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The military revolution:Military innovation and the rise of the West, 1500 1800

Chapter I.: The Military revolution revisited (emphasis on tactics and

military engineering)

In 15th century, the development of the society is accompanied by the development of military

technology. The domination of classical fortification design, with conventional high walls and

round towers effective against infantry and cavalry, is over.

At first, the appearance of only one siege gun might lead to the immediate surrender of a

garrison. First siege guns were simply too large and therefore had limited use. Over time,

smaller siege guns with more maneuverability have been developed.

The French in the late 15th century use horse drawn siege guns and this use of artillery

demanded a new way of building the fortification walls.

Architects argued that defensive fortifications would be more effective if they were built in

uneven lines but only few rulers paid heed. Walls were made both lower and thicker but

defenders could no longer watch the ground immediately below them and so became more

vulnerable to a surprise assault.

Therefore, gun towers are built on the edges to cover blind spots and prevent the attacks.

It was found that the addition of a wide and deep ditch both helped to keep the enemy'sartillery at a greater distance and made it more difficult to approach the walls by enemy

soldiers.

Fortification systems were expensive to build. Their construction would often empty the

budget and it was not rare to leave them unfinished. Therefore, a small number of towns have

been fortified in this way.

In the 16th and 17th century the defense is further developed, deeper ditches and smaller walls,

presenting smaller targets, are built. The capture of that kind of stronghold required months,

sometimes years (defenders starved out, tunnels excavated under a bastion where gun powder

could be planted). During the 17th century there werent any more significant advancements inthe wall construction techniques.

Along with the development of siege weapons and fortifications, the field artillery is also

being developed. Tactics which relied on the direct use of brute force gave way to the use of

firepower. For example, more advanced archers helped the English in the 14 th century to

dominate the battlefields.

In the 14th century small-calibre firearms appear, but in the beginning they have short range

and low accuracy so the archers still have the leverage. A well trained archer could discharge

ten arrows a minute but the arquebus of the earlier 16 th century took several minutes to reload

and was accurate only up to 100 metres, however the gun remained attractive because it

required virtually no training for use.

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During the time new weapon, musket, could throw lead shot with sufficient force to penetrate

even plate armour 100 metres away.

In the 16th century the development of handguns gradually obsoletes heavy swords, halberds

and, in England, longbows. As a very effective infantry, pikemen still stand beside

musketeers, in close ranks successful against both infantry and cavalry, thus protecting themusketeers.

At the end of 16th century, commanders of the Dutch army find another way of increasing the

musketeers' rate of fire: if their men were drawn up in a series of long lines, the first rank

firing together and then retiring to reload while the following ranks came forward and did the

same.

To decrease the number of targets, the lines are becoming slimmer and longer, the battlefields

larger and professional soldiers are in high demand. Troops had to be trained to fire,

countermarch, load and maneuver all together. Various tactics and ways of use of such units

are developed and the need arises for more advanced military schools and war textbooks.

Swedes further improve on the Dutch tactics. Thanks to constant drill and practice, they

increased reloading speed and in the Swedish army only six ranks of musketeers could

maintain a continuous barrage. Firepower was greatly increased by the addition of a copious

field artillery that is now used both, to attack and defend.

Combination of perfectly trained infantry and advanced use of easily maneuverable artillery is

shown to be a winning combination and other countries soon start to copy the Swedish model.

This system of warfare is used throughout the whole new age and later ages will bring new,

more effective techniques of attack and defense.

Key words:

- military, military tactics, military technology, military engineering

- siege gun, musketeers, cavalry, fortification, fortification design, walls , towers,

ditches

- artillery, field guns, infantry

Literature:

Geofrey Parker, The military revolution : military innovation and the rise of the West, 1500-

1800 , Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2004