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>Europe didn’t send its best people, but disease, better weapons and toxic politics carried the age. It was mostly disease. The muskets at the time were tragic
by soperj 5y ago
>Europe didn’t send its best people, but disease, better weapons and toxic politics carried the age.
It was mostly disease. The muskets at the time were tragic. A properly trained infantry soldier could fire at most 4 rounds per minute.
- nradov 5y agoThe muskets (arquebuses) used by the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century were even slower than that. They were lucky to fire 2 rounds per minute. But they also had crossbows, steel weapons, armor, and horses — as well as tactical doctrine which completely outclassed any of the primitive New World civilizations. But disease did wipe out the majority of their adversaries, so they had a relatively easy time dealing with the survivors.
- Spooky23 5y agoAlso horses. I wouldn’t envy a soldier with a stone/mica blade facing a mounted, armored cavalryman with a steel sword.