Pike & Shot - 30 years and English Civil wars: the soldiers
Jul 1, 2014 2:48:11 GMT
Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2014 2:48:11 GMT
A special historical period that always fascinated me, the ''pike and shotte'' era as it is sometimes called, is one of tremendous consequences and importance to Europe. The two main events, the 30 Years war of 1618-1648 and the English civil war, also called the war of the three kingdoms, of 1642-1651, shaped the continent in political & demographic ways rarely seen before, as it involved so many nations in such a large period of time.
The Thirty Years war was the largest and most important conflict of the 17th century. A series of wars fought in phases, from 1618 to 1638, it involved the major powers of the continent and devastated Germany with a horrendous death toll due to the savagery inflicted upon the civilian population by the marauding armies of both sides & their mercenaries.
The ECW was a conflict between the King of England and the Parliamentary forces that wanted more power to the Parliament while limiting the king's power. After a series of clashes the war ended with the execution of King Charles the 1st and the rule of Cromwell & his reformed New Model army.
Because of its scope, virtually every type of sword saw action and clashed with each other, in no other period did the sabre, the rapier and the broadsword coexist in such a way.
So here's a introductory two-part article so that all can learn more about this fascinating era. Part one will focus on the types of soldiers and the other about the swords chiefly used by them.
The infantry: musketeer and pikemen
Since there was no definitive uniform system yet developed, all troops looked and fought the same and only by way of specific signs and passwords could one side differentiate from the other.
The infantry of the time was divided into 3 main types: the musketeers, the pikemen and the arquebusiers who were since long archaic but still used.
Early on in the period, an average unit would have slightly more musketeers than pikemen, but the number of pikes dwindled as time went on, although they were still in use by Austria and all others in 1650.
1. The musketeers
As their name indicates, these infantrymen were armed with a musket. They were designed to attack at close as well as long range, supported by the defensive pikemen.
Shooting either in two (Imperial formations) or three ranks (Swedish formation) their effectiveness came when shooting almost point blank and at the same time to maximize casualties to the advancing enemy forces: at the battle of Lutzen in 1732, Wallenstein's men waited for the veteran Swedish Old Blue regiment and completely wiped it out in a focused and deadly salvo.
2. The pikemen
Some of the most recognizable soldiers of the time, pikemen were meant to be mainly a defensive formation to protect the musketeers while holding off attacks.
Enemy infantry was one problem, but the real danger came from the cavalry that would hack the musketeers if these were out on the open but against a firm wall of pikes it was difficult for a horseman to do anything.
To prevent flank and rear attacks, the usual pike-musket formation was a square shape in which the pikemen established a perimeter behind which the musketeers could load and fire in safety. If the enemy got too close the pikes would push them back and if the enemy moved away the pikes would draw back to make it easier then for the muskets to attack.
Maintaining such formations naturally required a considerable amount of discipline and drill work, and those forces that could maintain these formations and transition between them quickly had a distinct advantage over those unable to do the same.
Naturally battles of this period largely involved the two armies trying to break each others squares, if a square suffered too many casualties or otherwise became disordered the enemy could quickly move in with cavalry or pikes and smash it.
At the beginning of the war muskets were uncommon so formations were mostly pikemen but over time muskets became more common and there were fewer pikemen in a formation. The later invention of the bayonet meant a soldier could fight simultaneously as a musketeer and a pikemen.
3. The arquebusiers
By the time the first shot was fired in the Thirty Years War, the arquebus was already a venerable old weapon that had been made obsolete by the more modern musket, although even that was decades old by this time. Yet the arquebus continued in use, not least because it was lighter and easier to handle, not requiring a fork like the heavier musket. Along with the caliver (an improved arquebus) it served as a light firearm and only gradually vanished from the European battlefield.
Types of cavalrymen
1. The heavy cavalry: cuirassiers
In the early years of the 7th cent. the term heavy cavalry meant cuirassiers, men wearing three-quarter armour and riding heavy horses. They were the shock cavalry employed to break wavering troops or exploiting a strategic gap.
During the three decades of this war the nature of cuirassiers changed, as they gradually shed more and more armour, and relied much more on pistols rather than cold steel.
A trooper of Pappenheim's elite cuirassier regiment
Catholic powers cuirassiers
Catholic & richer nations (Spain; Austria; France) had them clad in armor throughout the war, but some other nations like Sweden & the German states who were either low on budget or did not see the advantage of full armor, had them wear only part of the necessary armor.
ECW cavalry
Because of its isolated nature, the British cavalry was somewhat limited when compared to the continental armies. It did not have light or medium cavalry and most of its cavalry force was composed of riders who privately equipped themselves and those who were given only front and back breast plate and were to act as the all around cavalry.
