Did the Hapsburgs ever use mercenary units such as Britain's Gurkhas?

Just wondering - during the Hapsburg era, did they ever use anything comparable to Britain's Gurkha units or the Ottoman Empire's janissaries?
 

Thande

Donor
The "Hapsburg era" is a bit long. I know at one point the Croats were thought of as the Austrians' Elite Ethnic Psychopath types along the same lines as the Gurkhas, Sikhs or the Scots Highlanders for the British Empire.
 
On the whole the Habsburgs generally preferred Croat troops to Hungarian Hussars. They tended to be far more loyal to the Archduke/Emperor and were all to happy to fight the (usually the Hungarians) in his name. The only time I can really think of where the Hungarians may have eclipsed the Croats in this position in the War of Austrian Succession.
 
Wasn't the entire 30 years war fought through mercenaries. Wallenstein being the most important. Also the numerous Italian wars that the HRE took part in while the Hapsburgs were in power.
 
Wasn't the entire 30 years war fought through mercenaries. Wallenstein being the most important. Also the numerous Italian wars that the HRE took part in while the Hapsburgs were in power.
Maximilian used Swiss Mercenaries in Italy and after that Charles and the various Philips just used Spanish Regulars.
 
The Gurkhas weren't mercenaries, by the way. They were a 'martial race', which means that the British respected their ability to fight and their courage in battle, and rewarded them with a distinctive ethnic military group in which to distinguish themselves - and distinguish themselves they did, of course. Similarly, the Hungarian Hussars and the Croats could not be called mercenaries.
 
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