A petronel is a 16th and 17th century

black powder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate ( saltpeter) ...

muzzle-loading A muzzleloader is any firearm into which the projectile and the propellant charge is loaded from the muzzle of the gun (i.e., from the forward, open end of the gun's barrel). This is distinct from the modern (higher tech and harder to make) desi ...

firearm, defined by

Robert Barret Robert Barret (''floruit, fl''. 1600) was a British military writer, and poet. Life He spent much of his life in the profession of arms among the French, Dutch, Italians, and Spaniards. Before 1598, he had "retyred to a rustique lyfe," and addre ...

(''Theorike and Practike of Modern Warres'', 1598) as a '' horsemans peece''. It was the muzzle-loading firearm which developed on the one hand into the

pistol A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, ...

and on the other into the

carbine A carbine ( or ) is a long gun that has a barrel shortened from its original length. Most modern carbines are rifles that are compact versions of a longer rifle or are rifles chambered for less powerful cartridges. The smaller size and light ...

. The name (

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

''petrinel'' or ''poitrinal'') was given to the weapon either because it was fired with the butt resting against the chest (

''poitrine'',

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

''pectus'') or it was carried slung from a belt across the chest. Petronels are found with either

matchlock A matchlock or firelock is a historical type of firearm wherein the gunpowder is ignited by a burning piece of rope that is touched to the gunpowder by a mechanism that the musketeer activates by pulling a lever or trigger with his finger. Befo ...

wheellock A wheellock, wheel-lock or wheel lock is a friction-wheel mechanism which creates a spark that causes a firearm to fire. It was the next major development in firearms technology after the matchlock and the first self-igniting firearm. Its name i ...

mechanisms. The sclopus was the prototype of the petronel. The petronel is a compromise between the harquebus and the pistol. Early petronels date back to the end of the 14th century, with a crude

buttstock A gunstock or often simply stock, the back portion of which is also known as a shoulder stock, a buttstock or simply a butt, is a part of a long gun that provides structural support, to which the barrel, action, and firing mechanism are attach ...

. Generally the

touch hole A touch hole, also called a vent, is a small hole at the rear (breech) portion of the barrel of a muzzleloading gun or cannon. The hole provides external access of an ignition spark into the breech chamber of the barrel (where the combustion ...

is on the right side, and fired by a separate

slow match Slow match, also called match cord, is the slow-burning cord or twine fuse used by early gunpowder musketeers, artillerymen, and soldiers to ignite matchlock muskets, cannons, shells, and petards. Slow matches were most suitable for use around ...

. Sometimes they had small hinged plate covers to protect the

priming Priming may refer to: * Priming (agriculture), a form of seed planting preparation, in which seeds are soaked before planting * Priming (immunology), a process occurring when a specific antigen is presented to naive lymphocytes causing them to ...

from moisture.Demmin (1894). pp. 486. By extension, the term petronel was also used to describe the type of

light cavalry Light cavalry comprised lightly armed and armored cavalry troops mounted on fast horses, as opposed to heavy cavalry, where the mounted riders (and sometimes the warhorses) were heavily armored. The purpose of light cavalry was primarily ...

who employed the firearm. The petronel (cavalryman) was used to support the

heavy cavalry Heavy cavalry was a class of cavalry intended to deliver a battlefield charge and also to act as a tactical reserve; they are also often termed '' shock cavalry''. Although their equipment differed greatly depending on the region and histori ...

such as demi-lancers and

cuirassiers Cuirassiers (; ) were cavalry equipped with a cuirass, sword, and pistols. Cuirassiers first appeared in mid-to-late 16th century Europe as a result of armoured cavalry, such as men-at-arms and demi-lancers, discarding their lances and adopt ...

. The petronel was succeeded by a similarly armed cavalryman called the

harquebusier The harquebusier was the most common form of cavalry found throughout Western Europe during the early to mid- 17th century. Early harquebusiers were characterised by the use of a type of carbine called a "harquebus". In England, harquebusier was ...

Later developments

Although petronels had fallen out of use in Europe by 1700, similar guns were made in the Middle East until the late 19th century. Afghan horsemen used a gun that was midway between an oversized pistol or a miniature carbine, with a curved

designed to keep the weapon close to the rider's chest.

Gallery

File:Hand cannon in wrought iron called a petronel.jpg, Petronel of the end of the 15th century. File:Hand cannon for a knight called a petronel.jpg, Early petronel, from a manuscript in the ancient library of Burgundy, by Glockenthon, of the arms of the Emperor Maximilian I (1505). File:Cavalier firing petronel.jpg, Cavalier Firing Petronel (After Marianus Jacobus). File:Afghan carbine.jpg, Short barreled Afghan jezail from the early to mid 1800s.

Notes

References

* *Demmin, Auguste (1894). An illustrated history of arms and armour: from the earliest period to the present time. New York: George Bell. ;Attribution Early firearms {{firearm-stub

Later developments

Gallery

See also

Notes

References