bayonet..knife at end of rifle,where did it come from,who designed it,why was it named this.?

Question

how old is the bayonet,was it designed for the rifle or was it meant for another perpose?

Answer 1

it's early 17th century... and the name is thought to have come from the town of Bayonne in France... the town was famous for cutlery makers (cutlers?) it is believed that it was originally a knife that was carried by soldiers

Answer 2

The origin of the bayonet lies in 17th Century France. It got the name from the city of Bayonne.The bayonet then used was a plug bayonet, which fitted into the muzzle of the musket thus preventing it from firing.The bayonet then developed into a socket bayonet, which fitted over the muzzle and allowed the musket to be loaded and fired.

Answer 3

The term "bayonet" is thought to have derived from the French town of Bayonne and may have originally referred to a type of long knife or dagger which was carried by soldiers in the early 17th Century and it was used insend of the pike

Answer 4

The evolution of the bayonet can be traced to a certain extent to a fortuitous accident. In the mid-17th century irregular military conflicts of rural France, the peasants of the Southern French town of Bayonne, having run out of powder and shot, rammed their long-bladed hunting knives into the muzzles of their primitive muskets to fashion impromptu spears and, by necessity, created an ancillary weapon that was to influence Western European infantry tactics until the early 20th century. The weapon was introduced into the French army by General Jean Martinet

Answer 5

It was almost certainly developed in the Basque region encompassing both France and Spain, as a hunting weapon and over time became associated with that areas capital ‘Bayonne’.

In a tourist guide to the Tower of London titled ‘An Historical Account of the Tower of London’ and dated 1757, the following section taken from the chapter ‘Of the Small Armory’ is of relevance to this topic:-

(Please note that the text is in old English, ‘f’ and ‘s’ are often transposed, and the spelling is in old English)

‘2.Bayonets and Piftols put up in the Form of Half-moons and Fans, with the Imitation of a Target in the Centre, made up of Bayonet-blades: Thefe Bayonets, of which you will obferve feveral other Fans compofed, are of the firft Invention, having Plug Handles, which go into the Mufel of the Gun, inftead of over it, and thereby prevent the firing of the Piece without fhooting away the Bayonet. Thefe were invented at Bayonne in Spain, from whence they take their Name.’

Plug Bayonet

The plug bayonet, consisted in its most simplistic form, of any sharp or pointed object pushed down the barrel of a firearm and was originally developed as a hunting weapon during the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

The earliest dated example of a Plug bayonet known is 1603.

The earliest terms used to describe knives fixed to gun barrels were 'couteaux de fusil' (gun knives) in France, 'cuchillos de caza' or 'cuchillos de monte' (hunting knives) in Spain and 'plug daggers' in England. Certainly the modern term ‘bayonet’ derives its name from that of Bayonne. The French word 'bayonnette' or 'baïonnette' could also mean 'a dagger or a knife', and the English word bayonet is first found in 1672 with this meaning. The first recorded use of the term Bayonet in its present sense (a bladed weapon added to a firearm) is in 1704.

The development of the socket bayonet is generally attributed to 'Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban', a French military engineer who revolutionized the art of siege craft and defensive fortifications. In 1688 he was advocating the use of the socket bayonet, often referred to as another invention of his. This bayonet was slipped over the muzzle into a socket and did not have to be removed before firing of the musket. It is probably incorrect to state that he invented the socket bayonet, as with the plug bayonet the original inventor is unknown, it is more correct to say that he developed the socket bayonet into a form suitable for military use.

Answer 6

It came from the French town of Bayonne and was called in French a baionnette (17th cent), thence into English as bayonet.

Answer 7

The term "bayonet" is thought to have derived from the French town of Bayonne, famous for its cutlers and may have originally referred to a type of long knife or dagger which was carried by soldiers of the time.
Here are some cool sites you might like.

http://thearmouryonline.co.uk/BayonetHistory.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayonet
http://www.m9bayonet.com/buck-phrobis-m9.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A847532

Answer 8

According to HISTORY, - at least, as it was taught to ME, - the "PRMARY CLOSE-COMBAT WEAPON", known as the BAYONET, was created in the 1600's by the FRENCH! This was DUBBED the "BAYONET", after the French TOWN, of "BAYONNE", - where it was created! Incidentally, the town OF "BAYONNE", was, - at least, allegedly, - the FIRST place, to be LIBERATED, from German occupation, after the "D-Day" landings, of 1944!