ECW cavalry: ''Ironsides'' vs Royalist cavalrymen
Equipment of a British cavalryman
Times were, as ever, changing, and these expensive and relatively slow armoured men were falling out of fashion as lighter, more mobile forces were playing an increasing role. Pappenheim and Wallenstein were the most famous Imperial commanders, properly used them to turn the tide of battle, but military tacticians were increasingly looking to the far cheaper dragoons and lighter cavalry to fulfil the mounted role.
2. The dragoons
A novelty in the art of war; dragoons first appeared just some years before the war as mounted infantrymen capable of moving fast to make contact with the enemy and be able to dismount to engage and destroy it: basically a mounted musketeer. It proved to be a concept that lasted well until the end of the Napoleonic wars.
However on a few occasions dragoons were called upon to fire while mounted, and even to conduct charges. Dragoons were seen as mounted infantry, and therefore had much less status than normal cavalry, so they were keen to improve their position by acting as regular cavalry whenever possible.
The nationality of a dragoon, and indeed the army in which he fought, made little difference to his appearance or function. As essentially mounted infantry, dragoons wore more or less infantry costume, and were armed in the same way. Since infantry was divided into musketeers and pikemen this implies a similar divide for dragoons.
A late 17th cent Swedish dragoon
3. The Mounted arquebusiers
At the start of the Thirty Years War cavalry was broadly divided into the heavier cuirassiers and the lighter arquebusiers. The latter were armed with an arquebus or carbine as well as pistols & a sword as a sidearm. Their role was to support charges by the cuirassiers by firing in turns on the enemy to weaken them, and also to perform the many other actions of light cavalry like skirmishing. However, during the thirty years in question they were to decline greatly as the dragoons became more important. In 1633 there were 20 regiments of arquebusiers in the Imperial forces but by the war’s close there were none at all.
As a lighter cavalryman the arquebusier wore relatively little armour – usually a helmet and sometimes a breast and back plate. The body armour declined in popularity at this time, so that late in the war many had only a helmet and possibly a buff coat.
4. Light cavalry : Hungarian, Croat & Finn mercenaries
Local and foreign mercenaries played a capital roles in both sides as they were hired in so great numbers that they often composed the bulk of the fighting forces. Small wonder that the Imperial and Protestant armies fought and looked the same but there were some out of the ordinary units such as the Croats, the Finns and those from the UK.
Croats
The Hungarian & Croats were hired by the Imperial armies to act as light cavalry, a duty they performed well thanks to their fighting experience with the Ottoman Turks. These duties included skirmishes, outposts, reconnaissance, harassment and pursuit of fleeing enemy, where they came to show their ferocity and dreadfulness.
Finland
The Finns (Stålhandske's Finnish horse) were the acting light cavalry of the Swedish army and, much like the Croats, were highly regarded with fear as they also showed no pity to their fallen opponents. These guys had gained fghting skills from the Poles and Hungarians and were very valued cavalrymen. Unlike any other light cavalry, these excelled in the use of savage but effective charges using pistols and cold steel.
5. British Isles Mercenaries
British mercenaries were the second in numbers, after Germans, in Gustavus Adolphus army. The English alone supplied seven regiments between 1624 and 1632. James Ramsay's "Scottish" Regiment in 1629 had three English companies, eight Scottish companies (one of which was partly Irish), and one mixed Scottish/English company.
As the Thirty Years War was primarily a German affair, it will surprise many that a significant number of Scots also participated. It is true that Elizabeth, daughter of the Scottish king James VI, was the wife of Frederick V, Elector of the Palatinate and King of Bohemia, whose Bohemian rebellion was a major cause of the war, and that her father tried to help the couple after they were forced to flee in 1620.
In addition, the War was widely seen as a battle between Protestant and Catholic, and many from all over Europe were motivated to fight for one side or the other for reasons of religion alone. However, the bulk of the ordinary men were motivated either by the usual mercenary attractions of adventure and money, more appealing than the extremely limited prospects at home, or were simply forced into service by zealous officers and nobles.
The demand for mercenaries was particularly strong in the armies of Gustavus Adolphus, where the small population of Sweden and her possessions could not furnish sufficient troops for the campaigns in Germany. By far the bulk of these mercenaries were German but as we have said, significant numbers of Scots were also employed, particularly those under Munro from 1629.
During the 17th century it was normal practice to send mercenaries to their new employer with either a cheap suit of clothes or simply their everyday outfit as the army would clothe and arm them upon arrival. We know this happened with the Scots in Swedish service, so in fact Scots mercenaries looked just like any other nationality, not least because Highland costume was viewed as barbaric by Europeans and Gustavus did not like his troops in peasant costume. After the death of the king, the Swedish army fell into something of a shambles and it is possible then that fitting new recruits was simply not practical. During this phase some troops may indeed have been in their own costume but over the war as a whole this was probably the exception. Also it must be remembered that ‘Scot’ and ‘Highlander’ are by no means the same thing.
