The English Civil Wars the English Civil Wars

Home , Buff (colour), Cuirassier, Harquebusier, Musketeer, Tassets, Weapon

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W H w 0 a l F W S s t O I c T PIKEMAN WAR GALLERY TREASURE HUNT

Label the equipment on Search the War Gallery on Floor 2 and identify these objects from their the photograph: B close up photographs. The answers can be found on the object labels. A Breastplate

B Pot helmet Q: What is it? A: Cavalry ofﬁcer’s buff coat Q: What is it made of? A: Leather A D C Tassets

D Unarmoured Q: What is it? A: Cuirassier armour C shoulder plate Q: Which part of the body A: Shoulder would it protect?

D Q: What is it? A: Flintlock mechanism from a ﬂintlock pistol Q: Who would have used it? A: Cavalier Q: Why are some parts of the pikeman’s body not protected by armour? A: To allow for movement

Q: Describe the weapon this soldier would carry? What would it be made from? Q: What is it? A: Sword pommel A: A pike is a long spear made out of wood (ash) with a steel or iron point on both Q: What type is it? A: Rapier ends. The bottom end would be dug into the ground to brace the weapon.

Q: What was the Pikeman’s key role on the battleﬁeld? A: They were infantry, they fought on foot and defended the musketeers against Q: What is it? A: Armoured tassets cavalry attacks Q: Who would have worn this? A: Pikeman

Q: By the time of the Napoleonic Wars ( 1803- 15) pikemen were not used on the battlefield. Why do you think this was? Q: What is it? A: Back of a lobster pot or A: Firearms technology developed significantly and guns became more prevalent three-bar pot helmet on the battlefield. With the invention of the bayonet musketeers could also Q: What is it used for? A: Protecting the head engage in close combat.

These statements relate to the four types of English Civil War soldiers. Consider the Decide which type the statement refers to and write the corresponding advantages and letter in the answer box: disadvantages of wearing this type P PIKEMAN C CUIRASSIER H HARQUEBUSIER M MUSKETEER of armour.

They wore a lot of C heavy armour They typically wore lobster H pots to protect their heads Their main task was to protect the musketeers P from cavalry attacks They were disbanded after C the first year of conflict Their weapon could be up P to 16 feet long Q: Advantages They were equipped with A: Strong armour, good protection, covers almost the entire body, intimidating. only one gauntlet, for the H left-hand They wore little M or no armour They sometimes carried a M rest to balance their weapon on Q: Disadvantages They favoured buff A: Weight 36kg (5 ½ stone), difficult to see, breath and speak, makes the soldier H coats for protection They wore pot helmets, tired very quickly, takes a long time to put on. tassets and breastplates for P protection They were the most common type of soldier M fighting on foot Q: After the first year of the English Civil Wars the cuirassiers were disbanded in favour of lighter armoured cavalry. Why do you think this happened? A: Firearms developed, became more accurate and the shot was better able to penetrate armour.

Label this harquebusier’s B weapons and equipment:

A A Backsword

B Lobster pot D C Flintlock carbine

D Breastplate C E E Buff coat

Q: What is the buff coat made of? The musket was a very important weapon for English Civil War armies. A: Leather/cow hide Q: What substance do you need to make a musket ﬁre? A: Gunpowder (charcoal, sulphur and saltpetre)

Q: Why did many soldiers choose to wear a buff coat rather than plate metal armour? A: A buff coat was much lighter but still offered protection. It was also easier to move about in. Watch the video of the musketeer loading his gun. Q: What are the main problems encountered when using a musket? Q: Both the cuirassier and the harquebusier were cavalrymen, what does this mean? A: Slow loading time, dangers of gunpowder. A: Th ey rode and fought on horseback

Q: Have a close look at the breastplates in the Civil War gallery displays. Can you spot any which have been damaged by shot. If these holes and indents were Is this musketeer wearing armour? not caused during a battle why do you think they are there? A: No A: They are proofing marks. Before being issued to soldiers to be worn in battle Q: How was the musketeer protected on the battlefield? the armour was tested by firing shot at it to make sure it was strong enough. A: He needed freedom of movement, especially in the arms and upper body, in order to load and fire his weapon