Answer 9

BAYONNE IN FRANCE MIGHT HAVE BEEN WHERE THE NAME OF THE WEAPON ORIGINATED!!PHEASANT LEVEES TO PROTECT REGIONS GENERALLY COULDN'T AFFORD A FINE STEEL SWORD OR A SHIELDS CAPABLE OF FENDING OF A BLOW FROM SUCH A WEAPON;HOWEVER ,THE PRUNING HOOKS OF THE ORCHARDS AND VINEYARDS WERE THEY LABORED WOULD GIVE THEM REACH,WHICH IS A VERY IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF HAND-HELD ARMAMENTS!!FLAILS USED TO WINNOW AND BATTER GRAIN CROPS WERE ALSO FORMIDABLE WHEN USED FOR COMBAT IN WAR OR DEFENSE!!THESE WERE COMPRISED OF A LONG POLE WITH ONE OR MORE SHAFT ELEMENTS HELD BY CHAINS TO THE END OF THE POLE,THESE WOULD BE SWUNG ROUND AND DROP DOWN UPON THE GRAIN SHAFRTS TO SHAKE LOOSE AND HELP SEPARATE THE GRAIN!!THESE COULD DISMOUNT A KNIGHT AND DO HIM GREAT ARMED EVEN IF HE WERE ARMORED!!PRUNING TOOLS WITH LONG POLES WERE VERY EFFECTIVE WEAPONS ALSO!!BILLHOOKS HAD HEAVY AXE-LIKE BLADES OF A LONG LENGTH AS WELL AS A HOOK TO DRAW DOWN BRANCHES!!THESE COULD HOOK A PASSING KNIGHT IN A BATTLE AND DISMOUNT HIM ALSO!PITCHFORKS AND OTHER FARMING TOOLS SERVED AS PEASANT ARMIES WEAPONS IN PROTECTING THEIR VILLAGES FROM MARAUDING KNIGHT AHORSE OR WAYWARD BRIGANDS LOOKING TO STEAL SURPLUS CROPS IN STORAGE!!IN THE ADVENT OF GUNPOWDER WEAPONS,ACCIDENTS AND EXPLOSIONS OF BARRELS WERE AS DANGEROUS TO THE USER AS THEY WERE TO THE TARGETED VICTIM!!A POLE OR LENGTH OF SHAFTING GAVE EARLY GUNNERS A MARGIN OF SAFETY!!HOWVER ONCE THE GUN WAS FIRED ONE WAS HOLDING AN EMPTY ,UN-POINTED METAL CYLINDER WITH NO PARTICULAR DEFENSIVE PROPERTIES!!BLADES AND POINTS WERE SOMETIMES ADDED BELOW THE BARRELS SHAFT BUT WERE HARD TO ATTACH!!PLUG DAGGERS DEVELOPED WHOSE WOODEN HANDLES COULD BE FIRMLY PRESSED INTO THE GUNNERS BARREL AGAIN ON THE LONG SHAFTS OF THE POLE GIVING EXTENSION AND REACH!!THE DESIRE ABILITY OF HAVIN A BLADE ATTACHED TO AND AS EASILY DETACHED TO BE USED IN CLOSE QUARTERS BECAME IMPORTANT AS HAND TO HAND FIGHTING GENERALLY COMMENSED AFTER BOTH SIDES IN A BATTLE HAD CLOSED TOGETHER AND HAD EXPENDED ALL OF THEIR AMMUNITION!!THUS THE EASILY MOUNTED AND EASILY DETACHABLE DAGGER USED ON RIFLES RIGHT TO THE PRESENT IS STILL EMPLOYED!!THE PERIOD OF "BAD WAR" WHERE PHALLANXES OF POLE ARMS PROTECT MASSED GUNNER AND ARQUEBUSER SQUADRONS GAVE RISE TO MANY TYPES AND STYLES OF SUCH ARMS..SOME BAYONETS WERE DAGGERS,SOME WERE OF SWORD;S LNGTH AND COULD BE DETACHED AND USED AS THEM IN CLOSE FIGHTING WERE A POLE ARM HAS A GREAT DISADVANTAGE IN IT'S TOTAL UTILIZATION!!EVEN A SHORT DAGGER IS BETTER THAN A BROADSWORD IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS DURING A BATTLE!!AS A DERRINGER KILLING LINCOLN DID MORE DAMAGE TO THE UNION THAN ALL THE PRENTERGAST'S BROADSIDES AT GETTYSBURG HAD DONE ON BEHALF OF THE CONFEDERACY WITH ALL OF THEIR CANNISTER SHOT AND SOLID WHISTLING SHELLS!!

Answer 10

This may tell you what you want to know.
http://www.firstworldwar.com/weaponry/bayonets.htm