Warfare in the Mediterranean had been dominated by the galley from the 14th century, and that supremacy would last until well into the 17th century, although by the end of the 16th it was clear the galley was being superseded. The purpose of the galley was to allow troops to board an opponent and either capture or destroy it, so Mediterranean warfare, and by extension Italian naval warfare, was based on speed and manoeuvrability, to allow your troops to attack an enemy and avoid them doing the same to you. With the development of large gunpowder guns galleys gained a large gun in the bow, often flanked by four smaller ones, but the rowers along each side meant the ship could not have the kind of all-round defensive armament that the later galleons could muster, which eventually changed the nature of naval warfare to one of pounding an enemy from a distance.
Although galleys did not commonly fight each other, when action was joined the sailors (and indeed the rowers if they were free men) would sometimes be called upon to aid the fight, particularly to defend the ship. Sets 1 and 2 in this little series from RedBox contain the rowers and sailors for such ships, but this set includes a small number armed and ready for action. We find poses holding a polearm, crossbow, sword and arquebus, plus a man using a swivel gun. All of these are appropriate naval weapons for the 16th century, with the swivel gun being mounted on the ship to defend it from boarders or rake an enemy deck with fire. The crossbow was used on ship longer than it was on land, so all these weapons are fine, although some would not have been used in the 17th century, as claimed by the box.
Specifications
- Contents: 36 figures
- Poses: 9 poses
- Material: Plastic (Medium Consistency)
