Elizabethan Pistols?

[SimonKenton]

I saw "Elizabeth, the Golden Age" this weekend and I thought they got most of the hardware right, but I clearly saw a flintlock pistol on one scene. In another an assassin attempts to kill Elizabeth with a wheelock pistol. THAT sounds believable but weren't flintlocks still rare in 1585?

-Ray

 

[graybeard]

Very, very rare. Flintlocks were invented in France at about 1610. graybeard

 

[TFoley]

A bit like the moor with the wristwatch, and the distant fly-by of the Boeing 707 in 'Ben-Hur'...


tac

 

[SimonKenton]

How about the wheel lock? That seems a bit more period correct but awfully expensive for an assassin to tote around

-Ray

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

Maybe it was a snaphaunce? They can be mistaken for a true flintlock and they had been around for a while at that time.

 

[SimonKenton]

That explains ONE pistol but there WAS a wheelock pistol in the hand of an assassin. Do they fit in the period? :hmm:

-Ray

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

The wheelock was around before the snaphaunce or any of the early flintlocks.

 

[arquebus]

Sure, the wheelock would fit the timeframe. You also have to remember that the Catholic's campaign against Elizabeth was very well funded by King Philip II of Spain & supported by the Pope, so having a few pistols being made available would be no big deal! There were also some very wealthy families who were Catholic who could no doubt afford such things. As mentioned in the movie the population of England at the time was about 50% Catholic.

 

[SimonKenton]

I always wondered if she really stood her ground as shown.

-Ray

 

[TFoley]

Prove that she didn't.

She was one mighty fine and powerful lady.

tac

 

[Charles D. Prokopp]

Being a redhead explains it all. Besides, she took after her daddy.