Marin le Bourgeoys (c. 1550–1634) was a French artist and inventor, known for inventing a

flintlock mechanism The flintlock mechanism is a type of lock (firearm), lock used on muskets, rifles, and pistols from the early 17th to the mid-19th century. It is commonly referred to as a "flintlock" (without the word ''mechanism''), though that term is also comm ...

that was used in firearms for over two centuries.

Life

Marin le Bourgeoys was born into a noted artisan family in Lisieux, in Normandy, France. He was probably initially trained as a painter. He later attained fame not only as an artist, but as a gunsmith, inventor, and luthier. In 1598, his talents attracted King Henry IV, and he was appointed

Valet de Chambre ''Valet de chambre'' (), or ''varlet de chambre'', was a court appointment introduced in the late Middle Ages, common from the 14th century onwards. Royal households had many persons appointed at any time. While some valets simply waited on t ...

in the Royal Court. In 1608, he was granted rooms in the Grand Gallery of the Louvre. He produced artwork, firearms, air guns, crossbows, and movable globes. He continued in royal service under the reign of King

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...

. Sometime between 1610 and 1615 it is believed that he created the first "true"

flintlock Flintlock is a general term for any firearm that uses a flint-striking lock (firearm), ignition mechanism, the first of which appeared in Western Europe in the early 16th century. The term may also apply to a particular form of the mechanism its ...

ignited firearm, which was an improvement on earlier flintlock systems. One feature of Marin le Bourgeoys' lock was that it had a half cocked position, from which the weapon could be loaded but would not fire. This feature proved to be much safer than earlier designs, and was widely implemented as other gunsmiths copied the flintlock musket. His basic design was copied and soon spread over all of Europe and was standard in firearm use until the 1840s, when it was finally replaced by

percussion lock The percussion cap or percussion primer, introduced in the early 1820s, is a type of single-use percussion ignition device for muzzle loader firearm locks enabling them to fire reliably in any weather condition. This crucial invention gave rise ...

systems. His weapons were considered works of art, and Louis XIII kept many of them in a private collection. The King also gave them to favored courtiers and highly esteemed visitors.

References

* "Pistols: An Illustrated History of Their Impact" By Jeff Kinard, Published by ABC-CLIO, 2004 * "The Flintlock: Its Origin, Development, and Use" By Torsten Lenk {{DEFAULTSORT:Le Bourgeoys, Marin Gunsmiths 16th-century French inventors 1550s births 1634 deaths 17th-century French inventors