Which personal weapons, if any, were carried by the 1606 Janszoon expedition when it landed in Australia?
Upvote:1
Denis' answer is helpful as an overview of European weaponry in the period, but a more complete answer would need to look more directly to historical records of the early Dutch expeditions to Australia. I'm not finding much but here are a few hints.
Quoting from a web page about Janszoon's voyage:
In 1603, Willem Janszoon was given command of his first ship, Duyfken. At 50 tons, it was small but solidly built, armed with 2 heavy canon, 3 smaller canons and various muskets and swords.
There is at least indirect evidence that Janszoon's men might have used muskets against the aboriginal population. In 1623, Carstensz noted that the natives of northern Cape York were particularly hostile and wrote in his diary that:
they are also acquainted with muskets, of which they would seem to have experienced the fatal effect when in 1606 the men of the Duyfken made a landing there.
This may have been speculation on Carstensz's part, but we know for certain that his own men carried muskets. This is discussed in "Aboriginal - Dutch Relations in North Queensland, 1606 -1756" by Loos and a couple of relevant chapters in the book Strangers on the shore: Early coastal contacts in Australia.
Beyond that I will defer to a thesis which says that, "the current knowledge about the quality, equipments and tactics of VOC infantry [...] does not warrant any comprehensive conclusions on the matter."
Upvote:3
The early 17th was a period of transition in warfare. (It was to a some degree initiated by Maurice of Orange.) Somewhat simplistically:
- Before the 17th century, the infantry arm of choice pretty much was a long pointy stick of some kind or another. Think pike, halberd, etc. - long and pointy pole arms that required little training. There were some early firearms as well.
- In the early 17th, matchlock muskets became common, and it was routine to see infantry units with both muskets and pole arms (to keep cavalry at bay). Bayonets were invented around then, too.
- By the end of the 17th, flintlocks were replacing matchlocks, and military tactics were shifting towards musket-only units with bayonets.
As to sidearms, think clubs and axes rather than swords. Early metallurgy was unreliable enough that you wouldn't know if your sword could withstand getting smashed over and over as you parry until it's too late.
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