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Jan 24, 1500
use of gunpowder
Even though gunpowder was discovered in the 1330s, it became central to warfare around 1500. Invaders discovered that most castles were not strong enough to withstand gunpowder explositions and cannons shot off with gunpowder. It also advanced warfare. As the saying goes, "bringing a sword to a gun fight," became very well used. If one side were to have guns, that side would win 90% of the time. Gunpowder was very important in these times. -
Period: Jan 24, 1500 to
Modifications in old weapons
Many weapons had been created during this time period, however many things were modified to help in wars. For instance Cannons and guns slowly started to get better aiming and firing. This helped during wars. Also, armies grew and tactics got better. -
Jan 25, 1500
New war tactics
One of the newest tactics that were discovered by kings and noble men was the thought of placing Soldiers in three lines so one line would be able to fire, while the other two could reload. This tactic enabled an almost constant flow of gunfire to be maintained, and made up for the inaccuracy of the weapon. -
Period: Jan 24, 1560 to
organization of Armies in Spain
The Spanish army hardly grew during this time period, staying within the region of 40,000 to 60,000 men. -
Gustavus introduces conscription
Gustavus introduced this while watching the lack of volunteers during the onsets of wars. This is an early aspect of the draft. Men had to enlist giving the army larger numbers. -
Growth of armies in Sweden
With the help of Gustavus' new ideas, swedish armies grew rapidly. men were forced to enlist to help their country. Other countries at this time thought it was barbaric to force the citizens to fight, however sweden thought it was perfectly okay -
Louis XIV seeks power
Louis XIV completely believed in the divine rights of kings. This was when kings believed they had every right to be there and to rule. He came to rule in 1661 and throughout his rule he fought to stay in command. In the early 17 hundreds, he fought hard to conquer other coutries around him. He won some battles but lost others, losing many of his men.
