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65-630: The hand cannon was invented in Song dynasty China in the 12th century and was in widespread use there in the 13th century. It spread westward across Asia during the 14th century. Arquebus iers and musketeers were employed in the armies of the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing dynasties (1644–1911). Zhao Shizhen's book of 1598 AD, the Shenqipu , contains illustrations of Ottoman Turkish and European musketeers together with detailed diagrams of their muskets. There

130-877: A "primitive machine-gun". Introduced by the Chinese, muskets were popularised in Central-Asia under the Timurid dynasty . Matchlock Muskets were first introduced by the first Mughal emperor Babur in the first Battle of Panipat 1526 CE. The weapon became an integral part of Indian warfare from the 16th century onward, mainly from the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar . It was used as an effective defense against war elephants . The Mughals , Marathas , Rajputs , Sikhs and Ahoms made use of musketeers, firing from cover, to ambush opposing infantry, cavalry and elephants. Many Indian gunsmiths created matchlock muskets for

195-471: A bell." Mongol troops of Yuan dynasty carried Chinese cannons to Java during their 1293 invasion . The oldest extant hand cannon bearing a date of production is the Xanadu Gun , which contains an era date corresponding to 1298. The Heilongjiang hand cannon is dated a decade earlier to 1288, corresponding to the military conflict involving Li Ting, but the dating method is based on contextual evidence;

260-629: A company of light cavalry (the " carabiniers ", created by Louis' father Henry IV ) with muskets. Musketeers fought in battle both on foot as infantry and on horseback as dragoons . At the Battle of Fontenoy in 1745 the King's Musketeers served as regular cavalry, charging British infantry with drawn swords. As one of the junior units in the Royal Guard, the Musketeers were not closely linked to

325-413: A fictionalized account of the life of Charles de Batz de Castelmore d'Artagnan (c. 1611–1673). Other musketeers served as inspirations for some of the other characters. Isaac de Porthau (1617–1712) was the inspiration for Dumas's character Porthos . Jean-Armand du Peyrer, Comte de Troisville (1598–1672), was fictionalized as Monsieur de Tréville. Other Musketeers include: Muskets began to appear in

390-504: A guard cavalry regiment of two companies. The King's Musketeers became the first company, popularly known as "Grey Musketeers" ( mousquetaires gris ), while the Cardinal's Musketeers became the second company, known as "Black Musketeers" ( mousquetaires noirs ) for riding grey and black horses, respectively. From their establishment, the musketeers wore blue cloak-like cassocks, lined with red and edged with silver embroidery. From 1688,

455-434: A handle. The hand cannon could be held in two hands, but another person is often shown aiding in the ignition process using smoldering wood, coal, red-hot iron rods, or slow-burning matches . The hand cannon could be placed on a rest and held by one hand, while the gunner applied the means of ignition himself. Projectiles used in hand cannons were known to include rocks, pebbles, and arrows. Eventually stone projectiles in

520-454: A long coat ( kaftan ) and pointed cloth hat of a distinctive colour. By 1680, there were 20 regiments of Moscow streltsy totaling 20,048 men and comprising about 12 per cent of the total army (along with cossacks, militia and an increasing number of regular soldiers). In addition, there were significant numbers of frontier and garrison streltsy serving outside Moscow, although these were less formally drilled and equipped. The Muscovite government

585-482: A new regular army, still armed with muskets but disciplined, uniformed and organised along West European lines. In spite of these measures, the streltsy revolted yet again while Peter was on his Great Embassy in Europe. The four regiments involved were disbanded and 1,200 of the mutineers were executed. The remainder were exiled, had their property confiscated and were banned from future military employment. The entire corps

650-523: A powder flask to a bandolier . Due to the difficulty in manipulating the musket rest and the strength needed to handle the heavier gun, musketeers were stronger men and paid more than the rest of the infantry. The Musketeers of the Guard were a junior unit, initially of roughly company strength, of the military branch of the Royal Household . They were created in 1622 when Louis XIII furnished

715-433: A recruit had the family means to support the costs of service. These included the provision of horses, swords, clothing, a servant and equipment. Only the musket, the sleeveless soubreveste and the distinctive blue cassock were provided by the monarch. In 1776, the Musketeers were disbanded by Louis XVI for budgetary reasons. Following the first Bourbon Restoration, the Musketeers were reestablished on 6 July 1814 along with