With trouble brewing in Britain most returned home between 1638 and 1640. They brought back (especially to the Scots army) a much needed professionalism...but also a brutal manner picked up in Germany that marred the otherwise fairly gentlemanly conduct of the English Civil War.
The Thirty Years war was the largest and most important conflict of the 17th century. A series of wars fought in phases, from 1618 to 1638, it involved the major powers of the continent and devastated Germany with a horrendous death toll due to the savagery inflicted upon the civilian population by the marauding armies of both sides & their mercenaries.
The ECW was a conflict between the King of England and the Parliamentary forces that wanted more power to the Parliament while limiting the king's power. After a series of clashes the war ended with the execution of King Charles the 1st and the rule of Cromwell & his reformed New Model army.
Because of its scope, virtually every type of sword saw action and clashed with each other, in no other period did the sabre, the rapier and the broadsword coexist in such a way.
So here's a introductory two-part article so that all can learn more about this fascinating era. Part one will focus on the types of soldiers and the other about the swords chiefly used by them.
The infantry: musketeer and pikemen
Since there was no definitive uniform system yet developed, all troops looked and fought the same and only by way of specific signs and passwords could one side differentiate from the other.
The infantry of the time was divided into 3 main types: the musketeers, the pikemen and the arquebusiers who were since long archaic but still used.
Early on in the period, an average unit would have slightly more musketeers than pikemen, but the number of pikes dwindled as time went on, although they were still in use by Austria and all others in 1650.
1. The musketeers
As their name indicates, these infantrymen were armed with a musket. They were designed to attack at close as well as long range, supported by the defensive pikemen.
Shooting either in two (Imperial formations) or three ranks (Swedish formation) their effectiveness came when shooting almost point blank and at the same time to maximize casualties to the advancing enemy forces: at the battle of Lutzen in 1732, Wallenstein's men waited for the veteran Swedish Old Blue regiment and completely wiped it out in a focused and deadly salvo.
2. The pikemen
Some of the most recognizable soldiers of the time, pikemen were meant to be mainly a defensive formation to protect the musketeers while holding off attacks.
Enemy infantry was one problem, but the real danger came from the cavalry that would hack the musketeers if these were out on the open but against a firm wall of pikes it was difficult for a horseman to do anything.
To prevent flank and rear attacks, the usual pike-musket formation was a square shape in which the pikemen established a perimeter behind which the musketeers could load and fire in safety. If the enemy got too close the pikes would push them back and if the enemy moved away the pikes would draw back to make it easier then for the muskets to attack.
Maintaining such formations naturally required a considerable amount of discipline and drill work, and those forces that could maintain these formations and transition between them quickly had a distinct advantage over those unable to do the same.
Naturally battles of this period largely involved the two armies trying to break each others squares, if a square suffered too many casualties or otherwise became disordered the enemy could quickly move in with cavalry or pikes and smash it.
At the beginning of the war muskets were uncommon so formations were mostly pikemen but over time muskets became more common and there were fewer pikemen in a formation. The later invention of the bayonet meant a soldier could fight simultaneously as a musketeer and a pikemen.
3. The arquebusiers
By the time the first shot was fired in the Thirty Years War, the arquebus was already a venerable old weapon that had been made obsolete by the more modern musket, although even that was decades old by this time. Yet the arquebus continued in use, not least because it was lighter and easier to handle, not requiring a fork like the heavier musket. Along with the caliver (an improved arquebus) it served as a light firearm and only gradually vanished from the European battlefield.
Types of cavalrymen
1. The heavy cavalry: cuirassiers
In the early years of the 7th cent. the term heavy cavalry meant cuirassiers, men wearing three-quarter armour and riding heavy horses. They were the shock cavalry employed to break wavering troops or exploiting a strategic gap.
During the three decades of this war the nature of cuirassiers changed, as they gradually shed more and more armour, and relied much more on pistols rather than cold steel.
A trooper of Pappenheim's elite cuirassier regiment
Catholic powers cuirassiers
Catholic & richer nations (Spain; Austria; France) had them clad in armor throughout the war, but some other nations like Sweden & the German states who were either low on budget or did not see the advantage of full armor, had them wear only part of the necessary armor.
ECW cavalry
Because of its isolated nature, the British cavalry was somewhat limited when compared to the continental armies. It did not have light or medium cavalry and most of its cavalry force was composed of riders who privately equipped themselves and those who were given only front and back breast plate and were to act as the all around cavalry.
ECW cavalry: ''Ironsides'' vs Royalist cavalrymen
Equipment of a British cavalryman
Times were, as ever, changing, and these expensive and relatively slow armoured men were falling out of fashion as lighter, more mobile forces were playing an increasing role. Pappenheim and Wallenstein were the most famous Imperial commanders, properly used them to turn the tide of battle, but military tacticians were increasingly looking to the far cheaper dragoons and lighter cavalry to fulfil the mounted role.
