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162-433: The sclopus was the prototype of the petronel. The petronel is a compromise between the harquebus and the pistol. Early petronels date back to the end of the 14th century, with a crude buttstock . Generally the touch hole is on the right side, and fired by a separate slow match . Sometimes petronels had small hinged plate-covers to protect the priming from moisture. By extension, the term "petronel" came to characterise

324-548: A lead ball of about 100 grams (3.5 oz). A standardized arquebus, the caliver , was introduced in the latter half of the 16th century. The name "caliver" is an English derivation from the French calibre – a reference to the gun's standardized bore. The caliver allowed troops to load bullets faster since they fit their guns more easily, whereas before soldiers often had to modify their bullets into suitable fits, or even made their own prior to battle. The matchlock arquebus

486-498: A topographic point of view, superimposed and replaced by the Roman one. The Roman city was then gradually superimposed and replaced by the medieval one. The urban center of Milan has therefore grown constantly and rapidly, until modern times, around the first Celtic nucleus. The original Celtic toponym Medhelanon then changed, as evidenced by a graffiti in Celtic language present on a section of

648-725: A Council ( Consiglio ) and a President, elected contextually to the city Mayor. The urban organisation is governed by the Italian Constitution (art. 114), the Municipal Statute and several laws, notably the Legislative Decree 267/2000 or Unified Text on Local Administration ( Testo Unico degli Enti Locali ). After the 2016 administrative reform, the Borough Councils have the power to advise the Mayor with nonbinding opinions on

810-524: A Japanese garden and a public library. The Montanelli gardens, created in the 18th century, hosts the Natural History Museum of Milan and a planetarium . Slightly away from the city centre, heading east, Forlanini Park is characterised by a large pond and a few preserved shacks which remind of the area's agricultural past. In recent years Milan's authorities pledged to develop its green areas: they planned to create twenty new urban parks and extend

972-495: A blast on the bamboo flute, at which they deploy themselves in front of the troops, with each platoon (哨) putting in front one team (隊). They [the musketeer team members] wait until they hear their own leader fire a shot, and only then are they allowed to give fire. Each time the trumpet gives a blast, they fire one time, spread out in battle array according to the drilling patterns. If the trumpet keeps blasting without stopping, then they are allowed to fire all together until their fire

1134-604: A bomb exploded at the National Agrarian Bank in Piazza Fontana, killing 17 people and injuring 88. In the 1980s, with the international success of Milanese houses (like Armani , Prada , Versace , Moschino and Dolce & Gabbana ), Milan became one of the world's fashion capitals. The city saw also a marked rise in international tourism , notably from America and Japan, while the stock exchange increased its market capitalisation more than five-fold. This period led

1296-422: A bow or crossbow, so the arquebus required more standardization and this made it harder to resupply by looting bodies of fallen soldiers. Gunpowder production was also far more dangerous than arrow or bolt production. An arquebus was also significantly more dangerous to its user. The arquebusier carries a lot of gunpowder on his person and has a lit match in one hand. The same goes for the soldiers next to him. Amid

1458-474: A bow or crossbow. Although some plate armors were bulletproof, these armors were unique, heavy, and expensive. A cuirass with a tapul was able to absorb some musket fire due to being angled. Otherwise, most forms of armor a common soldier would wear (especially cloth, light plate, and mail) had little resistance against musket fire. Arrows, however, were relatively weaker in penetration, and heavier than bows or crossbows that required more skill and reload time than

1620-527: A donkey backward through the city until getting out. Frederick I Barbarossa brought the destruction of much of Milan in 1162. A period of peace followed and Milan prospered as a centre of trade due to its geographical position. During this time, the city was considered one of the largest European cities. As a result of the independence that the Lombard cities gained in the Peace of Constance in 1183, Milan returned to

1782-626: A gun during the 16th century took anywhere from 20 seconds to a minute under the most ideal conditions. The development of volley fire —by the Ottomans, the Chinese, the Japanese, and the Dutch—made the arquebus more feasible for widespread adoption by militaries. The volley fire technique transformed soldiers carrying firearms into organized firing squads with each row of soldiers firing in turn and reloading in

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1944-454: A gun that was midway between an oversized pistol or a miniature carbine, with a curved buttstock designed to keep the weapon close to the rider's chest. [REDACTED]   This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain :  Chisholm, Hugh , ed. (1911). " Petronel ". Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 21 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 333. This firearms -related article

2106-500: A highly skilled archer ; other military writers such as Humfrey Barwick and Barnabe Rich argued the opposite. An arquebus angled at 35 degrees could throw a bullet up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) or more. An arquebus shot was considered deadly at up to 400 yards (360 m) while the heavier Spanish musket was considered deadly at up to 600 yards (550 m). During the Japanese Invasions of Korea , Korean officials said they were at

2268-404: A hook-like projection or lug on its under surface, useful for steadying it against battlements or other objects when firing". These "hook guns" were in their earliest forms of defensive weapons mounted on German city walls in the early 15th century. The addition of a shoulder stock, priming pan, and matchlock mechanism in the late 15th century turned the arquebus into a handheld firearm and also

2430-406: A hot pricker to the touch hole to ignite the gunpowder. The matchlock, which appeared roughly around 1475, changed this by adding a firing mechanism consisting of two parts, the match, and the lock. The lock mechanism held within a clamp a 60-to-90 cm (2-to-3 ft) long length of smoldering rope soaked in saltpeter, which was the match. Connected to the lock lever was a trigger, which lowered

2592-609: A huge consensus and to pressure the monarchy to forge an alliance with the new French Empire of Napoleon III to defeat Austria and establish a large Italian state in the region. At the Battle of Solferino in 1859 French and Italian troops heavily defeated the Austrians that retreated under the Quadrilateral line . Following this battle, Milan and the rest of Lombardy were incorporated into Piedmont-Sardinia, which then proceeded to annex all

2754-468: A large arquebus, was introduced around 1521, but fell out of favor by the mid-16th century due to the decline of armor. The term, however, remained and musket became a generic descriptor for smoothbore gunpowder weapons fired from the shoulder ("shoulder arms") into the mid-19th century. At least on one occasion musket and arquebus were used interchangeably to refer to the same weapon, and even referred to as an arquebus musket . A Habsburg commander in

2916-423: A large complex of imperial palaces and other services and buildings of which few visible traces remain. Maximian increased the city area to 375 acres by surrounding it with a new, larger stone wall (about 4.5 km long) with many 24-sided towers. The monumental area had twin towers; the one included later in the construction of the convent of San Maurizio Maggiore remains 16.6 m high. It was from Mediolanum that

3078-412: A large spectrum of topics and are responsible for running most local services, such as schools, social services, waste collection, roads, parks, libraries and local commerce; in addition they are supplied with an autonomous funding to finance local activities. Milan is the capital of the eponymous Metropolitan city . According to the last governmental dispositions concerning administrative reorganisation,

3240-432: A lit match made stealth and concealment nearly impossible, particularly at night. Even with successful concealment, the smoke emitted by a single arquebus shot would make it quite obvious where the shot came from, at least in daylight. While with a bow or crossbow a soldier could conceivably kill silently, this was of course impossible with an explosion-driven projectile weapon, such as the arquebus. The noise of arquebuses and

3402-566: A little before 1475. The matchlock arquebus was the first firearm equipped with a trigger mechanism. It is also considered to be the first portable shoulder-arms firearm. The Ottomans made use of arquebuses as early as the first half of the fifteenth century. During the Ottoman–Hungarian wars of 1443–1444, it was noted that Ottoman defenders in Vidin had arquebuses. Based on the earliest known contemporary written sources, Godfrey Goodwin dates

