pikeandshot

Pike and shot refers to a form of infantry warfare in Europe roughly from the mid-16th to the late 17th century. It combined long pikes—used by pikemen to deter cavalry and guard musketeers—with early firearms, typically arquebuses or muskets, which fired in coordinated volleys. The arrangement allowed infantry to stand against mounted threats while delivering sustained fire at range before closing with hand-to-hand combat.

Units were organized into combined-arms formations, evolving from dense squares to lines capable of moving and firing. Pikemen protected the musketeers as they loaded and fired, then closed to melee if necessary. Notable examples include the Spanish tercio, a modular formation that integrated pikemen, musketeers, and artillery, and the more mobile reforms of Swedish and Dutch troops during the early 17th century. Fire discipline and volley tactics improved with matchlock and later flintlock muskets.

By the late 17th century the spread of the bayonet began to render pikes redundant; musketeers could defend themselves and maintain melee capability with attached bayonets. The pike-and-shot system gradually gave way to line infantry organized around muskets with bayonets. The era left a lasting influence on early modern tactics and the design of infantry units in many European armies, particularly in Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, the Netherlands, and Sweden.