The Renaissance
Military History Glossary
This glossary focuses on European troops ed armi from 1500 to 1660. (F)rench, (I)talian, e (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) | Archibugiere francese a cavallo. |
| aventuriers (F) | Fanti mercenari in the armata francese, mostly francesi, usually armed con a crossbow. |
| barche | A boat for 20 - 30 soldiers, con small cannons ed a sail, for river combat. |
| bonnachts | Irish fanteria leggera, usually armed con sword e shield. |
| boyars | Eastern European nobles. |
| caballos corazas (S) | Armoured 17th C. Spanish sword & pistol cavalleria (corazzieri). |
| caballos ligeros (S) | Lightly armoured cavalieri Spanish - demi-lances. |
| caliver | English large caliber arquebus. |
| caracole (S) | A process in which pistol cavalleria attacks in column, con the front rank discharging their pistols, e wheeling to the rear to reload. Used against picchieri. |
| carrack | The largest ship of the era. Usually Portuguese ed usually armed. Used for overseas transport of valuable goods. |
| cavalleria leggiera (I) | Lightly armoured cavalieri italiani - demi-lances. |
| chebeck | A mediterranean sailing ship con square e 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. Mercenari. Usually used to refer to their leaders. |
| cromster | A flat bottom sailing boat used by the olandesi to operated out of marshy areas to supply besieged towns e harass enemy shipping. |
| drabant | Fanteria pesante polacca. |
| drujina | Cavalleria media russa. |
| elmeti (I) | Literally "elmetti", cavalieri italian (non-noble) |
| en haye (F) | Literally "in line". A cavalleria line formation, usually only 1 to 3 riders deep, as opposed to the more common deep columns. |
| enfants perdus (F) | Literally, lost children o Children of Hell. Archibugieri francesi skirmishing. See verlorne Haufe below. |
| escopeteros (S) | Archibugieri/moschettieri spagnoli a cavallo. |
| famiglia ducale (I) | Ducal bodyguard cavalieri. |
| galleas | A combination galley e galleon con oars e sails, e guns mounted fore, aft, e broadside. |
| galloglaich | Mailed axemen (like huscarls) in the pay of an Irish chieftain. |
| gendarmes (F) | Gents d’Armes. Heavily armoured (usually francesi) cavalieri. |
| genitors | See jinetes. |
| gulyai-gorod | Portable palisade used by Eastern European armies to protect Shot ed artiglieria. |
| harquebusiers | Dragoni o archibugieri inglesi a cavallo. |
| herguletiers (S) | Archibugieri spagnoli a cavallo. |
| herreruelos (S) | Spanish sword e pistol cavalleria - like Reiters. |
| Huguenot | Protestante francese. |
| jinetes | Spanish cavalleria leggera, lightly armoured, con spear e shield. |
| Keil (G) | Literally a wedge. One third dell’armata Swiss, o a Swiss block picchieri. |
| kern | Lightly armed Irish skirmishers, who usually carried a missle weapon o firearm. |
| Landsknecht (G) | A German/Imperial foot soldier, usually un picchiere ed often un mercenario. Known for their brightly coloured clothes, e recklessness in combat. |
| lanze spezzate (I) | Literally a broken lance. Independent cavalieri mercenari, who did not belong to a company o band. |
| Millers | Cavalleria pesante protestante francese, armoured nobles con sword e pistols. |
| Morgenstern (G) | A two-handed Landsknecht sword. |
| pancerni | Cavalleria media polacca, armed con axe e bow o gun. |
| pedites (I) | Ordinary Italian foot soldiers, often milizia. |
| petronels | Mounted handgunners. |
| provisionati (I) | Short term milizia italiana. |
| Reiter (G) | Caracoling pistol cavalleria, usually armoured, ed usually German. |
| scapoli (I) | Ships crews used for land combat, usually by Venetians. |
| stradiots | Balkan light cavalleria introduced into Italia by the Venetians. Unarmoured, but armed con javelins, shield, mace e sword. |
| streltsi | Fanteria russa, usually armed con muskets. |
| tercio (S) | The standard pike e shot formation of the late 16th ed early 17th C. Everything from 3000 man squares con shot on the corners to 1000 man blocks con "sleeves" of shot. Replaced in the 1630s e 1640s con battaglioni stile olandese. |
| verlorne Haufe (G) Forlorn Hope |
Literally a "lost bunch" of Imperial skirmishers, usually armed con two-handed swords e halberds, who ran ahead of the army to disrupt blocks picchieri nemici. Moschettieri ed archibugieri were similarly employed. The task was very hazardous, e these troops were written off as caduti 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 e naval guns firing 6 lb. shot. |
| falcon | Medieval light gun. |
| falconet | Light swivel gun con 2" bore. |
| minion | 3.25" bore, 4 lb. shot. |
| ribaldequin | Organ o battery gun con several small-bore barrels mounted parallel on the same platform, the Renaissance equivalent of grapeshot. |
| saker | Land e naval gun, smaller than demiculverin, 5 lb. shot. |
| serpentine | Small gun con 1.5" bore e removable breech. |
Domande più frequenti
Per ulteriori informazioni, per favore contatta la redazione di Rivista Military Miniatures nel Miniatures Forum.
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Pubblicato: 1997 - Aggiornato: 16.11.1997© 1997-2010 by IDL Software GmbH, Darmstadt, Germania. Tutti diritti reservati. Donne | Uome | Selfness | Fiera natalizia | Incontro di Colazione | Love & Fun | Internet
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