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3564-646: A major trade and commercial centre, as the capital of the Duchy of Milan , one of the greatest political, artistic and fashion forces in the Renaissance . Having become one of the main centres of the Italian Enlightenment during the early modern period , it then became one of the most active centres during the Restoration , until its entry into the unified Kingdom of Italy . From the 20th century onwards Milan became

3726-406: A method of getting the musketeers and others with guns not only to practice firing but to keep on doing so in a very effective battle order (that is to say, they do not fire at will or from behind a barrier ...). Just as soon as the first rank has fired, then by the drill [they have learned] they will march to the back. The second rank either marching forward or standing still, will then fire just like

3888-460: A much larger site in Rho . The long decline in traditional manufacturing has been overshadowed by a great expansion of publishing, finance, banking, fashion design, information technology, logistics and tourism. The city's decades-long population decline seems to have partially reverted in recent years, as the comune gained about 100,000 new residents since the last census. The successful re-branding of

4050-512: A nearly two-fold increase in population. In the 1950s and 1960s, a strong demand for new residential and commercial areas drove to extreme urban expansion, that has produced some of the major milestones in the city's architectural history, including Gio Ponti 's Pirelli Tower (1956–60), Velasca Tower (1956–58), and the creation of brand new residential satellite towns, as well as huge amounts of low-quality public housings. In recent years, de-industrialization, urban decay and gentrification led to

4212-430: A population estimated at 3,196,825, with a resulting density of 2,029 inhabitants per square kilometre (5,260/sq mi). A larger urban area, comprising parts of the provinces of Milan, Monza e Brianza, Como, Lecco and Varese is 1,891 square kilometres (730 sq mi) wide and has a population of 5.27 million with a density of 2,783 inhabitants per square kilometre (7,210/sq mi). The concentric layout of

4374-536: A quarter ducats while an arquebus only a little over one ducat. Another advantage of arquebuses over other equipment and weapons was its short training period. While a bow potentially took years to master, an effective arquebusier could be trained in just two weeks. The arquebus spread further east, reaching India by 1500, Southeast Asia by 1540, and China sometime between 1523 and 1548. They were introduced to Japan in 1543 by Portuguese traders who landed by accident on Tanegashima (種子島), an island south of Kyūshū in

4536-660: A severe disadvantage against Japanese troops because their arquebuses "could reach beyond several hundred paces". In 1590, Smythe noted that arquebusiers and musketeers firing at such extreme distances rarely seemed to hit anything and instead decided to argue effective range, claiming that English archers like the ones from the Hundred Years' War would be more effective at 200–240 yards (180–220 m) than arquebusiers or musketeers, but by that point there were no longer enough skilled archers in England to properly test his theories. Perhaps

4698-413: A siege, it was also easier to fire an arquebus out of loopholes than it was a bow and arrow. It was sometimes advocated that an arquebusier should load his weapon with multiple bullets or small shot at close ranges rather than a single ball. Small shot did not pack the same punch as a single round ball but the shot could hit and wound multiple enemies. An arquebus also has superior penetrating power to

4860-493: A systematic fashion. Volley fire was implemented with cannons as early as 1388 by Ming artillerists, but volley fire with matchlocks was not implemented until 1526 when the Ottoman Janissaries utilized it during the Battle of Mohács . The matchlock volley fire technique was next seen in mid-16th-century China as pioneered by Qi Jiguang and in late-16th-century Japan. Qi Jiguang elaborates on his volley fire technique in

5022-658: A theatre and an amphitheatre (129.5 x 109.3 m), the third largest in Roman Italy after the Colosseum in Rome and the vast amphitheatre in Capua . A large stone wall encircled the city in Caesar's time, and later was expanded in the late third century AD, by Maximian . Maximian built several gigantic monuments including the large circus (470 × 85 metres) and the thermae or Baths of Hercules ,

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5184-515: A vast urban renewal of former industrial areas, that have been transformed into modern residential and financial districts, notably Porta Nuova in downtown Milan and FieraMilano in the suburb of Rho . In addition, the old exhibition area is being completely reshaped according to the Citylife regeneration project, featuring residencial areas, museums, an urban park and three skyscrapers designed by international architects, and after whom they are named:

5346-575: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Arquebus An arquebus ( / ˈ ɑːr k ( w ) ə b ə s / AR -k(w)ə-bəs ) is a form of long gun that appeared in Europe and the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. An infantryman armed with an arquebus is called an arquebusier . The term arquebus was applied to many different forms of firearms from the 15th to 17th centuries, but it originally referred to "a hand-gun with

5508-525: Is a city in northern Italy , regional capital of Lombardy , the largest city in Italy by urban population and the second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome . The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city has 3.22 million residents. The urban area of Milan is the fourth-most-populous in the EU with 6.17 million inhabitants. According to national sources,

5670-785: Is a covered passage with a glass and cast iron roof, inspired by the Burlington Arcade in London. Several other arcades such as the Galleria del Corso , built between 1923 and 1931, complement it. Another late-19th-century eclectic monument in the city is the Cimitero Monumentale graveyard, built in a Neo-Romanesque style between 1863 and 1866. The tumultuous period of early 20th century brought several, radical innovations in Milanese architecture. Art Nouveau , also known as Liberty in Italy,

5832-482: Is also a well-known centre for artists. Milan features a mid-latitude, four-season humid subtropical climate ( Cfa ), according to the Köppen climate classification . Milan's climate is similar to much of Northern Italy's inland plains, with hot, humid summers and cold, foggy winters. The Alps and Apennine Mountains form a natural barrier that protects the city from the major circulations coming from northern Europe and

5994-575: Is among the least windy cities in Europe. The legislative body of the Italian comuni is the City Council ( Consiglio Comunale ), which in cities with more than one million population is composed by 48 councillors elected every five years with a proportional system, at the same time of the mayoral elections. The executive body is the City Committee ( Giunta Comunale ), composed by 12 assessors , that

6156-472: Is considered the forerunner to the flintlock musket . The term arquebus is derived from the Dutch word haakbus ("hook gun"). which was applied to an assortment of firearms from the 15th to 17th centuries. It originally referred to "a hand-gun with a hook-like projection or lug on its under surface, useful for steadying it against battlements or other objects when firing". The first certain attestation of

6318-606: Is credited to two Celtic peoples , the Bituriges and the Aedui , having as their emblems a ram and a boar; therefore "The city's symbol is a wool-bearing boar, an animal of double form, here with sharp bristles, there with sleek wool." Alciato credits Ambrose for his account. Around 590 BC a Celtic tribe belonging to the Insubres group and belonging to the Golasecca culture settled

6480-527: Is exhausted, and it's not necessary [in this case] to divide into layers. In Europe, William Louis, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg theorized that by applying to firearms the same Roman counter march technique as described by Aelianus Tacticus , matchlocks could provide fire without cease. In a letter to his cousin Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange , on 8 December 1594, he wrote: I have discovered evolutionibus [a term that would eventually be translated as drill ]

6642-526: Is generally absent: over the course of the year typical wind speeds vary from 0 to 14 km/h (0 to 9 mph) (calm to gentle breeze), rarely exceeding 29 km/h (18 mph) (fresh breeze), except during summer thunderstorms when winds can blow strong. In the spring, gale-force windstorms may happen, generated either by Tramontane blowing from the Alps or by Bora -like winds from the north. Due to its geographic location surrounded by mountains on 3 sides, Milan