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780-492: A reputation for fighting spirit and unruly behaviour. Their high esprit de corps gained royal favor for the Musketeers, and they were frequently seen at court and in Paris. Shortly after their creation, Cardinal Richelieu created a bodyguard unit for himself. So as not to offend the king with a perceived sense of self-importance, Richelieu did not name them Garde du Corps like the king's personal guards, but rather Musketeers after

845-574: A stock. Some scholars consider this a hand cannon while others dispute this claim. The Nasrid army besieging Elche in 1331 made use of "iron pellets shot with fire." According to Paul E. J. Hammer, the Mamluks certainly used cannons by 1342. According to J. Lavin, cannons were used by Moors at the siege of Algeciras in 1343. Shihab al-Din Abu al-Abbas al-Qalqashandi described a metal cannon firing an iron ball between 1365 and 1376. Description of

910-474: A wave of fire down the front of the regiment), made it possible for the British musketeer to win pitched battles against superior numbers. The term "musketeer" was rarely used in the titles of regiments. Examples include the 106th Regiment of Foot (Black Musqueteers) , the 110th Regiment of Foot (Queen's Royal Musqueteers) and the 112th Regiment of Foot (King's Royal Musqueteers) , all raised and disbanded in

975-546: Is possible that the concept of a cannon-like firearm has existed since the 12th century. This has been challenged by others such as Liu Xu, Cheng Dong, and Benjamin Avichai Katz Sinvany. According to Liu, the weight of the cannon would have been too much for one person to hold, especially with just one arm, and points out that fire lances were being used a decade later at the Siege of De'an . Cheng Dong believes that

1040-537: The British Empire was the staple unit in the British armies that created the largest empire in history. The British infantryman was equipped with the .75 calibre Land Pattern Musket , or Brown Bess. He was well trained by the standards of the time, training with live ammunition. A fully trained redcoat could fire four times a minute. This, combined with the technique of firing by companies (a method wherein blocks of men fired smaller volleys in succession, creating

1105-704: The Imperial Guard replaced the streltsy as the political and military force closest to the tsar. The Kingdom of Ndongo developed its musketeer forces in the 16th century amid war against the Portuguese in Angola . In 1585, 40 musketeers formed part of an attacking force deployed against Portugal. A small musketeer force was authorized in Kongo mostly made up of the mestiço , who were mixed race Kongolese with Portuguese ancestry. Over 300 musketeers served in

1170-572: The Portuguese introduced matchlocks which were known as tanegashima to the Japanese. The art of firing the hand cannon called Ōzutsu (大筒) has remained as a Ko-budō martial arts form. The earliest surviving documentary evidence for the use of the hand cannon in the Islamic world are from several Arabic manuscripts dated to the 14th century. The historian Ahmad Y. al-Hassan argues that several 14th-century Arabic manuscripts, one of which

1235-464: The fire lance . In 1259 a type of "fire-emitting lance" ( tūhuǒqiãng 突火槍) made an appearance. According to the History of Song : "It is made from a large bamboo tube, and inside is stuffed a pellet wad ( zǐkē 子窠). Once the fire goes off it completely spews the rear pellet wad forth, and the sound is like a bomb that can be heard for five hundred or more paces." The pellet wad mentioned is possibly

1300-413: The gonne or handgonne , is the first true firearm and the successor of the fire lance . It is the oldest type of small arms , as well as the most mechanically simple form of metal barrel firearms. Unlike matchlock firearms it requires direct manual external ignition through a touch hole without any form of firing mechanism. It may also be considered a forerunner of the handgun . The hand cannon

1365-499: The huǒpào on their backs; then by night he crossed the river, moved upstream, and fired off (the weapons). This threw all the enemy's horses and men into great confusion ... and he gained a great victory. The earliest reliable evidence of cannons in Europe appeared in 1326 in a register of the municipality of Florence and evidence of their production can be dated as early as 1327. The first recorded use of gunpowder weapons in Europe

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1430-498: The quarterings of nobility required for the Garde du Corps and Chevau-legers . These two senior guard units were closed to all but the highest ranking and wealthy noble families. Accordingly for lesser gentry, or ambitious commoners, service in the Musketeers was the only way to join a mounted unit in the royal household and perhaps catch the King's eye. However, enlistment did require both letters of recommendation and evidence that

