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German Pike Square (ca. 1510)
Dutch Pikemen Performing Various Exercises (1660)
Pike men had re-emerged as a force on the battlefield at the beginning of the 14th century. If it could keep its formation intact, the pike square could remain impervious to cavalry attacks. The pike square, however, was vulnerable to projectiles, particularly shot. Over the course of the 16th century, soldiers struggled to find a way of combining pike and shot in a flexible tactical formation that could win battles. Those, like Michael Roberts, who believe a military revolution took place between 1560 and 1660, claim the Swedes, under King Gustavus Adolphus, finally found the way to amalgamate pikes and firepower in a highly effective manner.
Dutch Musketeers Loading a Matchlock (ca. 1580)
These illustrations constitute part of a manual that instructed soldiers on the use of matchlocks. What's more fun than holding a twenty-pound weapon, lugging around a prop, and wearing a dozen wooden powder cartridges while waving around a burning match? I'll tell you: holding a twenty-pound weapon, lugging around a prop, and wearing a dozen wooden powder cartridges while waving around a burning match as a big armored man on horseback attempts to skewer you. After you have surveyed these pictures, it should not surprise you that a trained soldier firing a matchlock often required about a minute to load his weapon.
According to Michael Roberts and others who claim a military revolution took place, the coordination of pikemen and musketeers in complex formations helped set off some significant changes that not only transformed the face of war, but society and the state as well. Roberts, as well as many others, attribute the creation of flexible linear formations of musketeers to Maurice of Nassau, a Dutch soldier who at one point led the Dutch in their war of independence from the Habsburgs.
Plan for the Defenses of the Dutch Town of Breda
Breda represents a classic case of the new fortifications associated with the angled bastion and the trace italienne. These designs gave the defenders interlocking fields of fire. Their low height and great thickness made it difficult for besiegers to batter them down with artillery.
Plan for the Siege of Breda (1624-1625)
This plan represents the Spanish siege of Breda that took place over eleven months between 1624 and 1625. Breda sits in the middle of the map. Notice the extent of the Spanish works, represented by the jagged lines that run all around Breda. These represented an enormous outpouring of resources and labor. When the Dutch finally surrendered for lack of food, their Spanish besiegers were just as exhausted and hungry. Sieges such as this one required belligerents to raise enormous amount of money and helped augment the powers of the state—if it could meet the challenge.
Fortress of Bourtange
Originally built by the Dutch in the 16th century, the fortress of Bourtange underwent reconstruction in 1606-1607 and 1698-1702. Recently restored by the Dutch government, Bourtange is one of the best surviving examples of the fortification techniques associated with the military revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries.
Swedish Assault on Deutz (1642)
This image shows the Swedish assault on Deutz, a fortified town across the river from Leipzig. In the foreground, on the hill overlooking the town, one can see a tercio. The assault parties, however, have arranged themselves in a somewhat different formation. Notice also the fortifications of Deutz, conducted on modern lines with angled bastions.
Battle of Breitenfeld (1631)
At the Battle of Breitenfeld, during the Thirty Years' War, the forces of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden administered a crushing defeat to Imperial forces near Leipzig. This etching captures the moment when the Imperialist flank began to collapse and its retreat to Leipzig (upper right corner) began.
Battle of Lützen (1632)
In the center foreground, this illustration clearly shows the tercio formation that Imperialists and Spanish troops employed during the first half of the 17th century. Musketeers surround pikemen with a square of musketeers at each corner of the formation. In the background, the Swedes have adopted a more linear formation, alternating pikemen with musketeers. At this battle, Gustavus Adolphus's Swedish forces (with little help from his Saxon allies who fled the field) trounced the Imperialists again. Unfortunately for the Swedes, however, Gustavus Adolphus was killed in a reckless cavalry charge.
Battle of Lützen (1632)
This etching presents a view of the battle from the Imperialist perspetive. Notice the tercio on the left side of the picture. In contrast, look at the Swedish formation in the distance on the left.
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Copyrighted by Hugh Dubrulle, 2003.