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6804-480: Is more likely to be accompanied by thunderstorms and hail . Springs and autumns are generally pleasant, with temperatures ranging between 10 and 20 °C (50 and 68 °F); these seasons are characterized by higher rainfall, especially in April and May. Relative humidity typically ranges between 45% (comfortable) and 95% (very humid) throughout the year, rarely dropping below 27% (dry) and reaching as high as 100%. Wind

6966-468: Is nominated and presided over by a directly elected Mayor . The current mayor of Milan is Giuseppe Sala , an independent leading a centre-left alliance led by the Democratic Party . The municipality of Milan is subdivided into nine administrative Borough Councils ( Consigli di Municipio ), down from the former twenty districts before the 1999 administrative reform. Each Borough Council is governed by

7128-476: Is recognisable in Palazzo Castiglioni , built by architect Giuseppe Sommaruga between 1901 and 1903. Other examples include Hotel Corso, Casa Guazzoni with its wrought iron and staircase, and Berri-Meregalli house, the latter built in a traditional Milanese Art Nouveau style combined with elements of neo-Romanesque and Gothic revival architecture, regarded as one of the last such types of architecture in

7290-447: Is such a powerful weapon and is so accurate that even bow and arrow cannot match it, and ... nothing is so strong as to be able to defend against it. In Europe, Maurice of Nassau pioneered the countermarch volley fire technique. After outfitting his entire army with new, standardized arms in 1599, Maurice of Nassau attempted to recapture Spanish forts built on former Dutch lands. In the Battle of Nieuwpoort in 1600, he administered

7452-403: Is unclear whether these were arquebuses or small cannons as late as 1444, but according to Gábor Ágoston the fact that they were listed separately from cannons in mid-15th century inventories suggest they were handheld firearms. In Europe, a shoulder stock , probably inspired by the crossbow stock, was added to the arquebus around 1470 and the appearance of the matchlock mechanism is dated to

7614-508: The Jixiao Xinshu : All the musketeers, when they get near the enemy are not allowed to fire early, and they're not allowed to just fire everything off in one go, [because] whenever the enemy then approaches close, there won't be enough time to load the guns (銃裝不及), and frequently this mismanagement costs the lives of many people. Thus, whenever the enemy gets to within a hundred paces' distance, they [the musketeers] are to wait until they hear

7776-720: The Academy of Fine Arts ). The massive Arch of Peace , situated at the bottom of Corso Sempione, is often compared to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. In the second half of the 19th century, Milan quickly became the main industrial centre of the new Italian nation, drawing inspiration from the great European capitals that were hubs of the Second Industrial Revolution . The great Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II , realised by Giuseppe Mengoni between 1865 and 1877 to celebrate Vittorio Emanuele II ,

7938-619: The Austrian Habsburgs . In 1713–1714 the Treaties of Utrecht and Rastatt formally confirmed Austrian sovereignty over most of Habsburg Spain's Italian possessions including Lombardy and its capital, Milan. Napoleon invaded Italy in 1796, and Milan was declared capital of the Cisalpine Republic . Later, he declared Milan capital of the Kingdom of Italy and was crowned King of Italy in

8100-512: The Black Army of Hungary wielded an arquebus, and one in five when accounting for the whole army, which was an unusually high proportion at the time. Although they were present on the battlefield King Mathias preferred enlisting shielded men instead due to the arquebus's low rate of fire. While the Black Army adopted arquebuses relatively early, the trend did not catch on for decades in Europe and by

8262-826: The Emperor Constantine issued what is now known as the Edict of Milan in AD 313, granting tolerance to all religions within the Empire, thus paving the way for Christianity to become the dominant religion of the Empire. Constantine was in Mediolanum to celebrate the wedding of his sister to the Eastern Emperor, Licinius . In 402, the Visigoths besieged the city and the Emperor Honorius moved

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8424-473: The Insubres group and belonging to the Golasecca culture , it was conquered by the ancient Romans in 222 BC, who Latinized the name of the city into Mediolanum . The city's role as a major political centre dates back to the late antiquity , when it served as the capital of the Western Roman Empire . From the 12th century until the 16th century, Milan was one of the largest European cities and

8586-455: The Italian Wars in the first half of the 16th century. Frederick Lewis Taylor claims that a kneeling volley fire may have been employed by Prospero Colonna 's arquebusiers as early as the Battle of Bicocca (1522). However, this has been called into question by Tonio Andrade who believes this is an overinterpretation as well as a mis-citation of a passage by Charles Oman suggesting that

8748-477: The Italian Wars . The king's cousin, Louis of Orléans , took part in the expedition and realized most of Italy was virtually defenseless. This prompted him to come back a few years later in 1500, and claim the Duchy of Milan for himself, his grandmother having been a member of the ruling Visconti family. At that time, Milan was also defended by Swiss mercenaries . After the victory of Louis's successor François I over

8910-635: The Lombards (from whom the name of the Italian region Lombardy derives), conquered Milan, overpowering the small Byzantine garrison left for its defence. Some Roman structures remained in use in Milan under Lombard rule. Milan surrendered to Charlemagne and the Franks in 774. The 11th century saw a reaction against the control of the Holy Roman Emperors . City-states emerged in northern Italy, an expression of

9072-560: The Ospedale Maggiore and Bramante's work in the city, which includes Santa Maria presso San Satiro (a reconstruction of a small 9th-century church), the tribune of Santa Maria delle Grazie and three cloisters for Sant'Ambrogio. The Counter-Reformation in the 16th to 17th centuries was also the period of Spanish domination and was marked by two powerful figures: Saint Charles Borromeo and his cousin, Cardinal Federico Borromeo . Not only did they impose themselves as moral guides to

9234-539: The Second World War Milan's large industrial and transport facilities suffered extensive damage from Allied bombings that often also hit residential districts. When Italy surrendered in 1943, German forces occupied and plundered most of northern Italy, fueling the birth of a massive resistance guerrilla movement. On 29 April 1945, the American 1st Armored Division was advancing on Milan but, before it arrived,

9396-538: The Welsh word llan , meaning "a sanctuary or church", ultimately cognate to English/German Land ) in which Celtic communities used to build shrines. Hence Mediolanum could signify the central town or sanctuary of a Celtic tribe. Indeed, about sixty Gallo-Roman sites in France bore the name "Mediolanum", for example: Saintes ( Mediolanum Santonum ) and Évreux ( Mediolanum Aulercorum ). In addition, another theory links

9558-456: The Winter Olympic and Paralympic games for the first time in 2026, together with Cortina d'Ampezzo . Milan was founded with the Celtic name of Medhelanon, later Latinized by the ancient Romans into Mediolanum . In Celtic language medhe- meant "middle, centre" and the name element -lanon is the Celtic equivalent of Latin -planum "plain", meant "(settlement) in the midst of

9720-469: The cathedral . Once Napoleon's occupation ended, the Congress of Vienna returned Lombardy and Milan, to Austrian control in 1815. On 18 March 1848 Milan effectively rebelled against Austrian rule, during the so-called " Five Days " ( Italian : Le Cinque Giornate ), that forced Field Marshal Radetzky to temporarily withdraw from the city. The bordering Kingdom of Piedmont–Sardinia sent troops to protect

9882-504: The centre-left coalition and 13 from the Five Star Movement. The seat of the regional government is Palazzo Lombardia that, standing at 161.3 metres (529 feet), is the fifth-tallest building in Milan. The architectural and artistic presence in Milan represents one of the attractions of the Lombard capital. Milan has been among the most important Italian centers in the history of architecture , has made important contributions to