1495-560: The units of Russian guardsmen l from the 16th to the early 18th centuries, armed with firearms and bardiches . They are also collectively known as Strelets Troops ( Стрелецкое Войско ). The first streltsy units were created by Ivan the Terrible sometime between 1545 and 1550 and armed with the arquebus . They first saw combat at the Siege of Kazan in 1552. Military service in this unit became lifelong and hereditary . The bearded strelsty were organized into regiments, each with

1560-537: The 1360s, but earlier uses of cannon in the Islamic World are vague with a possible appearance in the Emirate of Granada by the 1320s, however evidence is inconclusive. Khan claims that it was invading Mongols who introduced gunpowder to the Islamic world and cites Mamluk antagonism towards early riflemen in their infantry as an example of how gunpowder weapons were not always met with open acceptance in

1625-534: The 13th century and spread from there to the rest of the world. In 1287 Yuan Jurchen troops deployed hand cannons in putting down a rebellion by the Mongol prince Nayan . The History of Yuan reports that the cannons of Li Ting's soldiers "caused great damage" and created "such confusion that the enemy soldiers attacked and killed each other." The hand cannons were used again in the beginning of 1288. Li Ting's "gun-soldiers" or chòngzú ( 銃卒 ) were able to carry

1690-670: The 1760s. The musket was withdrawn from service with the British Army in 1854, replaced by the muzzle-loading Minié rifle , which had an accurate range of over three times that of the Brown Bess which it replaced. The Janissary corps of the Ottoman army were using matchlock muskets as early as the 1440s. The Ottoman Empire , centering on Turkey and extending into Balkans , Arabia and North Africa used muskets to conquer Constantinople (modern Istanbul ) and were one of

1755-478: The Islamic world, and believes cannons only reached Mamluk Egypt in the 1370s. According to Joseph Needham, fire lances or proto-guns were known to Muslims by the late 13th century and early 14th century. However the term midfa , dated to textual sources from 1342 to 1352, cannot be proven to be true hand-guns or bombards, and contemporary accounts of a metal-barrel cannon in the Islamic world do not occur until 1365. Needham also concludes that in its original form

1820-469: The Kings' junior guard cavalry. This was the start of a bitter rivalry between the two corps of Musketeers. At the cardinal's death in 1642, the company passed to his successor Cardinal Mazarin . At Mazarin's death in 1661, the Cardinal's Musketeers passed to Louis XIV , contrary to the wishes of both the King's Musketeers and the Cardinal's Musketeers themselves. The Musketeers were subsequently reorganized as

1885-651: The Kongo army against the Portuguese at the Battle of Mbwila in 1665. Musketeers were employed into the Wydah army from 1680 AD but they did not completely replace the spearmen, swordsmen and archers. In war, the Musketeers were first to go into action as they fought in the front ranks of the army. Hand cannon The hand cannon ( simplified Chinese : 火铳 ; traditional Chinese : 火銃 ; pinyin : huǒchòng or 手铳 ; 手銃 ; shǒuchòng ), also known as

1950-459: The Middle East than Europe, fire lances were described earlier by Hasan al-Rammah between 1240 and 1280, and appeared in battles between Muslims and Mongols in 1299 and 1303. Hand cannons may have been used in the early 14th century. An Arabic text dating to 1320–1350 describes a type of gunpowder weapon called a midfa which uses gunpowder to shoot projectiles out of a tube at the end of

2015-468: The Middle East. Similarly, the refusal of their Qizilbash forces to use firearms contributed to the Safavid rout at Chaldiran in 1514. Early European hand cannons, such as the socket-handgonne, were relatively easy to produce; smiths often used brass or bronze when making these early gonnes . The production of early hand cannons was not uniform; this resulted in complications when loading or using

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2080-475: The Mughal infantry plus some combination weapons . In the Spanish army , the tercio or the Spanish square was a mixed infantry formation that theoretically could number up to 3,000 pikemen, swordsmen and musketeers; although it was usually much smaller on the battlefield. It was effective in its era, capitalizing on the close-quarter impact of the pike combined with the long-range projectile capabilities of

