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numerous wars. It is difficult to comprehend just how far back 400 years in history is. 1620 places this gun’s creation just a few years after the death of William Shakespeare in 1616, a century following the death of Leonardo da Vinci in 1519, one hundred and seventy-three years prior to the execution of King Louis XVI in 1793 during the French Revolution and over two centuries before Napoleon Bonaparte died in exile on Saint Helena. When this gun was first held by King Louis XIII, the King James Bible was less than a decade old, and Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) and Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) were actively working to uncover the many mysteries of the universe. Their famous counterpart, Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727), would not be born for another twenty-two years.
Louis XIII’s reign came during a remarkable period in history and an important transitional moment in firearms technology, which witnessed the transition from the matchlock, snaplock, and expensive and complex wheellock mechanisms, to the new state of the art French designed flintlock which would dominate firearms technology until the advent of the percussion system two centuries later. During this era of innovation, wheellock firearms remained among the preferred arms for wealthy, noble sportsmen that could afford them, including Louis XIII, but the flintlock became dominant more broadly. His reign was also part of a transitional period in the design and artistry of arms with a shift from Germanic
artist Michelangelo in the 16th century, and during Louis XIII’s reign,
Marie de’ Medici herself was a very notable patron of the arts, in 1621 commissioning Peter Paul Rubens to paint the famous Marie de Medici Cycle for her new residence, Luxembourg Palace. 1620 was the same year as Louis XIII’s victory over troops loyal to his mother and other powerful nobles at Les Ponts-de-Cé which further consolidated his power. However, he still faced resistance to his rule, and his brother Gaston, Duke of Orleans, conspired against the monarchy and Prime Minister Cardinal Richelieu in the 1630s. During his reign, Louis XIII also battled with the Huguenots and declared war on former French ally Spain in 1635, drawing France into the Thirty Years’ War.
This stunning work of art was
meticulously crafted around 1620, and the fact that it survives
is extraordinary considering it is over four hundred years old. Through those
four centuries, France has seen periods of extreme turmoil, including multiple revolutions and
When the young king first laid his eyes on this incredible firearm, his kingdom barely had a foothold in the New World, and his control of France itself remained uncertain. English colonization along the eastern seaboard of North America likewise had scarcely begun. In fact, the pilgrims on board the Mayflower sailed for the New World that same year in August, and it would be over a century and a half before the American and French Revolutions. During the latter, much of the valuable property of the French monarchy and nobility was notably looted, both by French revolutionaries and later by troops from Napoleon’s adversaries. Many of the pieces of the Cabinet d’Armes were thus dispersed, some forever lost.
hegemony to increasing French dominance. This stunning wheellock sporting gun from his arms collection is certainly among the most incredible deluxe arms from the period and thus set an example for others to imitate.
This magnificent wheellock sporting gun, #24 for the Cabinet d’Armes, dates to the early part of Louis XIII’s reign (1610-1643), just a few years after he wrested control from his powerful mother, Queen Regent Marie de’ Medici, in 1617. His mother was a member of the powerful House
of Medici, the patrons of da Vinci, the often credited inventor of the wheellock c. 1500. The Medicis had also been patrons of the famous
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