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10044-421: The centre-right coalition , a coalition of centrist and right-wing parties, led by Attilio Fontana, largely won the regional election, defeating a coalition of socialists, liberals and ecologists and a third-party candidate from the populist Five Stars Movement . The conservatives have governed the region almost uninterruptedly since 1970. The regional council has 48 members from the centre-right coalition, 18 from

10206-512: The feudal knights , even until the time of Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616). Eventually the Mamluks under Qaitbay were ordered in 1489 to train in the use of al-bunduq al-rasas (arquebuses). However, in 1514 an Ottoman army of 12,000 soldiers wielding arquebuses devastated a much larger Mamluk army. The arquebus had become a common infantry weapon by the 16th century due to its relative cheapness—a helmet, breastplate and pike cost about three and

10368-516: The largest economies among EU cities. Milan is viewed along with Turin as the southernmost part of the Blue Banana urban development corridor (also known as the "European Megalopolis"), and one of the Four Motors for Europe . Milan is a major international tourist destination, appearing among the most visited cities in the world, ranking second in Italy after Rome, fifth in Europe and sixteenth in

10530-621: The third largest in the world , as well as the most important example of Gothic architecture in Italy. The gilt bronze statue of the Virgin Mary , placed in 1774 on the highest pinnacle of the Duomo, soon became one of the most enduring symbols of Milan . In the 15th century, when the Sforza ruled the city, an old Viscontean fortress was enlarged and embellished to become the Castello Sforzesco ,

10692-406: The 16–17th century, surpassing even Ottoman, Japanese, and European firearms. European observers of the Lê–Mạc War and later Trịnh–Nguyễn War also noted the proficiency of matchlock making by the Vietnamese. The Vietnamese matchlock was said to have been able to pierce several layers of iron armour, kill two to five men in one shot, yet also fire quietly for a weapon of its caliber. The arquebus

10854-425: The 18th century. Its name has been ascribed to the sensation of drinking it and to its use in treating the wounded. It remains in production by various companies and is drunk as a digestif . Milan Milan ( / m ɪ ˈ l æ n / mil- AN , US also / m ɪ ˈ l ɑː n / mil- AHN , Milanese : [miˈlãː] ; Italian : Milano [miˈlaːno] )

11016-417: The 202-metre (663-foot) Isozaki Arata —when completed, the tallest building in Italy, the twisted Hadid Tower , and the curved Libeskind Tower . Two business districts dominate Milan's skyline: Porta Nuova in the north-east (boroughs No. 9 and 2) and CityLife (borough No. 8) in the north-west part of the commune. The tallest buildings include the Unicredit Tower at 231 m (though only 162 m without

11178-432: The Dutch side. Although the battle was principally won by the decisive counterattack of the Dutch cavalry and despite the failure of the new Dutch infantry tactic in stopping the veteran Spanish tercios , the battle is considered a decisive step forward in the development early modern warfare , where firearms took on an increasingly large role in Europe in the following centuries. "Musket" eventually overtook "arquebus" as

11340-412: The Imperial residence to Ravenna . In 452, Attila besieged the city, but the real break with the city's Imperial past came in 539, during the Gothic War , when Uraias (a nephew of Witiges , formerly King of the Italian Ostrogoths ) carried out attacks in Milan, with losses, according to Procopius , being about 300,000 men. The Lombards took Ticinum as their capital in 572 (renaming it Papia –

11502-432: The Insubres and captured the settlement in 222 BC. The chief of the Insubres then submitted to Rome, giving the Romans control of the settlement. The Romans eventually conquered the entirety of the region , calling the new province " Cisalpine Gaul " ( Latin : Gallia Cisalpina )—"Gaul this side of the Alps"—and may have given the city its Latinized name of Mediolanum : in Gaulish *medio- meant "middle, centre" and

11664-664: The Italian resistance seized control of the city and executed Mussolini along with his mistress and several regime officers, that were later hanged and exposed in Piazzale Loreto , where one year before some resistance members had been executed. During the post-war economic boom, the reconstruction effort and the Italian economic miracle attracted a large wave of internal migration (especially from rural areas of southern Italy ) to Milan. The population grew from 1.3 million in 1951 to 1.7 million in 1967. During this period, Milan

11826-589: The Mayor of Milan is designated to exercise the functions of Metropolitan mayor ( Sindaco metropolitano ), presiding over a Metropolitan Council formed by 24 mayors of municipalities within the Metro municipality. The Metropolitan City of Milan is headed by the Metropolitan Mayor ( Sindaco metropolitano ) and by the Metropolitan Council ( Consiglio metropolitano ). Since 21 June 2016, Giuseppe Sala , as mayor of

11988-593: The Medhelanon community were built. First, a temple dedicated to the goddess Belisama was built, which was located near the modern Milan Cathedral . Then, near the modern Via Moneta, which is located near today's Piazza San Sepolcro , a fortified building with military functions was built which was surrounded by a defensive moat. During the Roman Republic , the Romans, led by consul Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus , fought

12150-604: The Ottoman Empire. This early firearm was a hand cannon , whose roots trace back to China, with a serpentine lever to hold matches. However it did not have the matchlock mechanism traditionally associated with the arquebus. The exact dating of the matchlock addition is disputed. The first references to the use of what may have been arquebuses ( tüfek ) by the Janissary corps of the Ottoman army date them from 1394 to 1465. However, it

12312-532: The Ottomans they criticized them thus, "God curse the man who invented them, and God curse the man who fires on Muslims with them." Insults were also levied against the Ottomans for having "brought with you this contrivance artfully devised by the Christians of Europe when they were incapable of meeting the Muslim armies on the battlefield". Similarly, musketeers and musket-wielding infantrymen were despised in society by

12474-654: The Roman walls of Milan which dates back to a period following the Roman conquest of the Celtic village, in Mesiolano. In 286, the Roman Emperor Diocletian moved the capital of the Western Roman Empire from Rome to Mediolanum. Diocletian himself chose to reside at Nicomedia in the Eastern Empire, leaving his colleague Maximian at Milan. During the Augustan age Mediolanum was famous for its schools; it possessed

12636-486: The Spanish arquebusiers knelt to reload, when in fact Oman never made such a claim. This is contested by Idan Sherer, who quotes Paolo Giovio saying that the arquebusiers kneeled to reload so that the second line of arquebusiers could fire without endangering those in front of them. The Mamluks in particular were conservatively against the incorporation of gunpowder weapons. When faced with cannons and arquebuses wielded by

12798-459: The Spanish line of Habsburgs, while Ferdinand's Austrian line of Habsburgs ruled the Holy Roman Empire. The Great Plague of Milan in 1629–31, that claimed the lives of an estimated 60,000 people out of a population of 130,000, caused unprecedented devastation in the city and was effectively described by Alessandro Manzoni in his masterpiece The Betrothed . This episode was seen by many as

12960-567: The Swiss at the Battle of Marignan , the duchy was promised to the French king François I . When the Spanish Habsburg Emperor Charles V defeated François I at the Battle of Pavia in 1525, northern Italy , which included Milan, passed to Habsburg Spain . In 1556, Charles V abdicated in favour of his son Philip II and his brother Ferdinand I . Charles's Italian possessions, including Milan, passed to Philip II and remained with

13122-463: The arquebus was apparent by the Battle of Cerignola of 1503, which is the earliest-recorded military conflict where arquebuses played a decisive role in the outcome of the battle. In Russia, a small arquebus called pishchal ( Russian : пищаль ) appeared in 1478 in Pskov. The Russian arquebusiers, or pishchal'niki , were seen as integral parts of the army and one thousand pishchal'niki participated in

