The Landsknechts ("servants of the land") were German mercenaries equipped with large swords. They often wore flashy clothing of different flowers, donning battle armor and fancy hats. They fought for Francis I of France during the Italian Wars, and due to a rivalry with the Swiss Pikemen, many of them were executed after the Battle of Novara by the Swiss. They also fought at the Battle of Pavia in 1525, allied with Georg Frundsberg and the Holy Roman Empire.