Glossary · Term · weapon

Arquebus

The arquebus was an early form of matchlock firearm used from the fifteenth to the seventeenth century. Portuguese traders spread such weapons in Africa and Asia, and the Adal Sultanate employed matchlock-armed troops in its wars against Ethiopia. Moroccan arquebusiers were decisive in defeating the Songhai Empire at the Battle of Tondibi in 1591.

Mentioned in 3 profiles

Portuguese EmpireImpactSonghai EmpireMilitary, DeclineRyukyu KingdomMilitary

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Arquebus. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/arquebus
MLA
“Arquebus.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/arquebus. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Arquebus.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/arquebus.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Arquebus’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/arquebus (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