Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - Spanish cup-hilts and bilbos for naval use?

M ELEY · 7th April 2012, 04:00 AM

Hello all. Having read through numerous selected materials on the Spanish and Portuguese in the New World, I came across the obvious answer to my question which made me feel like a dunce that I hadn't seen it before.

Unlike the rest of the naval powers at the time (1650-1775 or so), these nations always carried a contingent of soldiers aboard their treasure ships (both the Portuguese and Spanish Treasure Fleets) to directly defend against piracy. Thus, these soldiers would have carried the standard arm of their military branch (bilbos and cuphilts). Yes, I know that Sir Walter Raleigh and the like were "soldier/sailors", but for the most part, the Navy typically didn't have other branches of the military on their ships. It wasn't until the Brits started using the Royal Marines in the high tops (a practice carried over to the U.S.) that we see other military forces being 'routinely' utilized.

7th April 2012, 04:00 AM	#19
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,066	Hello all. Having read through numerous selected materials on the Spanish and Portuguese in the New World, I came across the obvious answer to my question which made me feel like a dunce that I hadn't seen it before. Unlike the rest of the naval powers at the time (1650-1775 or so), these nations always carried a contingent of soldiers aboard their treasure ships (both the Portuguese and Spanish Treasure Fleets) to directly defend against piracy. Thus, these soldiers would have carried the standard arm of their military branch (bilbos and cuphilts). Yes, I know that Sir Walter Raleigh and the like were "soldier/sailors", but for the most part, the Navy typically didn't have other branches of the military on their ships. It wasn't until the Brits started using the Royal Marines in the high tops (a practice carried over to the U.S.) that we see other military forces being 'routinely' utilized.