Videos tagged with Early Modern Firearms

This lecture by Joe Tryner, PhD Student at The University of Sheffield, explores the evolution of portable firearms during the Italian Wars (1494-1560) and their societal impact. It details the development of matchlock, wheel-lock, flintlock arquebuses, and pistols in production centers like Italy and southern Germany, highlighting their effect on battlefield tactics and their rapid spread into civilian life. The talk uses the example of goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini to illustrate early gun cultures, examines the appeal of firearms in 16th-century Italy across various social strata, and offers a new perspective on this period by exposing the realities of early modern warfare and the Italian Renaissance.

This video explores massive 17th-century wheellock hand mortars, also known as Katzenkopf. These weapons, featuring a 2-inch bore, were likely used for throwing fireworks or signaling rather than heavy military ordnance due to their construction. The video details the wheellock mechanism and discusses their rarity and potential for modern, low-pressure firework use.