Swiss Mercenaries Cross the Alps

Schweizer Reisläufer überqueren die Alpen

Reisläufer (from the Middle High German "reise" meaning military campaign) was a term used to refer to Swiss mercenaries who participated in several European military campaigns up to the 17th century. This illustration from the Swiss Chronicle of 1513 depicts a group of mercenaries crossing the Alps.

Swiss Mercenaries Cross the Alps, coloured illustration, 1513, artist: Diebold Schilling the Younger; source: Luzern, Korporation Luzern, S. 23 fol., p. 661 – Eidgenössische Chronik des Luzerners Diebold Schilling (Luzerner Schilling), Digitalisat: e-codices , Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International.