The Italian Wars Swiss Pikemen set contains 8 Renaissance infantry armed with long pikes, ideal for representing the feared Swiss mercenary formations that dominated so many late 15th- and early 16th-century battlefields.

Swiss pikemen earned a formidable reputation across Europe through their discipline, aggression and ability to fight in deep, determined formations. Advancing in dense pike blocks, they proved capable of resisting cavalry, overwhelming infantry and delivering powerful attacks that could break less steady opponents. Their battlefield success made them some of the most sought-after mercenaries of the Renaissance.

During the Italian Wars, Swiss troops played a major part in the struggles between the French, Imperial, Papal, Venetian and other powers competing for influence in Italy. Their victories helped establish the reputation of pike infantry as one of the decisive arms of the period, while their methods influenced the development of other famous infantry forces, including the German Landsknechts. As warfare evolved, Swiss pike formations increasingly fought alongside missile troops and firearms, but the massed pike block remained central to their battlefield identity.

These 28mm historical miniatures are therefore ideal for building a Swiss contingent in its own right or for adding elite mercenary infantry to a wider Renaissance army. The set is especially suitable for the Italian Wars, and works well alongside arquebusiers, Italian pikemen and Landsknecht troops in larger pike-and-shot forces.

Pack contents:

• 8 Swiss Pikemen
• 8 different figures
• Armed with long pikes

Supplied unpainted.