In 1499 a ferocious war was waged between the Swiss states and the German Empire. It was costly conflict and an estimated two hundred villages were destroyed and over twenty thousand combat troops were killed, not to mention uncounted thousands of non-combatants. The Swiss had developed into one of the first truly tactical infantries, capable of complex maneuvers in both offensive and defensive roles. But in the Swabian War, the Swiss faced another truly tactical infantry, the German Landsknechts, who based their military on the Swiss model. In an number of campaigns and battles, the two forces met in closely fought contests, leaving the impression that Swiss dominance as an infantry had met its match.