13284-577: The arquebus, much of the credit for their increase in use can be attributed to Shah Ismail I who, after being defeated by the firearm-using Ottomans in 1514, began extensive use of arquebuses and other firearms himself with an estimated 12,000 arquebusiers in service less than 10 years after his initial defeat by the Ottomans. According to a 1571 report by Vincentio d'Alessandri, Persian arms including arquebuses "were superior and better tempered than those of any other nation", suggesting that such firearms were in common use among middle eastern powers by at least

13446-558: The arquebusiers by the English and the Venetians often used archers to lay down cover fire during the long reloading process. The Ottomans often supported their arquebusiers with artillery fire or placed them in fortified wagons, a tactic they borrowed from the Hussites. Sixteenth-century military writer John Smythe thought that an arquebus could not match the accuracy of a bow in the hands of

13608-399: The basis of reliable evidence." They claim that the version of events describing volley fire was written several years after the battle, and an earlier account says to the contrary that guns were fired en masse. Even so, both Korean and Chinese sources note that Japanese gunners were making use of volley fire during the Japanese invasions of Korea from 1592 to 1598. Regarding Iranian use of

13770-480: The best examples of Neoclassical architecture in Lombardy. The Napoleonic rule of the city in 1805–1814, having established Milan as the capital of a satellite Kingdom of Italy , took steps to reshape it accordingly to its new status, with the construction of large boulevards, new squares ( Porta Ticinese by Luigi Cagnola and Foro Bonaparte by Giovanni Antonio Antolini ) and cultural institutions ( Art Gallery and

13932-433: The blast of a bamboo flute. They started firing after their leader fired and fired once at the blast of a trumpet, and then spread out according to their drilling pattern. Each layer could also fire once at the blowing of a horn and were supported by close-quarters troops who could advance should the need arise. To avoid self-inflicted injuries and ensure a consistent rate of fire in the heat of battle, Qi emphasized drilling in

14094-471: The capital city, has been the mayor of the Metropolitan City. Milan is also the capital of Lombardy , one of the twenty regions of Italy. Lombardy is by far the most populated region of Italy, with more than ten million inhabitants, almost one sixth of the national total. It is governed by a Regional Council, composed of 80 members elected for a five-year term. On 26 March 2018, a list of candidates of

14256-502: The city as a global capital of innovation has been instrumental in its successful bids for hosting large international events such as 2015 Expo and 2026 Winter Olympics . Milan is located in the north-western section of the Po Valley , approximately halfway between the river Po to the south and the foothills of the Alps with the great lakes ( Lake Como , Lake Maggiore and Lake Lugano ) to

14418-505: The city centre reflects the Navigli , an ancient system of navigable and interconnected canals, now mostly covered. The suburbs of the city have expanded mainly to the north, swallowing up many comuni along the roads towards Varese, Como, Lecco and Bergamo. In the 21st century the Navigli region of Milan is a highly active area with a large number of residential units, bars and restaurants. It

14580-565: The city under the name Medhelanon. According to the legend reported by Livy (writing between 27 and 9 BC), the Gaulish king Ambicatus sent his nephew Bellovesus into northern Italy at the head of a party drawn from various Gaulish tribes; Bellovesus allegedly founded the settlement in the times of the Roman monarchy, during the reign of Tarquinius Priscus . Tarquin is traditionally recorded as reigning from 616 to 579 BC, according to ancient Roman historian Titus Livy. Medhelanon, in particular,

14742-447: The city. A new, more eclectic form of architecture can be seen in buildings such as Castello Cova, built the 1910s in a distinctly neo-medieval style, evoking the architectural trends of the past. An important example of Art Deco , which blended such styles with Fascist architecture , is the huge Central railway station inaugurated in 1931. The post-World War II period saw rapid reconstruction and fast economic growth, accompanied by

14904-513: The commune form of local government first established in the 11th century. In 1395, Gian Galeazzo Visconti became the first Duke of Milan upon receiving the title from Wenceslaus, King of the Romans . In 1447 Filippo Maria Visconti , Duke of Milan, died without a male heir; following the end of the Visconti line, the Ambrosian Republic was established; it took its name from St. Ambrose,

15066-455: The confusion, stress and fumbling of a battle, arquebusiers are potentially a danger to themselves. Early arquebuses tended to have a drastic recoil. They took a long time to load making them vulnerable while reloading unless using the 'continuous fire' tactic, where one line would shoot and, while the next line shot, would reload. They also tended to overheat. During repeated firing, guns could become clogged and explode, which could be dangerous to

15228-415: The creation of the Celtic sanctuary, the first residential settlements began to be built around it. Medhelanon then transformed from a simple religious center to an urban and then military centre, thus becoming a real village. The first homes were built just south of the Celtic sanctuary, near the modern Royal Palace of Milan . Subsequently, with the growth of the town centre, other important buildings for

15390-443: The development of art history, and has been the cradle of a number of modern art movements. There are only few remains of the ancient Roman city, notably the well-preserved Colonne di San Lorenzo . During the second half of the 4th century, Saint Ambrose , as bishop of Milan, had a strong influence on the layout of the city, reshaping the centre (although the cathedral and baptistery built in Roman times are now lost) and building

15552-531: The development of mulberry cultivation and silk processing. Following this economic growth, works such as the Sforza Castle (already existing in the Visconti era under the name of Porta Giovia Castle, but re-adapted, enlarged and completed by the Sforza family) and the Ospedale Maggiore were completed. The Sforzas also managed to attract to Milan personalities such as Leonardo da Vinci , who redesigned and improved

15714-489: The dominant term for similar firearms starting from the 1550s. Arquebuses are most often associated with matchlocks. The arquebus had many advantages but also severe limitations on the battlefield. This led to it often being paired up with other weaponry to mitigate these weaknesses. Qi Jiguang from China developed systems where soldiers with traditional weaponry stayed right behind the arquebusiers to protect them should enemy infantry get too close. Pikemen were used to protect

15876-410: The effective use of arquebus equipped troops with different mixtures of troops deployed in 12-man teams. The number of arquebuses assigned to each team could vary depending on the context but theoretically in certain cases all members of the team could have been deployed as gunners. These formations also made use of countermarch volley fire techniques. Firearm platoons deployed one team in front of them at

16038-400: The fields of art , chemicals , commerce, design, education, entertainment, fashion , finance, healthcare, media (communication), services, research, and tourism. Its business district hosts Italy's stock exchange ( Italian : Borsa Italiana ), and the headquarters of national and international banks and companies. In terms of GDP, Milan is the wealthiest city in Italy, having also one of

16200-561: The final annexation of Pskov in 1510 as well as the conquest of Smolensk in 1512. The Russian need to acquire gunpowder weaponry bears some resemblance to the situation the Iranians were in. In 1545 two thousand pishchal'niki (one thousand on horseback) were levied by the towns and outfitted at treasury expense. Their use of mounted troops was also unique to the time period. The pishchal'niki eventually became skilled hereditary tradesmen farmers rather than conscripts. Arquebuses were used in

16362-427: The first firearm equipped with a trigger. The exact dating of the matchlock's appearance is disputed. It could have appeared in the Ottoman Empire as early as 1465 and in Europe a little before 1475. The heavy arquebus, which was then called a musket , was developed to better penetrate plate armor and appeared in Europe around 1521. Heavy arquebuses mounted on war wagons were called arquebus à croc . These carried

16524-571: The first use of the arquebus by the Janissaries to no earlier than 1465. According to contemporary accounts, 400 arquebusiers served in Sultan Murad II's campaign in the 1440s when he crossed Bosporus straits and arquebuses were used in combat by the Ottomans at the second battle of Kosovo in 1448. Ottomans also made some use of Wagon Fortresses which they copied from the Hussites , which often involved