2. The dragoons
A novelty in the art of war; dragoons first appeared just some years before the war as mounted infantrymen capable of moving fast to make contact with the enemy and be able to dismount to engage and destroy it: basically a mounted musketeer. It proved to be a concept that lasted well until the end of the Napoleonic wars.
However on a few occasions dragoons were called upon to fire while mounted, and even to conduct charges. Dragoons were seen as mounted infantry, and therefore had much less status than normal cavalry, so they were keen to improve their position by acting as regular cavalry whenever possible.
The nationality of a dragoon, and indeed the army in which he fought, made little difference to his appearance or function. As essentially mounted infantry, dragoons wore more or less infantry costume, and were armed in the same way. Since infantry was divided into musketeers and pikemen this implies a similar divide for dragoons.
A late 17th cent Swedish dragoon
3. The Mounted arquebusiers
At the start of the Thirty Years War cavalry was broadly divided into the heavier cuirassiers and the lighter arquebusiers. The latter were armed with an arquebus or carbine as well as pistols & a sword as a sidearm. Their role was to support charges by the cuirassiers by firing in turns on the enemy to weaken them, and also to perform the many other actions of light cavalry like skirmishing. However, during the thirty years in question they were to decline greatly as the dragoons became more important. In 1633 there were 20 regiments of arquebusiers in the Imperial forces but by the war’s close there were none at all.
As a lighter cavalryman the arquebusier wore relatively little armour – usually a helmet and sometimes a breast and back plate. The body armour declined in popularity at this time, so that late in the war many had only a helmet and possibly a buff coat.
4. Light cavalry : Hungarian, Croat & Finn mercenaries
Local and foreign mercenaries played a capital roles in both sides as they were hired in so great numbers that they often composed the bulk of the fighting forces. Small wonder that the Imperial and Protestant armies fought and looked the same but there were some out of the ordinary units such as the Croats, the Finns and those from the UK.
Croats
The Hungarian & Croats were hired by the Imperial armies to act as light cavalry, a duty they performed well thanks to their fighting experience with the Ottoman Turks. These duties included skirmishes, outposts, reconnaissance, harassment and pursuit of fleeing enemy, where they came to show their ferocity and dreadfulness.
Finland
The Finns (Stålhandske's Finnish horse) were the acting light cavalry of the Swedish army and, much like the Croats, were highly regarded with fear as they also showed no pity to their fallen opponents. These guys had gained fghting skills from the Poles and Hungarians and were very valued cavalrymen. Unlike any other light cavalry, these excelled in the use of savage but effective charges using pistols and cold steel.
5. British Isles Mercenaries
British mercenaries were the second in numbers, after Germans, in Gustavus Adolphus army. The English alone supplied seven regiments between 1624 and 1632. James Ramsay's "Scottish" Regiment in 1629 had three English companies, eight Scottish companies (one of which was partly Irish), and one mixed Scottish/English company.
As the Thirty Years War was primarily a German affair, it will surprise many that a significant number of Scots also participated. It is true that Elizabeth, daughter of the Scottish king James VI, was the wife of Frederick V, Elector of the Palatinate and King of Bohemia, whose Bohemian rebellion was a major cause of the war, and that her father tried to help the couple after they were forced to flee in 1620.
In addition, the War was widely seen as a battle between Protestant and Catholic, and many from all over Europe were motivated to fight for one side or the other for reasons of religion alone. However, the bulk of the ordinary men were motivated either by the usual mercenary attractions of adventure and money, more appealing than the extremely limited prospects at home, or were simply forced into service by zealous officers and nobles.
The demand for mercenaries was particularly strong in the armies of Gustavus Adolphus, where the small population of Sweden and her possessions could not furnish sufficient troops for the campaigns in Germany. By far the bulk of these mercenaries were German but as we have said, significant numbers of Scots were also employed, particularly those under Munro from 1629.
During the 17th century it was normal practice to send mercenaries to their new employer with either a cheap suit of clothes or simply their everyday outfit as the army would clothe and arm them upon arrival. We know this happened with the Scots in Swedish service, so in fact Scots mercenaries looked just like any other nationality, not least because Highland costume was viewed as barbaric by Europeans and Gustavus did not like his troops in peasant costume. After the death of the king, the Swedish army fell into something of a shambles and it is possible then that fitting new recruits was simply not practical. During this phase some troops may indeed have been in their own costume but over the war as a whole this was probably the exception. Also it must be remembered that ‘Scot’ and ‘Highlander’ are by no means the same thing.
With trouble brewing in Britain most returned home between 1638 and 1640. They brought back (especially to the Scots army) a much needed professionalism...but also a brutal manner picked up in Germany that marred the otherwise fairly gentlemanly conduct of the English Civil War.
