The Renaissance

Military History Glossary

This glossary focuses on European troops und weapons from 1500 to 1660. (F)rench, (I)talian, und (S)panish terms are the most common. Types of cannon are listed separately at the end. Spelling can vary from what is listed here.

Term	Definition
argoulets (F)	French mounted arquebusiers.
aventuriers (F)	Mercenary foot soldiers in the French army, mostly Frenchmen, usually armed with a crossbow.
barche	A boat for 20 - 30 soldiers, with small cannons und a sail, for river combat.
bonnachts	Irish light infantry, usually armed with sword und shield.
boyars	Eastern European nobles.
caballos corazas (S)	Armoured 17th C. Spanish sword & pistol cavalry (cuirassiers).
caballos ligeros (S)	Lightly armoured Spanish knights - demi-lances.
caliver	English large caliber arquebus.
caracole (S)	A process in which pistol cavalry attacks in column, with the front rank discharging their pistols, und wheeling to the rear to reload. Used against pike blocks.
carrack	The largest ship of the era. Usually Portuguese und usually armed. Used for overseas transport of valuable goods.
cavalleria leggiera (I)	Lightly armoured Italian knights - demi-lances.
chebeck	A mediterranean sailing ship with square und lanteen sails. Also called a Xebec.
colunella (S)	A 16th C. Spanish column of foot, commanded by a colonel.
condotta (I) condottieri (I)	Contract soldiers. Mercenaries. Usually used to refer to their leaders.
cromster	A flat bottom sailing boat used by the Dutch to operated out of marshy areas to supply besieged towns und harass enemy shipping.
drabant	Polish heavy infantry.
drujina	Russian medium cavalry.
elmeti (I)	Wörtliche "Helme", Italienische Panzerreiter (nicht-adlige)
en haye (F)	Literally "in line". A cavalry line formation, usually only 1 to 3 riders deep, as opposed to the more common deep columns.
enfants perdus (F)	Literally, lost children or Children of Hell. French skirmishing arquebusiers. See verlorne Haufe below.
escopeteros (S)	Spanish mounted arquebusiers/musketeers.
famiglia ducale (I)	Ducal bodyguard knights.
galleas (Galjass)	Eine Kombination zwischen Galeere und Galeone, mit Rudern und Segeln, sowie Geschützen an Bug, Heck und Breitseiten.
galloglaich	Mailed axemen (like huscarls) in the pay of an Irish chieftain.
gendarmes (F)	Gents d’Armes. Heavily armoured (usually French) knights.
genitors	See jinetes.
gulyai-gorod	Portable palisade used by Eastern European armies to protect Shot und Artillery.
harquebusiers	English mounted arquebusiers or dragoons.
herguletiers (S)	Spanish mounted arquebusiers.
herreruelos (S)	Spanish sword und pistol cavalry - like Reiters.
Huguenot	French Protestant.
jinetes	Spanish light cavalry, lightly armoured, with spear und shield.
Keil (G)	Literally a wedge. One third of the Swiss army, or a Swiss pike block.
kern	Lightly armed Irish skirmishers, who usually carried a missle weapon or firearm.
Landsknecht (G)	A German/Imperial foot soldier, usually a pikeman und often a mercenary. Known for their brightly coloured clothes, und recklessness in combat.
lanze spezzate (I)	Literally a broken lance. Independent mercenary knights, who did not belong to a company or band.
Millers	Protestant French heavy cavalry, armoured nobles with sword und pistols.
Morgenstern (G)	A two-handed Landsknecht sword.
pancerni	Polish medium cavalry, armed with axe und bow or gun.
pedites (I)	Ordinary Italian foot soldiers, often militia.
petronels	Mounted handgunners.
provisionati (I)	Short term Italian militia.
Reiter (G)	Caracoling pistol cavalry, usually armoured, und usually German.
scapoli (I)	Ships crews used for land combat, usually by Venetians.
stradiots	Balkan light cavalry introduced into Italy by the Venetians. Unarmoured, but armed with javelins, shield, mace und sword.
streltsi	Russian infantry, usually armed with muskets.
tercio (S)	The standard pike und shot formation of the late 16th und early 17th C. Everything from 3000 man squares with shot on the corners to 1000 man blocks with "sleeves" of shot. Replaced in the 1630s und 1640s with Dutch-style battalions.
verlorne Haufe (G) Forlorn Hope	Literally a "lost bunch" of Imperial skirmishers, usually armed with two-handed swords und halberds, who ran ahead of the army to disrupt enemy pike blocks. Musketeers und arquebusiers were similarly employed. The task was very hazardous, und these troops were written off as casualties as soon as they were comitted to battle.
Cannon	Description
culverin	A very long-barreled field gun firing 17-20 lb. shot. Demiculverins fired 10 lb. shot.
drake	Brass land und naval guns firing 6 lb. shot.
falcon	Medieval light gun.
falconet	Light swivel gun with 2" bore.
minion	3.25" bore, 4 lb. shot.
ribaldequin	Organ or battery gun with several small-bore barrels mounted parallel on the same platform, the Renaissance equivalent of grapeshot.
saker	Land und naval gun, smaller than demiculverin, 5 lb. shot.
serpentine	Small gun with 1.5" bore und removable breech.

Chris Salander

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