16686-419: The first. After that the third and following ranks will do the same. When the last rank has fired, the first will have reloaded, as the following diagram shows. Once volley firing had been developed, the rate of fire and efficiency was greatly increased and the arquebus went from being a support weapon to the primary focus of most early modern armies. The wheellock mechanism was utilized as an alternative to

16848-605: The front of their formations and bowmen at the back, where they could not see their targets and aim appropriately. Arquebuse de L'Hermitage, a clear spirit made by macerating and distilling a large variety of plants, was supposedly invented in 1857 by a herbalist of the Marist Brothers in the Hermitage Monastery in Saint-Genis-Laval , France although other sources assert it was produced in France and Piedmont since

17010-500: The function of the navigli and painted The Last Supper , and Bramante , who worked on the church of Santa Maria presso San Satiro , on the basilica of Sant'Ambrogio and to the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie , influencing the development of the Lombard Renaissance . Milan's last independent ruler, Lodovico il Moro , requested the aid of Charles VIII of France against the other Italian states , eventually unleashing

17172-574: The great basilicas at the city gates: Sant'Ambrogio , San Nazaro in Brolo , San Simpliciano and Sant'Eustorgio , which still stand, refurbished over the centuries, as some of the finest and most important churches in Milan. Milan's Cathedral , built between 1386 and 1877, is the largest church in the Italian Republic—the larger St. Peter's Basilica is in the State of Vatican City , a sovereign state—and

17334-559: The gun. In some instances the match would also go out, so both ends of the match were kept lit. This proved cumbersome to maneuver as both hands were required to hold the match during removal, one end in each hand. The procedure was so complex that a 1607 drill manual published by Jacob de Gheyn in the Netherlands listed 28 steps just to fire and load the gun. In 1584 the Ming General Qi Jiguang composed an 11-step song to practice

17496-405: The gunner and those around him. Furthermore, the amount of smoke produced by black-powder weapons was considerable, making it hard to see the enemy after a few salvos, unless there was enough wind to disperse the smoke quickly. (Conversely, this cloud of smoke also served to make it difficult for any archers to target the opposing soldiers who were using firearms.) Before the wheellock, the need for

17658-497: The industrial and financial capital of Italy. Milan has been recognized as one of the world's four fashion capitals . Many of the most famous luxury fashion brands in the world have their headquarters in the city, including: Armani , Prada , Versace , Valentino , Loro Piana and Zegna . It also hosts several international events and fairs, including Milan Fashion Week and the Milan Furniture Fair , which are among

17820-536: The insurgents and organised a plebiscite that ratified by a huge majority the unification of Lombardy with Piedmont–Sardinia. But just a few months later the Austrians were able to send fresh forces that routed the Piedmontese army at the Battle of Custoza on 24 July and to reassert Austrian control over northern Italy. About ten years later, however, Italian nationalist politicians, officers and intellectuals such as Cavour , Garibaldi and Mazzini were able to gather

17982-462: The major South European rail hub for goods and passenger transport. Indeed, Milan and Venice were among the main stops of the Orient Express that started operating from 1919. Abundant hydroelectric resources allowed the development of a strong steel and textile sector and, as Milanese banks dominated Italy's financial sphere, the city became the country's leading financial centre. In May 1898, Milan

18144-416: The mass media to nickname the metropolis "Milano da bere" , literally "Milan to be drunk". But in the 1990s Milan was badly affected by Tangentopoli , a political scandal in which many politicians and businessmen were tried for corruption. The city was also affected by a severe financial crisis and a steady decline in textiles, automobile and steel production. Berlusconi's Milano 2 and Milano 3 projects were

18306-439: The match into a priming pan when squeezed, igniting the priming powder, causing a flash to travel through the touch hole, also igniting the gunpowder within the barrel, and propelling the bullet out the muzzle. While matchlocks provided a crucial advantage by allowing the user to aim the firearm using both hands, it was also awkward to utilize. To avoid accidentally igniting the gunpowder the match had to be detached while loading

18468-550: The matchlock as early as 1505, but was more expensive to produce at three times the cost of a matchlock and prone to breakdown, thus limiting it primarily to specialist firearms and pistols. The snaphance flintlock was invented by the mid-16th century and then the "true" flintlock in the early 17th century, but by this time the generic term for firearms had shifted to musket , and flintlocks are not usually associated with arquebuses. The earliest known examples of an "arquebus" date back to 1411 in Europe and no later than 1425 in

18630-401: The mid-1560s once referred to muskets as double arquebuses . The matchlock firing mechanism also became a common term for the arquebus after it was added to the firearm. Later flintlock firearms were sometimes called fusils or fuzees . Prior to the appearance of the serpentine lever by around 1411, handguns were fired from the chest, tucked under one arm, while the other arm maneuvered

18792-493: The mid-16th century. While the use of 12,000 arquebusiers is impressive, the firearms were not widely adopted in Iran. This is in no small part due to the reliance on light cavalry by the Iranians. Riding a horse and operating an arquebus are incredibly difficult which helped lead to both limited use and heavy stagnation in the technology associated with firearms. These limitations aside, the Iranians still made use of firearms and Europe

18954-563: The modern Pavia ), and left early-medieval Milan to the governance of its archbishops . After the siege of the city by the Visigoths in 402, the imperial residence moved to Ravenna . Attila , King of the Huns , sacked and devastated the city in 452 AD. In 539 the Ostrogoths conquered and destroyed Milan during the Gothic War against Byzantine Emperor Justinian I . In the summer of 569

19116-587: The most important advantage of the arquebus over muscle-powered weapons like longbows was sheer power. A shot from a typical 16th-century arquebus boasted between 1,300 to 1,750 J (960 to 1,290 ft⋅lbf) of kinetic energy , depending on the powder quality. A longbow arrow by contrast was about 80 J (59 ft⋅lbf), while crossbows could vary from 100 to 200 J (74 to 148 ft⋅lbf) depending on construction. Thus, arquebuses could easily defeat armor that would be highly effective against arrows or bolts, and inflict far greater wounds on flesh. The disparity

19278-411: The most important housing projects of the 1980s and 1990s in Milan and brought to the city new economical and social energy. In the early 21st century Milan underwent a series of sweeping redevelopments over huge former industrial areas. Two new business districts, Porta Nuova and CityLife , were built in the space of a decade, radically changing the skyline of the city. Its exhibition centre moved to

19440-626: The most important weapons in Japan. Oda Nobunaga revolutionized musket tactics in Japan by splitting loaders and shooters and assigning three guns to a shooter at the Battle of Nagashino in 1575, during which volley fire may have been implemented. However, the volley fire technique of 1575 has been called into dispute in recent years by J. S. A. Elisonas and J. P. Lamers in their translation of The Chronicle of Oda Nobunaga by Ota Gyuichi. In Lamers' Japonius he says that "whether or not Nobunaga actually operated with three rotating ranks cannot be determined on

19602-459: The name element -lanon is the Celtic equivalent of Latin -planum "plain", thus *Mediolanon (Latinized as Mediolānum ) meant "(settlement) in the midst of the plain". Mediolanum became the most important center of Cisalpine Gaul and, in the wake of economic development, in 49 BC, was elevated, within the Lex Roscia , to the status of municipium . The ancient Celtic settlement was, from

19764-509: The name to the scrofa semilanuta ("half-woolly sow") an ancient emblem of the city, fancifully accounted for in Andrea Alciato 's Emblemata (1584), beneath a woodcut of the first raising of the city walls, where a boar is seen lifted from the excavation, and the etymology of Mediolanum given as "half-wool", explained in Latin and in French. According to this theory, the foundation of Milan

