By the beginning of the 16th century, the gradually increasing use of firearms in European warfare, along with the resurgence of older weaponry and tactics, had brought about a calamity of mixed weaponry which military minds struggled to apply efficiently and effectively on the battlefield, challenging the way wars had been fought for centuries. The dominating infantry weapons of the era, developed primarily in response to the overwhelming dominance of cavalry in the late medieval European system, were the heavy pike and the arquebus, the predecessor to the musket of later centuries. The limitations of both weapons severely restricted the situations in which they could be used independently and remain effective, and, as the Italian Wars escalated, military leaders of Habsburg Spain began fielding a new tactical formation of combined pikes and small firearms known as the tercio. This basic formation of the army’s core, supported in varying degrees by cavalry of both light and heavy types, became a standard in Europe for much of the next two centuries and heavily influenced the development of tactics and warfare in general during the late Renaissance and Early Modern Period. The application of tested weaponry in the innovative formation of the tercio in many ways resembled the Macedonian pike phalanx of Phillip II and Alexander, not merely in its basic form and appearance, but also in the administrative techniques used in its creation and the influential legacy which each of these formations left on the areas which encountered them.
The tercio as a distinct tactical entity developed gradually over the early 1500’s as the result of efforts to reconcile the inherent limitations of the available weaponry with the conditions of field...
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...t brought those tactics to their full potential. What sets the tercio apart is the set of circumstances particular to the 16th and early 17th centuries: namely, the increasing influence of firearms and the timely demise of heavy cavalry on the battlefield. These factors allowed the tercio to flourish for the lack of competition for nearly two centuries, bringing Europe to a deadlock.
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This second edition of DeVries and Smiths’ book, Medieval Military Technology, encompasses many of the weapons, fortifications, vessels, machines, and armour developed throughout the medieval period, to provide a brief cultural history of the relationship between military technology and medieval society. DeVries and Smiths’ purpose in compiling this book was to lay out their argument in a way to which the reader can understand the purpose of medieval military and its relationship to society. The central argument of this book is that, unlike Lynn White’s thesis, which emphasized the medieval military technology of the stirrup as the beginning of feudalism , DeVries and Smith use their book to allow the reader to see that both medieval society and technology influenced each other of the course of the development of medieval military technology. Hence, DeVries and Smiths’ thesis points to concentrating on looking at Middle Age military technology to gain an understanding and appreciation for the technologies that influenced medieval society, and have provided the modern twenty first-century with legendary histories. Their argument is further enforced in the books conclusion, with examples of military revolutions that happened throughout the medieval period, and a concise segue into how military technology has influenced the modern world. All of which helped Devries and Smith succeed in proving their thesis.
The longbow was very crucial to the English military. In this paper I will tell people about the English longbow and how dominant it was it their military. One will be surprised by the dominance of the longbow. I will tell one about wars, power, and draw a weight.
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Thesis statement: Rome had one of the best military at the time, They were well trained and fought fiercely on the battlefield. What made Rome’s military one of the most feared at the time were their Roman legions, the weapons they used in combat, and their unique military tactics.
Artillery in the United States military throughout the years has evolved with the times, becoming more prominent with the addition of new technology and the refining of tactics. Innovations to the maneuverability and capabilities of artillery in the United States Army was proven critical in shaping the outcomes of battles. Battles during the Mexican-American war were a perfect example of how these innovations made instant impacts. This paper will discuss the progressive heritage and history of artillery, the evolution of artillery, and the effects artillery had on the military problem and leadership.
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Firearms: A Global History to 1700 provides a knowledgeable narrative on why there were such stark differences between the militaries of Europe and Asia, as well as other societies in and around the Oikoumene. This monograph will appeal to anyone interested in learning about the development of firearms and its close relationship with
Long distance weapons were essential to European combat. The main long distance weapons used by Europeans during that time were the longbow and the crossbow. Each form of weaponry had its unique advantages and their pejorative. The long bow (shown in figure 1) was the original form of distance weapons. The term ‘bow’ means to be made from wood, iron or steel. The Welsh, who inhabited England, were the first people to use longbows. Longbows were 6-7 feet long and had a range of 250 yards, and still had the ability to pierce a knight’s armor (Byam 12). A well trained archer could shot 10- 12 arrows in a single minute. Despite these pro’s the longbow had a lot of disadvantages as well. One draw back was only skilled archers, who were costly to train, could use a longbow. Another disadvantage was it didn’t have a ready loaded arrow (Edge 34). The crossbow (shown in figure 2) on the other had been emphatically different. The crossbow had a span of 2-3 feet and could kill a knight on horseback with one shot, because of good aim (Byam 30). Crossbows had ready loaded projectiles, while the longbow didn’t and the crossbow could be used by anyone since it didn’t require any skill. The crossbow did have a down side though, it had slow reloaded because of a crank and it was expensive. Crossbows were also used for other thi...
These kinds of weapons were impractical for military use, but attracted many people to the arms race for weapons that could sweep the battlefield. “They had limitations in practice, among them slow re...
Science fiction never ceases to amaze me as I take great enjoyment in exploring these creative universes. I have always had a great interest in military science fiction for its take on technological innovation and critical analysis. Military science fiction in general is very speculative about future of technology and warfare. The military science fiction genre also serves as a critique of contemporary politics as it deals with many of the same issues that go on today. This has made military science fiction one if the most well respected genres of science fiction for it ability to indirectly criticize modern society. My Integrated Project explores the relationship between how technology that has arisen from war has been some of the most innovative and why war has become an unshakeable aspect of human existence.
When explaining how the warfare of the Middle Ages shaped and changed the way we looked at war and weapons, we must first start in the early Middle Ages. In The Art of Warfare in the Middle Ages, A.D. 378-1515, written by Charles Oman and John Beeler, he states, “between the middle of the fourth and the end of the sixth century lies a period of transition in military history…in war as in all else, the institutions of the ancient world are seen to pass away, and a new order of things develops itself” . As you can see, the warfare of the ancient Romans was passing and the new modernized technology was coming to the forefront.