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n the Year of Our Lord 1532 a Turkish horde crossed into the lands of Styria and set about ravaging the lands of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. The fighting was fierce that summer and in the end a peace was signed between the Turkish and Holy Roman Empires. The companies of Landsknechte that were involved in the conflict were disbanded. The Leutenant of one such company, a young man by the name of Reinhart Kranz , gathered up those troops who were loyal to him and set out north to find a new conflict and new pay. The band traveled west to the lands surrounding Salzburg and there they weathered a fierce winter. The following spring they beat the Fähnlein's drum to call a musterung, gathering all those men of sound body who wished to become landsknechte. Reinhart, now Hauptmann, led his new Fähnlein west past the city of Munich where another musterung was held. Rumor was spreading of civil unrest in the north in the lands around Muenster and the Fähnlein turned in that direction, in the late summer.
View a Map of the Journey
In the Year of Our Lord 1534 the Fähnlein, now known as the Todesengel helped lay siege to the city of Muenster. Anabaptists, a radical offshoot of the Protestant reformation started by Martin Luther, had seized the city and expelled the Catholic leadership. Setting up their own society, and hiring their own Landsknechts, they settled in to await the second coming, which they believed to be at hand. Two bloody battles were waged with many Landsknechte killed on both sides but the city did not fall. After a second winter besieging the city the Todesengel Fähnlein followed the call of Charles V and headed south towards Provence, France.
In 1536 Anno Domini, following an attack by Francis I on Savoy and Peidmont, Charles V sent his landsknechte against Provence. As the Todesengel Fähnlein arrived in the region the rest of the landsknechte were falling back to Savoy. The French had practiced scorched earth tactics and provision were scarce. The Hauptmann, seeing an end to the conflict gathered up a portion of his Fähnlein, and leaving his FeldWaybel in charge headed north via an Italian ship to England in an attempt to sell his services to Henry VIII, King of England. A religious conflict is rumored to be brewing and now seems a good time to take advantage of it.
A small portion of the Fähnlein is currently negotiating with Henry VIII, King of England for a contract which will allow the rest of the Hauptmann's troops to be brought into service. The quality of infantry has impressed the King and it is hoped that a contract will soon be signed, allowing the Fähnlein to assist in the quelling of religious unrest and to stall the rebellious Scots to the North.
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