The Shishane (or Shishana) was a type of

musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually dis ...

widely used in the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

and Turkey, produced by official Ottoman arsenals as well as small gunsmith guilds and shops. They were unique in having a pentagonal or hexagonal shaped buttstock, ball trigger without a guard, and aperture rear sights, often with settings for extended ranges.

Mechanism

Lock

When first adopted, in the 16th century, the Shishane used a

Matchlock A matchlock or firelock is a historical type of firearm wherein the gunpowder is ignited by a burning piece of flammable cord or twine that is in contact with the gunpowder through a mechanism that the musketeer activates by pulling a lever or Tri ...

mechanism Mechanism may refer to: *Mechanism (economics), a set of rules for a game designed to achieve a certain outcome **Mechanism design, the study of such mechanisms *Mechanism (engineering), rigid bodies connected by joints in order to accomplish a ...

. Though at some point of that same century, the

miquelet lock Miquelet lock is a modern term used by collectors and curators for a type of firing mechanism used in muskets and pistols. It is a distinctive form of snaplock, originally as a flint-against-steel ignition form, once prevalent in the Spanish ...

was introduced. Many Matchlocks were converted to Miquelet in the 17th and 18th centuries, when the Miquelet became standard issued. Though weapons trade with Italy was common at that point, the Miquelet locks they adopted were of the Spanish "Patilla" variety.

Origin and usage

The Shishane was locally produced across the Ottoman region,

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...

, and

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

Janissaries A janissary (, , ) was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops. They were the first modern standing army, and perhaps the first infantry force in the world to be equipped with firearms, adopted du ...

were equipped with Shishane up until their disbanding.

Bashi-bazouk A bashi-bazouk ( , , , roughly "leaderless" or "disorderly") was an irregular soldier of the Ottoman army, raised in times of war. The army primarily enlisted Albanians and sometimes Circassians as bashi-bazouks, but recruits came from all et ...

s & other irregulars carried them until the early 20th century, as can be seen in period photos.

Decoration

It is rare to find surviving examples that are unadorned in anyway. Decorating one's firearms was considered a mark of honor and status, leading to highly ornate examples. Ivory, brass, silver, horn, and bone were all common materials inlaid into the stock. Barrels and locks were sometimes decorated with gold, coral, or wax-filled engravings. There is speculation among historians and collectors about decoration styles being attributed to particular regions. Some Shishanes bear inscribed dates on the barrel,

frizzen The frizzen, historically called the "hammer" or the steel,This may appear anomalous since, in later firearm designs (e.g. percussion locks), the component operating in the same manner as the ''cock'' is called the hammer. is an L-shaped piece of ...

, lock plate, or under the

mainspring A mainspring is a spiral torsion spring of metal ribbon—commonly spring steel—used as a power source in mechanical watches, some clocks, and other clockwork mechanisms. ''Winding'' the timepiece, by turning a knob or key, stores energy in ...

, helping to authenticate and date surviving examples.

Gallery

File:Luntlåsbössa, 1600-tal - Skoklosters slott - 90994.tif, 17th Century Matchlock Shishane File:Miquelet Rifle MET DP169735.jpg, Palace Guard Rifle stocked in Ivory File:Khalili Collection Islamic Art mtw 1165.1 crop.jpg, Shishane with

Gabrovo Gabrovo ( ) is a city in central northern Bulgaria, the Local government, administrative centre of Gabrovo Province.It is situated at the foot of the central Balkan Mountains, in the valley of the Yantra River, and is known as an international ca ...

style lock and barrel

References

*Ágoston, Gábor. ''Guns for the Sultan: Military Power and the Weapons Industry in the Ottoman Empire'' 2008 *Elgood, Robert. ''Firearms of the Islamic World in the Tareg Rajab Museum, Kuwait'' 1995 *Elgood, Robert. ''The Arms of Greece and her Balkan Neighbours in the Ottoman Period'' 2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:Shishane Miquelet Muskets