ABSTRACT
The fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries witnessed not only a constant succession of full-scale wars and internal rebellions, each notable for sieges and pitched battles, but also dramatic developments in the practice of warfare. The degree of discipline demonstrated by the Swiss could only be countered by a more professional approach to warfare, something which was possible for the larger powers but not for the smaller states of Italy. Naval warfare in northern Europe relied on the requisitioning of merchantmen; vessels were not specially built for military purposes. In the absence of standing armies, mercenary warfare became the norm in fifteenth-century Italy, as states entered into contracts with mercenary captains who, in turn, recruited men-at-arms. One relic of the crusading past was found at the opposite end of Christendom, where the Teutonic Knights were engaged in Christian warfare against the pagan peoples to the east.
