Weaponry
The weaponry used in the seventeenth century was surprisingly diverse.
In addition to the 'pole arms' (pikes and similar) and the swords and
other metal hand-fighting weapons which most people associate with those
times, the armies had access to
firearms
in the form of hand-held weapons and also various forms of cannon. At
the time these weapons relied on 'black powder' (gunpowder) to provide
their explosive force.
Further details of the various types of weapon and their usage can be found by by following the links below. They are also repeated on the left to make navigation easier.
Seventeenth century weapons were by no means primitive and a good deal of skill was needed to used them effectively. The links below lead to further details of the lives of soldiers using two of the most common weapons - the pike and musket.