Editing Arquebus

{{Era|Weapons}}{{WP-REAL}}
{{Pre-release|[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows]]}}
[[File:ACSh Oda clan firing squad.png|thumb|250px|Oda clan warriors armed with arquebuses]]
An '''arquebus''' is a long-barreled [[firearm]] that was developed in the late 15th century which saw early use in battles in [[Europe]]<ref name="Renaissance">Arnold, Thomas (2001), The Renaissance at War, Cassell & Co, ISBN 978-0-304-35270-8</ref> and the [[Ottoman Empire]],<ref name="Sultan">Ágoston, Gábor (2008), Guns for the Sultan: Military Power and the Weapons Industry in the Ottoman Empire, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-60391-1</ref> but managed to reach places as far as [[Japan]].<ref name="EoH Ep 1">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 1: Civil War in Feudal Japan: The Sengoku Period</ref>

From the mid 16th century onwards, the [[musket]], which had been invented in the early 1500s and was a heavier weapon, became more common for infantries.<ref name="Renaissance"/> Though originally distinct, later modifications done to the muskets turned the two weapons indistinguishable from each other, and they became known indiscriminately as muskets.<ref name="Firearms">Chase, K. W. (2003). Firearms: A global history to 1700. Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-82274-9.</ref>

An infantryman armed with an arquebus is called an [[arquebusier]]. 

==History==

By 1500, many standing armies in Europe had already created units of arquebusiers, including the [[Papal States]] under the control of [[Rodrigo Borgia]]. A great number of arquebusiers could be seen providing security throughout [[Rome]].<ref name="ACB">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref> A contigent of them was mobilized to aid [[Cesare Borgia]]'s forces during the [[siege of Monteriggioni]], where they were able to seriously wound [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]] in the shoulder and abdomen, tipping the attack in their favor.<ref name="Vilified">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]'' – [[Vilified]]</ref>

In 1502, during a visit by fellow Templar Fiora Cavazza, engineer Gaspar de la Croix tinkered with an arquebus, pausing at times to aim it out of his front window at the passing crowd, before making more adjustments.<ref name="PL Gaspar">''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]'' – [[Rome: Chapter 1 – Fiora Cavazza]]: Spare Parts</ref> Around 1503, [[Baltasar de Silva]] organized a division of arquebusiers as an ambush for now Templar-turncoat Fiora Cavazza, luring her into warehouse where the arquebusiers were hidden, though a team of [[Assassins]] was able to shoot down the enemies and rescue her.<ref name="PL Baltasar">''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]'' – [[Rome: Chapter 1 – Fiora Cavazza]]: Moving Target</ref> 

Later that year, a number of French arquebusiers under [[Charles de la Motte]] were key factors in a trap set by Charles and [[Cesare Borgia]] for the Assassins of Rome. Though the [[Assassin apprentices|Assassin apprentice]] team of [[Francesco Vecellio]] was able to kill several arquebusiers with bows, this broke their cover and led to them being overwhelmed by the combined Templar forces.<ref name="PL Cover Fire">''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]'' – [[Rome: Chapter 3 – Francesco Vecellio]]: Cover Fire</ref>  Though the Assassin team escaped to the roof of an inn, another contingent of arquebusiers surrounded and fired upon them from nearby buildings, wiping virtually all of them out.<ref name="PL Marathon">''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]'' – [[Rome: Chapter 3 – Francesco Vecellio]]: Marathon</ref> 

Arquebusiers continued to be used by the Templar forces around 1511. [[Leandros]] made use of them as protection in a stronghold near [[Masyaf]], while the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantines]] used them to protect any [[Assassin Dens]] they captured in [[Constantinople]], as well as the rooftops of [[Derinkuyu]].<ref name="ACR">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]''</ref>

In the middle of the 1500s, first contact is made between the [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]] and the [[Japan]]ese on Japan's southern shores, bringing, among other things, firearms. The Japanese quickly developed their own versions and soon deployed this new armament into the battlefields. [[Oda Nobunaga]]'s armies were among the first to use the arquebus in Japan,<ref name="EoH Ep 1"/> due to his deep trade relations with the Portuguese,<ref name="Explained">{{Youtube|HhMOQowMjM8|Assassin's Creed Shadows Explained - Samurai, Shinobi, and Feudal Japan|Ubisoft|Ubisoft}}</ref> playing a role in the higher bodycount of the battles of the [[Sengoku period]], compared those of previous eras.<ref name="EoH Ep 1"/> [[Yasuke]], a [[samurai]] in Nobunaga's service, used the arquebus alongside his melee weapons.<ref name="IGN 40 Details">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/assassins-creed-shadows-40-details-you-need-to-know| title=Assassin’s Creed Shadows: 40 Details You Need To Know| author=Purslow, Matt| work={{Wiki|IGN}}| date=15 May 2024| accessdate=18 May 2024| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20240515184055/https://www.ign.com/articles/assassins-creed-shadows-40-details-you-need-to-know| archivedate=15 May 2024}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="180" position="center" captionalign="center">
Guard-arquebusier-ACB.png|An arquebusier
Arquebusiers development concept.jpg|Concept art of a Borgia arquebusier
Vilified 11 v.png|Arquebusiers during the Siege of Monteriggioni
ACR Ottoman Rifleman.png|Ezio facing an Ottoman rifleman
ACR Byzantine Rifleman.png|Ezio facing a Byzantine rifleman
Spare Parts.jpg |Gaspar de la Croix aiming an arquebus
</gallery>

==Behind the scenes==
The arquebus will be a usable weapon in the 2024 video game ''[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows]]''.<ref name="IGN 40 Details"/>

==Appearances==
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]''
*''[[Echoes of History]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed Roleplaying Game]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows]]''

==References==
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:Firearms]]
[[Category:Types of firearms]]