Black Company
Encyclopedia
The Black Company or the Black Troops was a unit of Franconia
n mercenaries during the Peasant's Revolt
in the 1520s during the Protestant Reformation
in Germany
.
The original German name of the Black Company was "Schwarzer Haufen". "Schwarz" (black) pointed out the ideological distance from the large peasant army at that time, which called itself the "Heller Haufen" ("Hell" meant "light-colored"). The German word "Haufen" was the common military description by the peasants for their armies. It was never used again in history for an army, possibly because the word "Haufen" means "heap" in German.
The Black Company was formed in 1525 in Rothenburg
out of local home-guard farmers - maybe 600 of these men - and a company of mercenary knights.
The leader of the Black Company, at least nominally, was nobleman Florian Geyer
. He managed to make the Black Company something like a company of real soldiers instead of just armed rabble. Some of the knights were probably his vassals.
When the Company had taken over the area around Rothenburg, it proceeded to Swabia
to destroy fortified monasteries and castles to prevent their becoming strongholds of the Swabian League. All those who didn't attack the Black Company were not harmed during these actions. But in Sweinsburg, Swabia, another company, led by the peasant leader Jaecklein Rohrbach, executed about 50 local knights after they had opened fire on two negotiators. Geyer disapproved of this slaughtering and moved his troops back to Franconia but continued to fight. But Rohrbach's action had sealed the fate of captured peasants and of Geyer's Black Company. From this time, the Truchsess ("Steward
") of Waldburg, commander of the Swabian League, showed little mercy to them and hunted them down ruthlessly throughout Swabia.
In the battle of Ingolstadt in May, 1525, the Black Company found itself alone against the forces of the Swabian League
after its allies had been destroyed. The Black Company fought its way back to Ingolstadt
and occupied the ruins of the castle, the main buildings of which the members of the Company had themselves burned down some months before. The troops of the League encircled the castle and started their attack. The occupants fought off two assaults but were killed during the third, which followed shortly after the League's heavy artillery breached the massive walls.
Geyer himself wasn't there during the last battle. He waited for an escort in Rothenburg, but was banned from the city before it arrived. Geyer traveled North and was robbed and killed by two servants of his brother-in-law Wilhelm von Grumbach
. He died in the night of June 9–10 in the forest near Rimpar
.
The Black Company remained very popular to the present day, although Swabian rulers did everything to destroy its fame in the years after the uprising by publishing a lot of "facts" about the crimes the peasants supposedly had committed. The song Wir sind des Geyers schwarzer Haufen ("We are Geyer's Black Company") is still found in many German songbooks today.
Franconia
Franconia is a region of Germany comprising the northern parts of the modern state of Bavaria, a small part of southern Thuringia, and a region in northeastern Baden-Württemberg called Tauberfranken...
n mercenaries during the Peasant's Revolt
German Peasants' War
The German Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt was a widespread popular revolt in the German-speaking areas of Central Europe, 1524–1526. At its height in the spring and summer of 1525, the conflict involved an estimated 300,000 peasants: contemporary estimates put the dead at 100,000...
in the 1520s during the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
The original German name of the Black Company was "Schwarzer Haufen". "Schwarz" (black) pointed out the ideological distance from the large peasant army at that time, which called itself the "Heller Haufen" ("Hell" meant "light-colored"). The German word "Haufen" was the common military description by the peasants for their armies. It was never used again in history for an army, possibly because the word "Haufen" means "heap" in German.
The Black Company was formed in 1525 in Rothenburg
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a town in the district of Ansbach of Mittelfranken , the Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany, well known for its well-preserved medieval old town, a destination for tourists from around the world. In the Middle Ages, it was an Imperial Free City...
out of local home-guard farmers - maybe 600 of these men - and a company of mercenary knights.
The leader of the Black Company, at least nominally, was nobleman Florian Geyer
Florian Geyer
Florian Geyer , also known as "Florian Geier from Giebelstadt", was a Franconian nobleman, diplomat and knight...
. He managed to make the Black Company something like a company of real soldiers instead of just armed rabble. Some of the knights were probably his vassals.
When the Company had taken over the area around Rothenburg, it proceeded to Swabia
Swabia
Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...
to destroy fortified monasteries and castles to prevent their becoming strongholds of the Swabian League. All those who didn't attack the Black Company were not harmed during these actions. But in Sweinsburg, Swabia, another company, led by the peasant leader Jaecklein Rohrbach, executed about 50 local knights after they had opened fire on two negotiators. Geyer disapproved of this slaughtering and moved his troops back to Franconia but continued to fight. But Rohrbach's action had sealed the fate of captured peasants and of Geyer's Black Company. From this time, the Truchsess ("Steward
Steward (office)
A steward is an official who is appointed by the legal ruling monarch to represent him or her in a country, and may have a mandate to govern it in his or her name; in the latter case, it roughly corresponds with the position of governor or deputy...
") of Waldburg, commander of the Swabian League, showed little mercy to them and hunted them down ruthlessly throughout Swabia.
In the battle of Ingolstadt in May, 1525, the Black Company found itself alone against the forces of the Swabian League
Swabian League
The Swabian League was an association of Imperial States - cities, prelates, principalities and knights - principally in the territory of the Early medieval stem duchy of Swabia, established in 1488 at the behest of Emperor Frederick III of Habsburg and supported as well by Bertold von...
after its allies had been destroyed. The Black Company fought its way back to Ingolstadt
Ingolstadt
Ingolstadt is a city in the Free State of Bavaria, in the Federal Republic of Germany. It is located along the banks of the Danube River, in the center of Bavaria. As at 31 March 2011, Ingolstadt had 125.407 residents...
and occupied the ruins of the castle, the main buildings of which the members of the Company had themselves burned down some months before. The troops of the League encircled the castle and started their attack. The occupants fought off two assaults but were killed during the third, which followed shortly after the League's heavy artillery breached the massive walls.
Geyer himself wasn't there during the last battle. He waited for an escort in Rothenburg, but was banned from the city before it arrived. Geyer traveled North and was robbed and killed by two servants of his brother-in-law Wilhelm von Grumbach
Wilhelm von Grumbach
Wilhelm von Grumbach was a German adventurer, chiefly known through his connection with the so-called Grumbach feuds , the last attempt of the Imperial Knights to prevail against the power of the territorial Princes of the Holy Roman Empire.-Florian Geyer:A member of the old Franconian noble...
. He died in the night of June 9–10 in the forest near Rimpar
Rimpar
Rimpar is a market town in the district of Würzburg in the German state of Bavaria. It is located about 10 km north of the City of Würzburg. The municipality includes the villages of Gramschatz and Maidbronn, incorporated in 1978....
.
The Black Company remained very popular to the present day, although Swabian rulers did everything to destroy its fame in the years after the uprising by publishing a lot of "facts" about the crimes the peasants supposedly had committed. The song Wir sind des Geyers schwarzer Haufen ("We are Geyer's Black Company") is still found in many German songbooks today.
External links
- German Wikipedia site about the knight Florian Geyer in German