Intro

Today in this video, let's take a look at another type of European musket and its lock mechanism. As always, it features a rare musket type and a rare lock.

Escopeta and Miquelet

Today, the main subject is the Escopeta—a firearm from Spain. According to the dictionary, Escopeta refers to a type of short firelock musket.

Nowadays, examples of surviving Escopetas can be easily found online. Typically, this kind of muzzleloader is believed to have been produced in the 18th century, but some may date as far back as the 16th century and they were probably used well into the early 19th century. As a result, they often have a long and complex history. This also means they might not function smoothly today, since some of their iron components may have rusted over time.

Additionally, during the years when Spain maintained many colonies, the Escopeta may have served as a military or self-defense weapon for colonists. Therefore, the number of Escopetas produced might far exceed what we imagine, and many of these Spanish firearms likely ended up scattered across the world—making them very difficult to trace today.

When we first encounter this gun, I believe you'll also notice its distinctive firelock. This lock is our second main subject. Typically, this type of mechanism is known as the Miquelet lock, or in Spanish, llave de Miguelete, llave española, or llave de rastrillo.

In the next part, let’s focus on the origin of the Miquelet lock. It likely dates back to the 16th century—an era known as the Spanish Golden Age, or Siglo de Oro in Spanish. This was also the time when the great writer Miguel de Cervantes lived.

The Origin of the Miquelet Lock

When we look at the Miquelet lock, many people may wonder whether it is the same as a snaplock, or if the two mechanisms are related. That’s a good question. The Miquelet lock is actually a distinctive form of snaplock, originally developed as a flint-against-steel ignition system.

The term “Miquelet lock” wasn’t recorded until the 19th century—long after the mechanism first appeared in the 16th century—and its origin remains uncertain. However, we can still find many regional variants across the Iberian Peninsula, each with its own name. For example, the Portuguese version is called patilha de invenção, while the Catalonian-Valencian version is known as pany de pedrenyal in Catalan.

It is said that the Spanish Miquelet lock was commissioned by Emperor Carlos V after the failed Algiers expedition in 1541. Another clue can be found in the book Guerras civiles de Granada, which means "The Civil Wars of Granada", where the author Ginés Pérez de Hita uses the phrase “su escopeta de rastrillo.”

As we mentioned earlier, rastrillo is one of the names for the Spanish Miquelet lock, llave de rastrillo. This scene takes place during the Rebellion of the Alpujarras, which occurred between 1568 and 1571. Therefore, the escopeta and the Miquelet lock likely originated at least as early as the 1560s to 1570s—or perhaps even earlier, possibly between the 1540s and 1570s.

Iberian Peninsula and Other Regions

As we’ve seen, the Miquelet lock has different names in different regions, which suggests that it was not exclusive to Spain. In fact, if we take a broader view of the world, the Miquelet lock actually spread quite far. As one author notes, “It was to Arabia and Tartary and from there to Russia that the new Spanish lock found its way.”

You might remember the Mongolian snaplock muskets we discussed earlier. If this author’s inference is correct, it would explain why Mongolian snap locks appear to share certain features with the Spanish Miquelet lock. This would represent a surprisingly long and fascinating path of development across regions and cultures.

The main users of the typical Miquelet lock were likely people living around the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions. As this map shows, the distribution of Miquelet locks nearly encircles both the Mediterranean and Black Sea. Although these locks share a generally similar form across different regions, careful observation reveals that each has unique features. This phenomenon may also point to the existence of a distinct regional firearms culture, characterized by localized styles and innovation embedded within them.