19926-441: The new political power of the cities and their will to fight against all feudal powers. Milan was no exception. It did not take long, however, for the Italian city-states to begin fighting each other to try to limit neighbouring powers. The Milanese destroyed Lodi and continuously warred with Pavia, Cremona and Como, who in turn asked Frederick I Barbarossa for help. In a sally they captured Empress Beatrice and forced her to ride

20088-421: The new techniques and technologies for the first time. The Dutch marched onto the beach where the fort was located and fully utilized the countermarching tactic. By orienting all of his arquebusiers into a block, he was able to maintain a steady stream of fire out of a disciplined formation using volley fire tactics. The result was a lopsided victory with 4,000 Spanish casualties to only 1,000 dead and 700 wounded on

20250-594: The north, the Ticino river to the west and the Adda to the east. The city's land is flat, the highest point being at 122 m (400.26 ft) above sea level . The administrative comune covers an area of about 181 square kilometres (70 sq mi), with a population, in 2013, of 1,324,169 and a population density of 7,315 inhabitants per square kilometre (18,950/sq mi). The Metropolitan City of Milan covers 1,575 square kilometres (608 sq mi) and in 2015 had

20412-479: The other Italian statelets and proclaim the birth of the Kingdom of Italy on 17 March 1861. The political unification of Italy enhanced Milan's economic dominance over northern Italy. A dense rail network, whose construction had started under Austrian patronage, was completed in a brief time, making Milan the rail hub of northern Italy and, with the opening of the Gotthard (1882) and Simplon (1906) railway tunnels,

20574-475: The people of Milan, but they also gave a great impulse to culture, with the creation of the Biblioteca Ambrosiana , in a building designed by Francesco Maria Richini , and the nearby Pinacoteca Ambrosiana . Many notable churches and Baroque mansions were built in the city during this period by the architects, Pellegrino Tibaldi , Galeazzo Alessi and Richini himself. Empress Maria Theresa of Austria

20736-465: The physical strength of the user for propulsion of the projectile, making it easier to find a suitable recruit. It also meant that, compared to an archer or crossbowman, an arquebusier lost less of his battlefield effectiveness due to fatigue, malnutrition, or sickness. The arquebusier also had the added advantage of frightening enemies (and horses) with the noise. Wind could reduce the accuracy of archery, but had much less of an effect on an arquebus. During

20898-403: The placing of arquebusiers in the protective wagons and using them against the enemy. Arquebusiers were also used effectively at the battle of Bashkent in 1473 when they were used in conjunction with artillery. The arquebus was used in substantial numbers for the first time in Europe during the reign of King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary (r. 1458–1490). One in four soldiers in the infantry of

21060-604: The plain", or of "place between watercourses" (Celtic medhe = "in the middle, central"; land or lan = "land"), given the presence of the Olona , Lambro , Seveso rivers and the Nirone and Pudiga streams. The Latin name Mediolanum comes from the Latin words medio (in the middle) and planus (plain). However, some scholars believe that lanum comes from the Celtic root lan , meaning an enclosure or demarcated territory (source of

21222-805: The popular patron saint of the city. Both the Guelph and the Ghibelline factions worked together to bring about the Ambrosian Republic in Milan. Nonetheless, the Republic collapsed when, in 1450, Milan was conquered by Francesco I of the House of Sforza , which made Milan one of the leading cities of the Italian Renaissance . Under the House of Sforza, Milan experienced a period of great prosperity, which in particular saw

21384-417: The population within the wider Milan metropolitan area (also known as Greater Milan) is estimated between 7.5 million and 8.2 million, making it by far the largest metropolitan area in Italy and one of the largest in the EU . Milan is the economic capital of Italy, one of the economic capitals of Europe and a global financial centre . Milan is a leading alpha global city, with strengths in

21546-434: The procedure in rhythm: "One, clean the gun. Two, pour the powder. Three, tamp the powder down. Four, drop the pellet. Five, drive the pellet down. Six, put in paper (stopper). Seven, drive the paper down. Eight, open the flashpan cover. Nine, pour in the flash powder. Ten, close the flashpan, and clamp the fuse. Eleven, listen for the signal, then open the flashpan cover. Aiming at the enemy, raise your gun and fire." Reloading

21708-404: The procedure required to reload the weapon. Qi Jiguang gave a eulogy on the effectiveness of the gun in 1560: It is unlike any other of the many types of fire weapons. In strength it can pierce armor. In accuracy it can strike the center of targets, even to the point of hitting the eye of a coin [i.e., shooting right through a coin], and not just for exceptional shooters. ... The arquebus [鳥銃]

21870-585: The region controlled by the Shimazu clan . By 1550, arquebuses known as tanegashima , teppō (鉄砲) or hinawaju (火縄銃) were being produced in large numbers in Japan. The tanegashima seem to have utilized snap matchlocks based on firearms from Goa , India, which was captured by the Portuguese in 1510. Within ten years of its introduction upwards of three hundred thousand tanegashima were reported to have been manufactured. The tanegashima eventually became one of

22032-428: The resources needed to make gunpowder were less universally available than the resources needed to make bolts and arrows. Finding and reusing arrows or bolts was a lot easier than doing the same with arquebus bullets. This was a useful way to reduce the cost of practice or resupply oneself if control of the battlefield after a battle was retained. A bullet must fit a barrel much more precisely than an arrow or bolt must fit

22194-445: The ringing in the ears that it caused could also make it hard to hear shouted commands. In the long run, the weapon could make the user permanently hard of hearing. Though bows and crossbows could shoot over obstacles by firing with high-arcing ballistic trajectories they could not do so very accurately or effectively. Sir John Smythe blamed the declining effectiveness of the longbow in part on English commanders who would place firearms at

22356-497: The sea. During winter daily average temperatures can fall below freezing (0 °C [32 °F]) and accumulations of snow can occur: the historic average of Milan's area is 25 centimetres (10 in) in the period between 1961 and 1990, with a record of 90 centimetres (35 in) in January 1985. In the suburbs the average can reach 36 centimetres (14 in). The city receives on average seven days of snow per year. The city

22518-471: The seat of an elegant Renaissance court surrounded by a walled hunting park. Notable architects involved in the project included the Florentine Filarete , who was commissioned to build the high central entrance tower, and the military specialist Bartolomeo Gadio. The alliance between Francesco Sforza and Florence's Cosimo de' Medici bore to Milan Tuscan models of Renaissance architecture, apparent in

22680-460: The small arms ranks. This idea of lower-skilled, lightly armoured units was the driving force in the infantry revolution that took place in the 16th and 17th centuries and allowed early modern infantries to phase out the longbow . An arquebusier could carry more ammunition and powder than a crossbowman or longbowman could with bolts or arrows . Once the methods were developed, powder and shot were relatively easy to mass-produce, while arrow making

22842-437: The soil , causing Milan to be one of Europe's most polluted cities. Summers in Milan are hot and humidity levels are high with peak temperatures reaching above 35 °C (95 °F). Due to the high humidity, urban heat effect and lack of wind, nighttimes often remain muggy during the summer months. Usually the summer enjoys clearer skies with an average of more than 13 hours of daylight: when precipitation occurs though, it

23004-585: The spire), and the 209 m Allianz Tower , a 50-story tower. The largest parks in the central area of Milan are Sempione Park , at the north-western edge, and Montanelli Gardens , situated north-east of the city. English-style Sempione Park, built in 1890, contains the Civic Arena , the Civic Aquarium of Milan (which is the third oldest aquarium in Europe ), a steel lattice panoramic tower, an art exhibition centre,

