute to integration with the urban community and achieving the status of craftsmen. This process saw its culmination in an imperial privilege issued for the Marxbrüder by Frederick III in 1487.