SIEGE ARTILLERY OF IMPERIAL ARMY (THIRTY YEARS WAR)

In the course of the 17th century, the Habsburg armies took part in numerous armed conflicts, such as the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), the war with Louis XIV or the war with Turkey (1683-1699). Of course, the army in the course of the 17th century underwent almost constant changes, and its artillery changed along with the changes in the army. In the 1730s, the measurements of the Austrian field artillery were to some extent standardized and mainly 24-, 12- and 6-pounder cannons were used. However, there were still 10, 14 or 16 pound cannons. In 1631, regiment cannons began to be introduced, and from 1633 efforts were made to ensure that two light guns were assigned to an infantry regiment (by the way, about 2,000 men). However, it should be remembered that the Austrian artillery was not very numerous in the field and, for example, near Lützen, it had only 19 or 21 guns. As a curiosity, it can be added that the Austrian guns of that time were considered to be one of the best and most beautifully made in Europe. After 1648, many changes introduced during the Thirty Years' War were retained, and at the same time the training of artillerymen was significantly improved. At the beginning of the war with Turkey (1683-1699), Austrian artillery (field and siege) had 12 main types of guns, ranging from heavy 48-pound howitzers to light 0.5-pound cannons. Light cannons were still assigned to regiments, and later also battalions, to line infantry.