Essay On Harquebus

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Advances in weaponry and the more effective use of gunpowder continued. The invention of the harquebus was a watershed invent in weaponry. The harquebus is also known as the arquebus or the hackbut. This is a very primitive firearm used between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries. The musket is a successor of the harquebus. It was a smooth bore long firearm. A matchlock is used to fire the harquebus. The matchlock is a device used to “cock” the weapon and have it ready to fire. It had a long barrel with end flared to make it easier to load. The fighter with the harquebus was the harquebusier. The harquebusier would brace the barrel of the gun onto a pole with a forked end when firing. The use of the harquebus during the battle…show more content…
A long bowman could fire 12 arrows per minute which is much faster than a crossbow. The Swiss pike is a long pole weapon whose primary use was against cavalry assaults. These pikes had the resemblance of a spear and were typically between 10 and 14 feet long. Steel tips were added to the end to increase its effectiveness. These pikes would be used in a large square formation (called a "hedgehog formation) to protect archers and harquebusiers from cavalry assaults. Although both of these weapons were effective it was very difficult to amass large armies with the skills necessary for their effective use. The longbow took years to learn to use effectively and the Swiss pike required large groups of very well disciplined fighters moving in complex formations. This is in stark contrast to a soldier who could be trained to effectively use a firearm in weeks instead of the years of training needed for the longbow and pike. There was no need to learn marksmanship skills because these early firearms were extremely inaccurate. Firearms did not take great physical strength and could still annihilate armored cavalry forces. The harquebus (explained above) was the first relatively light weight firearm. Even though it had to be placed on a stand for firing, it could be operated by only one

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