2145-644: The Netherlands in the mid-16th century, during a time of growing conflict between the Dutch provinces and Spanish rule. These early firearms were matchlock muskets, which required a burning match to ignite the gunpowder. The Dutch rebels, also known as the Geuzen , adapted muskets for their guerrilla tactics during the early phases of the Eighty Years' War . A pivotal figure in the development of musket tactics in

2210-423: The Netherlands was Maurice of Nassau , the Dutch military commander and prince who led the Dutch forces during much of the war. By the late 17th century, musket technology continued to evolve, with flintlock mechanisms gradually replacing the older matchlock designs. The Dutch military adapted these newer technologies but also faced increasing challenges from other European powers like France and England. Thanks to

2275-449: The arrows varied from 63 m/s (210 ft/s) to 87 m/s (290 ft/s) with max ranges of 205 m (673 ft) to 360 m (1,180 ft), while the balls achieve velocities of between 110 m/s (360 ft/s) to 142 m/s (470 ft/s) with an average range of 630 m (2,070 ft). The first English source about handheld firearm (hand cannon) was written in 1473. Although evidence of cannons appears later in

2340-402: The battlefield yet have it be as maneuverable as an arquebus. The solution was a bigger arquebus, but the additional weight made it extremely difficult to support the barrel during aiming and firing; hence, the musket rest, the precursor to the monopod . Furthermore, musketeers were the first infantry to give up armor entirely. Other than the musket rest, the musketeer's equipage was upgraded from

2405-402: The cassocks were replaced by smaller soubrevestes or sleeveless coats in the same colours. In the early decades of the corps, the musketeers had worn civilian dress under their cassocks, according to personal taste and means, but in 1677 a scarlet uniform was adopted. In terms of recruitment, entry into the Musketeers was much sought after by those sons of the aristocracy who did not possess

2470-407: The drug (mixture) to be introduced in the madfa'a (cannon) with its proportions: barud, ten; charcoal two drachmes, sulphur one and a half drachmes. Reduce the whole into a thin powder and fill with it one third of the madfa'a. Do not put more because it might explode. This is why you should go to the turner and ask him to make a wooden madfa'a whose size must be in proportion with its muzzle. Introduce

2535-716: The earliest users of muskets in a military conflict. It also utilized large cannons, including the Great Turkish Bombard . The Ottomans, under Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (r. 1520-1566), embraced these weapons to maintain military superiority against European rivals such as the Habsburgs and the Safavids. By the late 17th century, the Ottoman military began to face increasing difficulties in keeping up with

2600-582: The event known as the "Auspicious Incident." This paved the way for further military reforms, including the widespread adoption of modern muskets and rifles. By the mid-19th century, the Ottomans had restructured their military to be more in line with European standards, though the empire continued to struggle in keeping pace with technological advancements. Streltsy ( Russian : Стрельцы , sing. strelets , стрелец , literally "shooter"; often translated as "musketeer", but more properly "harquebusier") were

2665-448: The figure depicted is actually a wind spirit letting air out of a bag rather than a cannon emitting a blast. Stephen Haw also considered the possibility that the item in question was a bag of air but concludes that it is a cannon because it was grouped with other weapon-wielding sculptures. Sinvany concurred with the wind bag interpretation and that the cannonball indentation was added later on. The first cannons were likely an evolution of

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2730-445: The first true bullet in recorded history depending on how bullet is defined, as it did occlude the barrel, unlike previous co-viatives (non-occluding shrapnel) used in the fire lance. Fire lances transformed from the "bamboo- (or wood- or paper-) barreled firearm to the metal-barreled firearm" to better withstand the explosive pressure of gunpowder. From there it branched off into several different gunpowder weapons known as "eruptors" in

2795-613: The gun bears no inscription or era date. Another cannon bears an era date that could correspond with the year 1271 in the Gregorian Calendar, but contains an irregular character in the reign name. Other specimens also likely predate the Xanadu and Heilongjiang guns and have been traced as far back as the late Western Xia period (1214–1227), but these too lack inscriptions and era dates (see Wuwei bronze cannon ). Li Ting chose gun-soldiers ( chòngzú ), concealing those who bore

