In the 16th century, the main infantry firearm was the arquebus. This name can be translated as "gun with a hook." It comes from the German word Hacken (hook), and names such as Hackenbuechse, Hackbutt, Hagbut, Harquebus, Harkbutte are associated with this. There are two versions of the origin of the word Hackenbuechse. According to one, the first arquebusses were weapons, under the barrel of which there was a hook that could be hooked over the edge of the wall so that the shooter could withstand a strong recoil. The second explains this name by the hook-shaped butts of the early arquebus. The infantry arquebus was about 120-130 cm long. The powder charge was ignited with a smoldering wick. The range of the actual fire was about 150 steps. A well-trained shooter could fire 35-40 rounds per hour. The caliber of the weapon was 15-18 mm.
For the first time equestrian arquebusiers are mentioned in 1496. During the Italian War of 1494-1525, the Italian commander Camillo Vitelli put his arquebus-armed infantrymen on horses for increased mobility. In battle, they dismounted and fought on foot. The first experience of fighting arquebusiers in equestrian ranks dates back to 1510, when Captain Luigi Porto, who was in the Venetian service, armed his light cavalry detachment with arquebusses during the fighting against the German cavalry in the Udine region. Interestingly, at the beginning of the 16th century, some cavalry commanders allowed their fighters to independently choose between crossbows and arquebus.
In the 1520s, a wheel lock was invented in Germany, similar to a clockwork, cocked with a key. For a shot, it was enough to pull the trigger. This made it possible, while controlling the horse with one hand, to shoot with the other. Therefore, it was primarily used in cavalry pistols. Since the 1530s, a new type of cavalry armed with firearms has appeared on the battlefields. They ditched heavy medieval spears and pieces of armor in favor of four to six pistols. However, the pistols were effective at distances of a few meters. Arquebus had a greater range. But there was one problem limiting their use. The fact is that the equestrian arquebusiers, like the equestrian crossbowmen of the 15th century, were considered an auxiliary kind of cavalry. They had to support the attacks of the heavy cavalry from afar with the fire of their infantry arquebusses. For this reason, they did not have armor, and loading the arquebus was a rather lengthy procedure. Therefore, they were forced to retreat after each shot to reload their weapons. This is how they operated throughout the 16th and early 17th centuries. Soon, along with them, other types of mounted riflemen appeared - dragoons and carabinieri. Nevertheless, the equestrian arquebusiers survived and continued to operate together with the heavy cavalry. They acquired melee weapons, pistols, lightweight armor that did not restrict mobility and did not interfere with weapon manipulation, and the arquebus was replaced with shortened ones. Unlike cuirassiers, equestrian arquebusiers were considered light cavalry.
According to the decree of the French king in 1534, the cavalry arquebus was supposed to have a length of 2.5 to 3 feet (0.81-1.07 m) and be carried in a leather saddle holster on the right. It was more convenient to operate with a short arquebus from a horse. Some soldiers shortened their arquebus even more, so that they looked more like pistols - up to 70 cm. Modern historians cannot answer the question of why such a weapon continued to be considered an arquebus and not a pistol. Most likely, it depended on the grip method. The pistols had a long handle with a knob at the end. In close combat, they could be used as a club. The arquebus had a massive, heavily curved stock. On average, the pistols were about 20 cm shorter than the shortest arquebus. Most of the German and Austrian cavalry arquebusses presented in the arsenal of the city of Graz have a length of 80-90 cm and a caliber of 10-13.5 mm. In Brescia, Italy, arquebusses were produced with a length of 66.5 cm and a caliber of 12 mm. For comparison, the longest pistols reached 77.5 cm and had a caliber of 12 mm.
1. Arquebus from Augsburg. Caliber 11 mm. Length 79 cm. Weight 1.89 kg.
2. Arquebus from Augsburg. Caliber 11.5 mm. Length 83 cm. Weight 2 kg.
3. Arquebus from Brescia. Caliber 12 mm. Length 66.5 cm. Weight 1.69 kg.
Horse archers were lined up for battle in columns. To increase the efficiency of the fire, the "karakole" (snail) technique was used. At the same time, the first row of the column made a volley, turned to the left and went to the end of the column for reloading, and their place was taken by the second, etc. The German Reiters were especially famous. They formed columns up to 15-16 ranks deep. Many military theorists of the 16th century, such as Gaspard de Saulx de Tavannes, Blaise Monluc, Georg Basta, considered the most effective columns of 400 people (15-20 horsemen in 25 ranks). According to Tavanna, one such column of 400 people could, thanks to its high mobility and firepower, defeat an enemy of up to 2,000 people.
Horse arquebusiers remained in the ranks of the armies until the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). However, it cannot be said whether they were really armed with arquebus or only retained the traditional name, since there was practically no difference between the different kinds of horse-drawn shooters.
Cartridges and a pencil case for them (c. 1580-90)
Loading an arquebus or musket was a very complicated procedure. In the already mentioned book "Exercises with a weapon", the various phases of the process are depicted by 30 engravings. Loading the reduced cavalry wheel-lock arquebus was much easier, but still a significant challenge, especially on horseback. In the last third of the 16th century, a step was taken towards the creation of cartridges in their modern form. The bullet and the pre-measured charge of gunpowder were wrapped in cigar-shaped paper packaging, fastened at both ends with thread. The shooter had to first bite off the top of the cartridge, pour about 1/5 of it onto the seed shelf, and the remaining gunpowder into the barrel. Then the bullet, together with the paper, was driven into the barrel with a wooden or metal ramrod. The paper served as a seal and reduced the amount of powder gases bursting into the gap between the bullet and the barrel walls. Also, the paper prevented the bullet from falling out of the barrel. Then the wheel mechanism was cocked with a key, and the weapon was ready to fire. Horse shooters quickly appreciated the advantages of this type of cartridges. They were worn in special sealed cases on the belt. The cover was fixed with a push-button latch. A fighter could have several of these pencil cases.