Fähnlein

The Fähnlein (in Swedish: Fänika) was a military unit approximately equivalent to the company or battalion which was used in parts of Europe during the Middle Ages. The size of the unit varied, originally a Fähnlein could consist of as many as 1,000 soldiers, but numbers were generally less, around 500. It was sub-divided into sections or Rotten (singular: Rotte) of between 6 and 12 men.

The Fähnlein, meaning "small banner", consisted of small number of soldiers that were organized under a single banner, hence the unit's name. Rotte comes from the Middle Latin word rupta which means "dispersed troop". The word "company", which was used throughout Europe, superseded Fähnlein in the 17th century, even in German-speaking regions. It was later used by the scouts and Wandervögel as well as by the Deutsches Jungvolk during the Nazi era. Rotte was later also used in the organisational structure of the SS and has survived into the Bundeswehr.

By the Middle Ages, the Fähnlein was already the administrative unit with military forces, especially in the infantry. It initially had 400 to 600 men, sometimes up to 1,000. In France it usually consisted of 300 men. Georg von Frundsberg had 380 Landsknechte. However, these numbers were target strengths, which were almost never attained. Thus, the actual strength of the French Fähnlein for a long time was no more than 100 to 200 men.

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