2860-402: The gunpowder in the hand cannon. Improvements in hand cannon and gunpowder technology— corned powder , shot ammunition, and development of the flash pan—led to the invention of the arquebus in late 15th-century Europe. The hand cannon consists of a barrel , a handle, and sometimes a socket to insert a wooden stock. Extant samples show that some hand cannons also featured a metal extension as

2925-453: The hand cannons "on their backs". The passage on the 1288 battle is also the first to coin the name chòng ( 銃 ) with the metal radical jīn ( 金 ) for metal-barrel firearms. Chòng was used instead of the earlier and more ambiguous term huǒtǒng (fire tube; 火筒 ), which may refer to the tubes of fire lances , proto-cannons, or signal flares. Hand cannons may have also been used in the Mongol invasions of Japan . Japanese descriptions of

2990-492: The invasions talk of iron and bamboo pào causing "light and fire" and emitting 2–3,000 iron bullets. The Nihon Kokujokushi , written around 1300, mentions huǒtǒng (fire tubes) at the Battle of Tsushima in 1274 and the second coastal assault led by Holdon in 1281. The Hachiman Gudoukun of 1360 mentions iron pào "which caused a flash of light and a loud noise when fired." The Taiheki of 1370 mentions "iron pào shaped like

3055-511: The late 12th and early 13th centuries, with different functions such as the "filling-the-sky erupting tube" which spewed out poisonous gas and porcelain shards, the "hole-boring flying sand magic mist tube" ( zuànxuéfēishāshénwùtǒng 鑽穴飛砂神霧筒) which spewed forth sand and poisonous chemicals into orifices, and the more conventional "phalanx-charging fire gourd" which shot out lead pellets. Hand cannons first saw widespread usage in China sometime during

3120-560: The late 17th century, the Streltsy of Moscow began to actively participate in a struggle for power between different government groups, supporting dissidents and showing hostility towards any foreign innovations . After the fall of Sophia Alekseyevna in 1689, the government of Peter the Great engaged in a process of gradual limitation of the streltsy's military and political influence. In order to counter their power, Peter began to raise

3185-611: The mixture (drug) strongly; add the bunduk (balls) or the arrow and put fire to the priming. The madfa'a length must be in proportion with the hole. If the madfa'a was deeper than the muzzle's width, this would be a defect. Take care of the gunners. Be careful Cannons are attested to in India starting from 1366. The Joseon kingdom in Korea acquired knowledge of gunpowder from China by 1372 and started producing cannons by 1377. In Southeast Asia Đại Việt soldiers were using hand cannons at

3250-517: The musket. It resembled a loosely formed phalanx in function, but was far more flexible and deadly. Musketeers were developed by the Spanish during the Italian Wars so as to deal with the heavily armored French Gendarmes . An arquebus was not powerful enough to take down an armored knight, but a wall gun was. Spanish field commanders wanted to bring the firepower of a small wall gun onto

3315-489: The need to modernize its military, particularly in the face of defeats at the hands of European powers. Several sultans, most notably Sultan Selim III (r. 1789-1807) and later Mahmud II (r. 1808-1839), attempted to reform the army and introduce more modern firearms, including newer versions of muskets with flintlock mechanisms. It wasn't until the reign of Mahmud II that the Janissaries were finally abolished in 1826, during

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3380-461: The now-famous serial publication The Three Musketeers , first published in the magazine Le Siècle between March and July 1844. The author, Alexandre Dumas, père , based his work on the book Mémoires de Monsieur d'Artagnan , capitaine lieutenant de la première compagnie des Mousquetaires du Roi ( Memoirs of Mister d'Artagnan, lieutenant captain of the first company of the King's Musketeers ) by Gatien de Courtilz de Sandras (Cologne, 1700),

3445-402: The other military units of the former royal household. These expensive and aristocratic regiments proved ineffective when Napoleon returned from Elba, mostly dispersing, though some accompanied Louis XVIII into brief exile. Following the second restoration of the monarchy, the Musketeers were finally disbanded on 31 December 1815. Decades later, starting in 1844, this group was the subject of

3510-716: The rapid advances in European military technology and tactics, particularly regarding firearms. The stagnation of the Ottoman military was evident during key conflicts such as the Great Turkish War (1683-1699) and the Siege of Vienna in 1683, where the Ottomans were defeated by the combined forces of the Holy Roman Empire and its allies. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Ottoman Empire recognized

