The mid-17th century to the early 18th century saw the decline of the pike in most European armies. This started with the proliferation of the flintlock musket, which gave the musketeer a faster rate of fire than he before possessed, incentivizing a …

Pike and shot was a historical infantry tactical formation that first appeared during the late 15th and early 16th centuries, and was used until the development of the bayonet in the late 17th century.

Pike and Shot warfare developed out of the military revolution that characterised the 17th Century. It was to see a dramatic shift in the employment of formations and tactics, from deep Spanish tercios , to linear Dutch battalions and offensive Swedish brigades.

Osprey's examiantion of pike and shot tactics employed in various wars of the 17th century. Throughout the 17th century, large parts of Europe were depopulated during wide-ranging and savage wars of religion and dynasty involving all of the major powers.

By 1650, it was losing tactical worth, giving way to a general tendency toward greater battlefield speed and disappearance of armor. By the late 17th century, the plug bayonet completed the integration of firearm and polearm into one weapon, spelling the end of the pike, surely the most versatile polearm in the annals of warfare.

Just like in the English Civil War, there are two main types of infantry soldier in the Earl of Manchester’s Regiment of Foote: pikemen and musketeers. Being a pikeman is one of the more strenuous roles you can do in the Sealed Knot, combining structured drill movements and coordination with the qualities of a competitive sport.

Founded in 1973, the Pike and Shot Society is an international organization that promotes interest in the warfare of the Early Modern Period, a time that saw radical change in the way in which wars were fought world-wide.

Mar 19, 2022 · We can then try to guess at the reason why the row spacing of pike formations became tighter as the 17th century progressed. The most intuitive hypothesis would be that it was simply tactically beneficial for pike formations to be tighter in spacing.

Dec 6, 2014 · An Realizing the bayonet’s full potential, sealed the pike’s fate. By the middle of the first decade of the 18th Century, use of the pike had been eliminated in all of the major European armies.

Mar 28, 2025 · From Pike to Musket (the 17th Century) Maurice of Nassau Gustavus Adolphus Part I: Infantry When we look at the warfare of the 17th Century, there are many generals who are considered “masters of the art of war”. After all, this is the century of Wallenstein, Montecuccoli and Turenne. However, there are two names that rise above the others ...