Mercenary Commanders Who Shook History

On June 24, news spread around the world that the Wagner Group, a Russian private military company that had been playing a key role in the invasion of Ukraine, had launched a "rebellion."
(*As of the 25th, Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin announced that he had halted the march on Moscow through the mediation of Belarusian President Lukashenko.)

Surprise has spread among history fans, with many saying, "I can't believe a mercenary commander's rebellion is happening in the 21st century!"

Mercenaries hired for money can be used conveniently by those in power. On the other hand, it is not uncommon for them to become a threat as dissatisfaction grows over issues such as salary payments or dismissal after the war ends. Today, I will introduce examples of "mercenary commanders who shook history."

1. Odoacer

From the latter half of the 4th century, the Roman Empire was on the path to decline due to the Great Migration of Germanic peoples. In 395, the Roman Empire split into East and West. In the Western Roman Empire in particular, Germanic mercenary commanders held real political power.
In 476, the Germanic mercenary commander Odoacer (434–493) deposed the Western Roman Emperor Romulus Augustulus. The Western Roman Empire collapsed. Odoacer became the ruler of Italy, but he was defeated by Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths (a branch of the Germanic peoples), and was assassinated after surrendering.

2. Wallenstein

Albrecht von Wallenstein (1583–1634) was a mercenary commander from Bohemia (Czech Republic) (the person in the top image). In 17th-century Germany, the Thirty Years' War was taking place due to reasons such as the conflict between Catholics and Protestants. Wallenstein, who was also a wealthy man, served the Holy Roman Emperor and organized mercenary units.
Wallenstein gained immense power through his military achievements, but he was assassinated by the Emperor, who feared his ambition.

3. Honekawa Doken

During the Onin War, both the Eastern and Western armies utilized foot soldier (ashigaru) units hired for money. Honekawa Doken was the most famous ashigaru commander who was active during the Onin War. He was hired with money and goods by Hosokawa Katsumoto of the Eastern Army, and led about 300 subordinates to disrupt the rear of the Western Army.
The fact that the ashigaru engaged in arson and looting accelerated the devastation of Kyoto. Honekawa Doken himself was killed by the forces of Hatakeyama Yoshinari in 1468.

4. Yamada Nagamasa

At the beginning of the 17th century, the country was unified and domestic wars had almost disappeared. Therefore, it is believed that before the shogunate adopted its isolationist policy, many Japanese people traveled to Southeast Asia and other regions to become mercenaries.
Yamada Nagamasa, who traveled to Siam (Thailand), made a name for himself as a mercenary and became the leader of the Japanese town in Ayutthaya. He gained the trust of King Songtham and rose through the ranks within the court, but he was poisoned by political rivals after becoming involved in a succession dispute.

5. Jan Žižka

Reading the character introductions so far, you might not have a very good impression of mercenaries. However, there are also mercenary commanders who became national heroes.
Jan Žižka (1360–1424), who made a name for himself as a mercenary from Bohemia, was a hero of the Hussite Wars that broke out in 1419.
The Hussite Wars were religious wars that began when the Bohemian religious leader Jan Hus was burned at the stake as a heretic. It was a conflict between the Bohemian Hussites and the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, who championed Catholicism.
Leading the Hussite volunteer army, Žižka caused the imperial army to struggle through the skillful tactics he had cultivated as a mercenary and the use of new weapons like firearms. Although the Hussite Wars were suppressed after Žižka died of illness, he is honored as a national hero of the Czech Republic.

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Even though we use the term mercenary, there are various backgrounds depending on the country and era. Not all mercenaries become "ruffians who love arson and looting."
It is certain that the men who rose to power through ambition and talent make history interesting.