The 16th century was a time of almost revolutionary changes in, science, religion, art, world view, technology, production and military.
Due to the cnnon madnes of some european rules and the more and more common use of fire arms, the term military revolution is some time used.
In real it wasn’t a revolution and if it was it came to a halt or slow pase at the start of the 17th century. Despite the replace ment of the match lock musket by the flint lock and the use of bajonets in stead of pike.
How would it be if by some events the evolution of war fare in europe went indeed on a almost revolutionary speed?
In the religiuos wars in France and the Low Countries,16th century, merchanery soldiers invent/discover, if they make cilindrical bulllets ( like the miniee) with a shrinkage hole at the flat side, the range and accuracy improves considerable. Due to the shrinkage hole the bullet expaned when the musket is fired and make a gas tight connection between the bullet and the barrel.
The only disadvantage is there is more lead needed for this chape of bullet.
During the Dutch rebelion, the rebels some times bind there daggers on the outer end of there muskets, or simply plug them into there barrels, to defend them against the Spanish cavallery.
The use of both techniques, become gradualy more common but is fully adopted by Gustavus Adolphus during the 30 year war in Germany and then coppied fast by others. The use of pike men was dramaticly declined at the end of this conflict.
The replace ment of the matchlock by the flintlock muskets went also a bit faster.
Later in England, special tactics of the, now called bajonet, and almost entirely replacing the pikemen, were developed and the cilindrical bullet was improved by enlarging the shrinkage hole with tools.
In this conflict it became clear that the musketeer now was often in range of the artelery.
So far the only solution to cover this was of making the lumbers lighter and the guns smaller, so the pieces were easier to remove out of range. There was also a more extensive use of mounted infantery, which contucted , more and more a very mobile, and fast but alwas short fighting between the large battles. The difference between the encounters in the 30 years war between the ‘Ritters’ and these Dragoon was, that it was on a larger scale.
At the mean time in Eastern Europe, the Poles Lithuanians developed a true mounted artilery, which could cope with the there mostly mounted armies.
In the 2nd part of the 17th century, game hunters started to use rifled muskets, if they could afford it, and found out that the cilindric bullet was much easier to load than the still common used round bullet. One of the advantages of the cilinder bullet was, it did not need to fit thight on the rfled barrel to achief a gas thight fit, when fired the bullet expanded and a fit was a chieved.
Improvemen of administration and experiments with standing armies went on as well.
Since expensive to produce, only guard regimnent or hous hold regiments were first equiped with rifled muskets.
Experiments started as well with rifled guns, but this was limeted to bronze guns, iron guns were harder to handle.
The first rifled guns used on a large scale was during the 2ndAnglo-Dutch war when both side had ships equiped with this kind of guns.
When the 17th century came to an end half of the common soldier, in West Europe was equiped with a rifled musket, using cilindrical bullet. The Dutch developed platoon firing in stead of Batajon firing. The mounted field artilery had reached Westen Europe as well and was now a very mobile and light weapon, and the use of rifled barrels was used more and more. Increasing there acuracy and distance. The mounted infantery man, or Dragoon, comprised most of the Cavelery and the cold steel Cavalery was an expensive rarety on the fields of battle.
Sieges and pitch battles are still common and preferd by the comanders because of there good overview and better comunications. But Battles more and more evolved out of grand fourages were mounted troops clashed to gether. Thes kind of encounters were large, fierce, highly mobile and complete chaotic and for comanders hard to get a grip on.
How would warfare looked now when a new century, the 18th, emerge. With its ambitiuos rulers, like Frederic II of Prusia, Charles the XII of Sweden, Tsar Peter of Rusia, and the power hungry kings of France.
Some wars we know in OTL will come, some not but will be replaced by other conflicts we do not know in OTL.
Due to the cnnon madnes of some european rules and the more and more common use of fire arms, the term military revolution is some time used.
In real it wasn’t a revolution and if it was it came to a halt or slow pase at the start of the 17th century. Despite the replace ment of the match lock musket by the flint lock and the use of bajonets in stead of pike.
How would it be if by some events the evolution of war fare in europe went indeed on a almost revolutionary speed?
In the religiuos wars in France and the Low Countries,16th century, merchanery soldiers invent/discover, if they make cilindrical bulllets ( like the miniee) with a shrinkage hole at the flat side, the range and accuracy improves considerable. Due to the shrinkage hole the bullet expaned when the musket is fired and make a gas tight connection between the bullet and the barrel.
The only disadvantage is there is more lead needed for this chape of bullet.
During the Dutch rebelion, the rebels some times bind there daggers on the outer end of there muskets, or simply plug them into there barrels, to defend them against the Spanish cavallery.
The use of both techniques, become gradualy more common but is fully adopted by Gustavus Adolphus during the 30 year war in Germany and then coppied fast by others. The use of pike men was dramaticly declined at the end of this conflict.
The replace ment of the matchlock by the flintlock muskets went also a bit faster.
Later in England, special tactics of the, now called bajonet, and almost entirely replacing the pikemen, were developed and the cilindrical bullet was improved by enlarging the shrinkage hole with tools.
In this conflict it became clear that the musketeer now was often in range of the artelery.
So far the only solution to cover this was of making the lumbers lighter and the guns smaller, so the pieces were easier to remove out of range. There was also a more extensive use of mounted infantery, which contucted , more and more a very mobile, and fast but alwas short fighting between the large battles. The difference between the encounters in the 30 years war between the ‘Ritters’ and these Dragoon was, that it was on a larger scale.
At the mean time in Eastern Europe, the Poles Lithuanians developed a true mounted artilery, which could cope with the there mostly mounted armies.
In the 2nd part of the 17th century, game hunters started to use rifled muskets, if they could afford it, and found out that the cilindric bullet was much easier to load than the still common used round bullet. One of the advantages of the cilinder bullet was, it did not need to fit thight on the rfled barrel to achief a gas thight fit, when fired the bullet expanded and a fit was a chieved.
Improvemen of administration and experiments with standing armies went on as well.
Since expensive to produce, only guard regimnent or hous hold regiments were first equiped with rifled muskets.
Experiments started as well with rifled guns, but this was limeted to bronze guns, iron guns were harder to handle.
The first rifled guns used on a large scale was during the 2ndAnglo-Dutch war when both side had ships equiped with this kind of guns.
When the 17th century came to an end half of the common soldier, in West Europe was equiped with a rifled musket, using cilindrical bullet. The Dutch developed platoon firing in stead of Batajon firing. The mounted field artilery had reached Westen Europe as well and was now a very mobile and light weapon, and the use of rifled barrels was used more and more. Increasing there acuracy and distance. The mounted infantery man, or Dragoon, comprised most of the Cavelery and the cold steel Cavalery was an expensive rarety on the fields of battle.
Sieges and pitch battles are still common and preferd by the comanders because of there good overview and better comunications. But Battles more and more evolved out of grand fourages were mounted troops clashed to gether. Thes kind of encounters were large, fierce, highly mobile and complete chaotic and for comanders hard to get a grip on.
How would warfare looked now when a new century, the 18th, emerge. With its ambitiuos rulers, like Frederic II of Prusia, Charles the XII of Sweden, Tsar Peter of Rusia, and the power hungry kings of France.
Some wars we know in OTL will come, some not but will be replaced by other conflicts we do not know in OTL.