Examples of early flintlock muskets can be seen in the painting "Marie de' Medici as Bellona" by Rubens (painted around 1622–1625).
The new flintlock system quickly became popular and was known and used in various forms throughout Europe by 1630, although older flintlock systems continued to be used for some time. While it is known that the Dutch were the first power to adopt the flintlock as the standard infantry weapon, the exact chronology of the transition is uncertain. The early Dutch States Army used flintlocks on an unusually large scale, issuing snaphances to its infantry in the 1620s and true flintlocks by 1640. Le Bourgeoys fitted these various features together to create what became known as the flintlock or true flintlock.įlintlock firearms of various types were in use by elite infantry, scouts, artillery guards, and private individuals in European armies throughout most of the 16th and 17th centuries, though matchlocks continued to overwhelmingly outnumber them. The development of firearm lock mechanisms had proceeded from the matchlock to wheellock to the earlier flintlocks ( snaplock, snaphance, miquelet, and doglock) in the previous two centuries, and each type had been an improvement, contributing design features to later firearms which were useful. Their cost and delicacy limited their use for example around 1662, only 1 in 6 firearms used by the British royal army was a snaphaunce, the rest being matchlocks. The first proto-flintlock was the snaplock, which was probably invented shortly before 1517 and was inarguably in use by 1547. However, firearms using some form of flint ignition mechanism had already been in use for over half a century. Further information: History of gunpowder and Timeline of the gunpowder ageįrench court gunsmith Marin le Bourgeoys made a firearm incorporating a flintlock mechanism for King Louis XIII shortly after his accession to the throne in 1610.
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