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PIKE AND MATCHLOCK MUSKET
THE BATTLE OF THE BA

WHITE MOUNTAIN

In the Thirty Years’ War, fought in central Europe between
1618 and 1648, all armies used infantry armed with pikes
and matchlock muskets. This distinctive form of warfare is
exemplified by the Battle of White Mountain, an important
encounter in the opening phase of the conflict. TTLE OF WHITE MOUNT

The Battle of White Mountain A SHORT ENGAGEMENT
was fought outside Prague on The Protestants were first to take
November 8,1620, when Bohemian the offensive. The squares of pikemen
Protestants, rebelling against the advanced down the hill, directed by
authority of the Holy Roman sergeants marching at the flanks with
Emperor, were confronted by a mix their halberds. Lowering their long, AIN
of Catholic Imperial forces. Both unwieldy weapons, the pikemen
armies numbered between 20,000 intended to engage the enemy infantry
and 30,000 men—quite substantial at close quarters with a “push of
amounts by the standard of the time. pike.” The cavalry also came forward,
Commanded by Christian of Anhalt, riding knee-to-knee at a steady jog
the Bohemian Protestants had taken rather than a gallop. Following the
an advantageous defensive position on established tactics of the time, each
high ground, but the Catholics, led by body of horsemen advanced toward
Johann Tserclaes, Count von Tilly, an enemy pike square and discharged
were more experienced and enjoyed their pistols in a volley at as close a
superior morale. range as possible before turning away.
Count von Tilly, however, was
PIKE SQUARES confident in the quality of his troops
On both sides the pikemen and not inclined to stand on the
formed up in tightly packed squares, defensive. He ordered his own
a practice that had been commonplace cavalry and infantry aggressively up
in European warfare for over a the slope. The Protestant musket
century. The smaller number of troops were trained to fire in rolling
infantry equipped with firearms— volleys—the front row fired, then
predominantly matchlock muskets— moved to the back to reload while
were either positioned in a “sleeve” the second row fired, and so on—
around the outside of the pike square, to compensate for the slowness of
or formed into squads known as reloading the matchlock, theoretically
“horns” at the four corners of each allowing a continuous fire to be
square. Influenced by recent tactical maintained. But the Catholic squares
developments initiated by the Dutch, advanced relentlessly forward through
the Protestants deployed their the thickening fog of gunpowder
pikemen in shallower squares than smoke, and their cavalry drove the
the Catholics, with fewer lines from Protestant horsemen into flight.
front to back. Like the infantry, the Unable to sustain an unsupported
cavalry were deployed in tight encounter with determined Catholic
formations. Each rider carried several pikemen and pistol-armed cavalry at
wheellock pistols, preloaded in close range, the Protestants’ pike
preparation for the battle. Their squares began to break up and the
armor was less extensive and pikemen were swiftly routed, fleeing
elaborate than that of a medieval for their lives. Almost 5,000 men
knight, but the steel plate provided were killed in the battle—a victory
some protection, even against for the Catholics that was completed
musket balls. in less than two hours.