Arquebus
The term arquebus was applied to many different forms of firearms from the 15th to 17th centuries, but it originally referred to "a hand-gun with a hook-like projection or lug on its under surface, useful for steadying it against battlements or other objects when firing".[1] The first certain attestation of the term arquebus dates back to 1364, when the lord of Milan Bernabò Visconti recruited 70 archibuxoli, although in this case it almost certainly referred to a hand cannon.[10] The arquebus has at times been known as the harquebus, harkbus, hackbut,[11] hagbut,[12] archibugio, haakbus, schiopo,[13] sclopus,[14] tüfenk,[15] tofak,[16] matchlock, and firelock.The lock mechanism held within a clamp a 60-to-90 cm (2-to-3 ft) long length of smoldering rope soaked in saltpeter, which was the match.The procedure was so complex that a 1607 drill manual published by Jacob de Gheyn in the Netherlands listed 28 steps just to fire and load the gun.[29]In Europe, William Louis, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg theorized that by applying to firearms the same Roman counter march technique as described by Aelianus Tacticus, matchlocks could provide fire without cease.[41] According to contemporary accounts, 400 arquebusiers served in Sultan Murad II's campaign in the 1440s when he crossed Bosporus straits and arquebuses were used in combat by the Ottomans at the second battle of Kosovo in 1448.Although they were present on the battlefield King Mathias preferred enlisting shielded men instead due to the arquebus's low rate of fire.While the Black Army adopted arquebuses relatively early, the trend did not catch on for decades in Europe and by the turn of the 16th century only around 10% of Western European infantrymen used firearms.[48] However, arquebus designs continued to develop and in 1496 Philip Monch of the Palatinate composed an illustrated Buch der Strynt un(d) Buchsse(n) on guns and "harquebuses".Frederick Lewis Taylor claims that a kneeling volley fire may have been employed by Prospero Colonna's arquebusiers as early as the Battle of Bicocca (1522)."[55] Insults were also levied against the Ottomans for having "brought with you this contrivance artfully devised by the Christians of Europe when they were incapable of meeting the Muslim armies on the battlefield".[59][30] They were introduced to Japan in 1543 by Portuguese traders who landed by accident on Tanegashima (種子島), an island south of Kyūshū in the region controlled by the Shimazu clan.However, the volley fire technique of 1575 has been called into dispute in recent years by J. S. A. Elisonas and J. P. Lamers in their translation of The Chronicle of Oda Nobunaga by Ota Gyuichi.[65] According to a 1571 report by Vincentio d'Alessandri, Persian arms including arquebuses "were superior and better tempered than those of any other nation", suggesting that such firearms were in common use among middle eastern powers by at least the mid-16th century.[65] Riding a horse and operating an arquebus are incredibly difficult which helped lead to both limited use and heavy stagnation in the technology associated with firearms.[30] Đại Việt was considered by the Ming to have produced particularly advanced matchlocks during the 16–17th century, surpassing even Ottoman, Japanese, and European firearms.The Vietnamese matchlock was said to have been able to pierce several layers of iron armour, kill two to five men in one shot, yet also fire quietly for a weapon of its caliber.To avoid self-inflicted injuries and ensure a consistent rate of fire in the heat of battle, Qi emphasized drilling in the procedure required to reload the weapon.After outfitting his entire army with new, standardized arms in 1599, Maurice of Nassau attempted to recapture Spanish forts built on former Dutch lands.Although the battle was principally won by the decisive counterattack of the Dutch cavalry and despite the failure of the new Dutch infantry tactic in stopping the veteran Spanish tercios, the battle is considered a decisive step forward in the development early modern warfare, where firearms took on an increasingly large role in Europe in the following centuries.Qi Jiguang from China developed systems where soldiers with traditional weaponry stayed right behind the arquebusiers to protect them should enemy infantry get too close.[79] In 1590, Smythe noted that arquebusiers and musketeers firing at such extreme distances rarely seemed to hit anything and instead decided to argue effective range, claiming that English archers like the ones from the Hundred Years' War would be more effective at 200–240 yards (180–220 m) than arquebusiers or musketeers, but by that point there were no longer enough skilled archers in England to properly test his theories.Thus, arquebuses could easily defeat armor that would be highly effective against arrows or bolts, and inflict far greater wounds on flesh.The arquebus did not rely on the physical strength of the user for propulsion of the projectile, making it easier to find a suitable recruit.Most archers spent their whole lives training to shoot with accuracy, but with drill and instruction, the arquebusier was able to learn his profession in months as opposed to years.This low level of skill made it a lot easier to outfit an army in a short amount of time as well as expand the small arms ranks.Once the methods were developed, powder and shot were relatively easy to mass-produce, while arrow making was a genuine craft requiring highly skilled labor.At the Battle of Villalar, rebel troops experienced a significant defeat partially due to having a high proportion of arquebusiers in a rainstorm which rendered the weapons useless.Sir John Smythe blamed the declining effectiveness of the longbow in part on English commanders who would place firearms at the front of their formations and bowmen at the back, where they could not see their targets and aim appropriately.
HarquebusierChâteau de Foixlong gunOttoman Empirefirearmshand-gunmatchlockmusketwar wagonsBernabò Viscontihand cannonfusilsTanegashimaHimeji CastleQi Jiguangvolley fireJanissariesBattle of MohácsJixiao XinshuWilliam Louis, Count of Nassau-DillenburgAelianus TacticusMaurice of Nassau, Prince of OrangewheellocksnaphanceflintlockHistory of gunpowderTimeline of the Gunpowder AgeBaburnamaEdo periodJanissaryOttoman armyshoulder stockcrossbowOttoman–Hungarian warsGodfrey GoodwinHussitesprotective wagonsMatthias CorvinusBlack Army of HungaryBattle of CerignolaRussianconquest of SmolensktradesmenItalian WarsProspero ColonnaarquebusiersBattle of BicoccaTonio AndradeCharles OmanPaolo GiovioMamluksmusketeersfeudalknightsMiguel de CervantesQaitbayKyūshūShimazu clanteppōhinawaju (火縄銃)snap matchlocksOda NobunagaBattle of NagashinoShah Ismail ISoutheast AsianĐại ViệtLê–Mạc WarTrịnh–Nguyễn WarMing dynastyMaurice of NassauBattle of Nieuwpoortterciosearly modern warfareJohn SmythearcherJapanese Invasions of Koreakinetic energylongbowloopholessmall shotcuirassarrowsBattle of VillalarMarist BrothersSaint-Genis-LavalPiedmontdigestifBlunderbussChisholm, HughEncyclopædia Britannicapublic domainChambers, EphraimCyclopædia, or an Universal Dictionary of Arts and SciencesWebster's New International DictionarySeaver, Henry LatimerTrevithick SocietyGeological Society of Americaal-Hassan, Ahmad Y.Needham, JosephPartington, J. R.Early firearmsthermal weaponsTimelineHistoriographyHistory of the firearmBajozutsu pistolBedil tumbak hand cannonCombination gunDragonEnglish horse pistolFire lanceHand mortarHeilongjiang hand cannonHowdah pistolHuo Chong hand cannonHuo Qiang lance hand cannonIstinggar arquebusJava arquebusJiaozhi arquebusMeriam kecil hand cannonMuff pistolNock M1779 seven barrel gunPetronelPepperboxPuckle Μ1717 revolver gunSan Yan Chong three barrel hand cannon