23166-408: The standard bows. Producing an effective arquebusier required much less training than producing an effective bowman. Most archers spent their whole lives training to shoot with accuracy, but with drill and instruction, the arquebusier was able to learn his profession in months as opposed to years. This low level of skill made it a lot easier to outfit an army in a short amount of time as well as expand

23328-639: The symbol of Spanish bad rule and decadence and is considered one of the last outbreaks of the centuries-long pandemic of plague that began with the Black Death . In 1700, the Spanish line of Habsburgs was extinguished with the death of Charles II . After his death, the War of the Spanish Succession began in 1701. In 1706, the French were defeated in Ramillies and Turin and were forced to yield northern Italy to

23490-402: The term arquebus dates back to 1364, when the lord of Milan Bernabò Visconti recruited 70 archibuxoli , although in this case it almost certainly referred to a hand cannon . The arquebus has at times been known as the harquebus , harkbus , hackbut , hagbut , archibugio , haakbus , schiopo , sclopus , tüfenk , tofak , matchlock , and firelock . The musket, essentially

23652-576: The turn of the 16th century only around 10% of Western European infantrymen used firearms. Arquebuses were used as early as 1472 by the Portuguese at Zamora. Likewise, the Castilians used arquebuses as well in 1476. The French started adopting the arquebus in 1520. However, arquebus designs continued to develop and in 1496 Philip Monch of the Palatinate composed an illustrated Buch der Strynt un(d) Buchsse(n) on guns and "harquebuses". The effectiveness of

23814-459: The type of light cavalry which employed the firearm. The petronel (cavalryman) was used to support the heavy cavalry such as demi-lancers and cuirassiers . The petronel was succeeded by a similarly armed cavalryman called the harquebusier . Although petronels had fallen out of use in Europe by 1700, similar guns were made in the Middle East until the late 19th century. Afghan horsemen used

23976-529: The urban area of Milan is one of the 15 Metropolitan municipalities ( città metropolitane ), new administrative bodies fully operative since 1 January 2015. The new Metro municipalities, giving large urban areas the administrative powers of a province, are conceived for improving the performance of local administrations and to slash local spending by better co-ordinating the municipalities in providing basic services (including transport, school and social programs) and environment protection. In this policy framework,

24138-590: The usage of arquebuses by the Ming army ten years earlier, and the capture of arquebuses from Europeans by the Xu brother pirates, which later came into possession of a man named Bald Li, from whom the Ming officials captured the arquebuses. About 10,000 muskets were ordered by the Central Military Weaponry Bureau in 1558 and the firearms were used to fight off pirates. Qi Jiguang developed military formations for

24300-535: The world's biggest in terms of revenue, visitors and growth. The city is served by many luxury hotels and is the fifth most starred in the world by Michelin Guide . It hosted the Universal Exposition in 1906 and 2015 . In the field of sports, Milan is home to two of Europe's most successful football teams, AC Milan and Inter Milan , and one of Europe's main basketball teams, Olimpia Milano . Milan will host

24462-405: The world. Milan is a major cultural centre, with museums and art galleries that include some of the most important collections in the world, such as major works by Leonardo da Vinci . It also hosts numerous educational institutions, academies and universities, with 11% of the national total of enrolled students. Founded around 590 BC under the name Medhelanon by a Celtic tribe belonging to

24624-411: Was a genuine craft requiring highly skilled labor. However, the arquebus was more sensitive to rain, wind, and humid weather. At the Battle of Villalar , rebel troops experienced a significant defeat partially due to having a high proportion of arquebusiers in a rainstorm which rendered the weapons useless. Gunpowder also ages much faster than a bolt or an arrow, particularly if improperly stored. Also,

24786-449: Was aligned towards the heliacal rising of Antares , while the other towards the heliacal rising of Capella . The latter coincided with a Celtic spring festival celebrated on 24 March, while the heliacal rising of Antares corresponded with 11 November, which opened and closed the Celtic year and which coincided with the point where the Sun rose on the winter solstice . About two centuries after

24948-400: Was based on these early paths, and on the shape of the sanctuary, reached, in some cases, up to the 19th century and even beyond. For example, the route of the modern Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Piazza del Duomo , Piazza Cordusio and Via Broletto, which is curvilinear, could correspond to the south side of the ellipse of the ancient sanctuary of Medhelanon. One axis of the Medhelanon sanctuary

25110-510: Was developed around a sanctuary , which was the oldest area of the village. The sanctuary, which consisted of a wooded area in the shape of an ellipse with a central clearing, was aligned according to precise astronomical points. For this reason, it was used for religious gatherings, especially in particular celebratory moments. The sanctuary of Medhelanon was an ellipse with axes of 443 m (1,453 ft) and 323 m (1,060 ft) located near Piazza della Scala . The urban planning profile

25272-447: Was even greater with a 16th-century heavy musket, which were 2,300 to 3,000 J (1,700 to 2,200 ft⋅lbf). Most high-skilled bowmen achieved a far higher rate of shot than the matchlock arquebus, which took 30–60 seconds to reload properly. The arquebus did, however, have a faster rate of fire than the most powerful crossbow , a shorter learning curve than a longbow , and was more powerful than either. The arquebus did not rely on

25434-495: Was introduced to the Ming dynasty in the early 16th century and was used in small numbers to fight off pirates by 1548. There is, however, no exact date for its introduction and sources conflict on the time and manner in which it was introduced. Versions of the arquebus' introduction to China include the capture of firearms by the Ming during a battle in 1523, the capture of the pirate Wang Zhi, who had arquebuses, in 1558, which contradicts

25596-565: Was often shrouded in thick cloud or fog during winter, although the removal of rice paddies from the southern neighbourhoods and the urban heat island effect have greatly reduced this occurrence since the turn of the 21st century. Occasionally, the Foehn winds cause the temperatures to rise unexpectedly: on 22 January 2012 the daily high reached 16 °C (61 °F) while on 22 February 2012 it reached 21 °C (70 °F). Air pollution levels rise significantly in wintertime when cold air clings to

25758-615: Was rapidly rebuilt, with the construction of several innovative and modernist skyscrapers, such as the Torre Velasca and the Pirelli Tower , that soon became the symbols of this new era of prosperity. The economic prosperity was, however, overshadowed in the late 1960s and early 1970s during the so-called Years of lead , when Milan witnessed an unprecedented wave of street violence, labour strikes and political terrorism . The apex of this period of turmoil occurred on 12 December 1969, when

25920-481: Was responsible for the significant renovations carried out in Milan during the 18th century. This urban and artistic renewal included the establishment of Teatro alla Scala , inaugurated in 1778, and the renovation of the Royal Palace . The late 1700s Palazzo Belgioioso by Giuseppe Piermarini and Royal Villa of Milan by Leopoldo Pollack , later the official residence of Austrian viceroys, are often regarded among

26082-532: Was shaken by the Bava Beccaris massacre , a riot related to soaring cost of living. Milan's northern location in Italy closer to Europe, secured also a leading role for the city on the political scene. It was in Milan that Benito Mussolini built his political and journalistic careers, and his fascist Blackshirts rallied for the first time in the city's Piazza San Sepolcro ; here the future Fascist dictator launched his March on Rome on 28 October 1922. During

26244-438: Was very important in facilitating that as Europeans supplied Iran with firearms and sent experts to help them produce some of the firearms themselves. Iran also made use of elephant mounted arquebusiers which would give them a clear view of their targets and better mobility. Southeast Asian powers started fielding arquebuses by 1540. Đại Việt was considered by the Ming to have produced particularly advanced matchlocks during

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