were usually kept alight in case one end should be accidentally extinguished.

Wheellocks

The wheellock was the next major development in firearms technology after the matchlock and the first self-igniting firearm. Its name comes from the rotating steel wheel which generates the ignition. Developed in Europe around 1500, it was used alongside the matchlock.

The wheellock works by spinning a spring-loaded steel wheel against a piece of pyrite to generate

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