3575-465: The reforms of Gustav II Adolf , the Swedish Army brought to maturity the new style of fighting that made Sweden into a great power in the 17th century. This style of fighting became the new standard throughout Europe and its colonies in the latter stages of musket dominated warfare. Manuals based on Gustav's own revolutionised the training and tactics of western armies. The iconic " Redcoat " of

3640-534: The royal family. Traditional bodyguard duties were in fact performed by the Garde du Corps and the Cent-suisses . Because of its later establishment, the Musketeers were open to the lower classes of French nobility or younger sons from noble families whose oldest sons served in the more prestigious Garde du Corps and Chevau-legers (Light Horse). The Musketeers, many of them still teenagers, soon gained

3705-412: The shape of balls became the preferred form of ammunition, and then they were replaced by iron balls from the late 14th to 15th centuries. Later hand cannons have been shown to include a flash pan attached to the barrel and a touch hole drilled through the side wall instead of the top of the barrel. The flash pan had a leather cover and, later on, a hinged metal lid, to keep the priming powder dry until

3770-541: The term midfa refers to the tube or cylinder of a naphtha projector ( flamethrower ), then after the invention of gunpowder it meant the tube of fire lances, and eventually it applied to the cylinder of hand-gun and cannon. Similarly, Tonio Andrade dates the textual appearance of cannon in Middle-Eastern sources to the 1360s. David Ayalon and Gabor Ágoston believe the Mamluks had certainly used siege cannon by

3835-496: The very latest by 1390 when they employed them in killing Champa king Che Bong Nga. Chinese observer recorded the Javanese use of hand cannon for marriage ceremony in 1413 during Zheng He 's voyage. Japan was already aware of gunpowder warfare due to the Mongol invasions during the 13th century, but did not acquire a cannon until a monk took one back to Japan from China in 1510, and firearms were not produced until 1543, when

3900-518: Was also an illustration and description of how the Han people had adopted the Ottoman kneeling position when firing, while favoring the use of European-made muskets. The Han people also built the first repeating firearm: several barrels behind a small wooden shield. The gunman would turn these barrels lighting each barrel with a slow match one by one. These weapons were most effective when fired from walls or high positions. Needham considered this weapon to be

3965-460: Was chronically short of cash so that the streltsy were often not paid well. While "entitled" to something like four rubles a year in the 1550s, they were often allowed to farm or trade in order to supplement their incomes. Textiles for clothing and foodstuffs were sometimes issued as part of their pay. A commander of one hundred musketeers ( sotnik ) received up to 20 roubles a year and a regimental head ( streletski golova ) between 30 and 60. In

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4030-655: Was in 1331 when two mounted German knights attacked Cividale del Friuli with gunpowder weapons of some sort. By 1338 hand cannons were in widespread use in France. One of the oldest surviving weapons of this type is the "Loshult gun", a 10 kg (22 lb) Swedish example from the mid-14th century. In 1999, a group of British and Danish researchers made a replica of the gun and tested it using four period-accurate mixes of gunpowder, firing both 1.88 kg (4.1 lb) arrows and 184 g (6.5 oz) lead balls with 50 g (1.8 oz) charges of gunpowder. The velocities of

4095-591: Was technically abolished in 1689; however, after having suffered a defeat at Narva in 1700 , the government retained some streltsy units in service. Gradually, the streltsy were incorporated into the regular army. At the same time, the Tsarist government started to disband the Municipal Streltsy. Liquidation of the last streltsy units (by then social rather than military groups) was finally completed by 1728. The Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments of

4160-584: Was widely used in China from the 13th century onward and later throughout Eurasia in the 14th century. In 15th century Europe , the hand cannon evolved to become the matchlock arquebus , which became the first firearm to have a trigger . The earliest artistic depiction of what might be a hand cannon—a rock sculpture found among the Dazu Rock Carvings —is dated to 1128, much earlier than any recorded or precisely dated archaeological samples, so it

4225-685: Was written by Shams al-Din Muhammad al-Ansari al-Dimashqi (1256–1327), report the use of hand cannons by Mamluk-Egyptian forces against the Mongols at the Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260. However, Hassan's claim contradicts other historians who claim hand cannons did not appear in the Middle East until the 14th century. Iqtidar Alam Khan argues that it was the Mongols who introduced gunpowder to

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