Five Reasons Spaniards Beat Native Americans
Apr 5, 2023 10:57:28 GMT -5
Post by Radrook Admin on Apr 5, 2023 10:57:28 GMT -5
Five Reasons Spaniards Beat Native Americans
Very often, we read statements that express awe at how the Spaniards conquistadores were able to surmount the numerical advantage of the native Americans, as if had been some kind of impossibly that had been miraculously accomplished. Below are the reasons why they were able to do so despite their small numbers.
Five Reasons Spaniards Beat Native Americans
1. European superior weapons. = Cannon, Steel, War-Dogs, Arquebuses, Armor, Cavalry.
2. European contagious diseases = Small Pox, Measles, typhus, influenza, bubonic plague... etc. to which they had no resistance.
3. Native American Assistance = Some tribes helped the Spaniards.
4. Religious beliefs = Believing the Spaniards were foretold gods made them hesitate.
5. Overconfidence = Exposing themselves unarmed before an armed threat.
1. European superior weapons. = Cannon, Steel, War-Dogs, Arquebuses, Armor, Cavalry.
Cannon were effective against at Native Americans in three ways.
a. The intimidating thunderous sound that they made which to the Native Americans at first seemed like the thunder of the gods.
b. Their range, which could begin mowing down the enemy far before the enemy could close the distance.
c. Their ability to take out groups of the enemy with each shot. In short, once the enemy had closed the distance, they enemy was no loner as numerically formidable as it had once been.
Steel was was impenetrable via Native American weapons such as. stones arrows and other weapons which bounced off. This greatly reduced he effect of native American efforts.
These were not ordinary dogs. These were strong large dogs that had been bred ad trained of kill. They were also provided with armor, and would tend to horrify warriors as they beheld their comrades being torn to pieces.
The horse was not seen in the Americas until the Spaniards imported them. At first, rider and horse were imagined as one creature. These were not ordinary horses. They were specifically trained to kill. These also were armored and trained to kick the enemy as their riders attacked. They were the like tanks toppling aside and trampling varying in their way.
Arquebuses: These were the precursors to the rifle. True, they needed to reload. But Spaniards were able to keep up a steady barrage by taking turns, loading as the others fired as was the case in the final scene of the film Zulu. Furthermore, the Arquebuse's range was greater than the arrows, adding more killing power.
Having Native American allies was very crucial to nullifying numerical superiority. A good example of this is Cortez and his entry into Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital. He entered it with only several hundred Spaniards supported by 20,000 Native American allies who were traditional enemies of the Aztecs. Later, after suffering a defeat in what is known as La Noche Triste, the Sad Night, he returned with hundreds of Spaniards supported by thousands of Native American allies and laid siege to the city.
Last but certainly not the least, were the contagious diseases that the Spaniards introduced to the Americas. Due to geographical isolation from Europe, Native Americans had no immunological defense against such diseases as Typhus, The Measles, Small Pox and the Bubonic Plague. They not only decreased the number of warriors available, but they also depopulated entire regions making occupation of the conquered territory easier. They also demoralized by making it seem as if their gods had abandoned them.
Overconfidence did play its role in making conquest swifter: We have the Aztec Emperor Montezuma allowing Cortez to approach and enter his capital unopposed and being taken captive. We also have the Inca Emperor Atahualpa allowing the Spaniards to proceed unopposed and being taken captive after appearing before the Spaniards with thousands of UNARMED warriors.
www.thoughtco.com/armor-and-weapons-of-spanish-conquistadors-2136508
Cannon were effective against at Native Americans in three ways.
a. The intimidating thunderous sound that they made which to the Native Americans at first seemed like the thunder of the gods.
b. Their range, which could begin mowing down the enemy far before the enemy could close the distance.
c. Their ability to take out groups of the enemy with each shot. In short, once the enemy had closed the distance, they enemy was no loner as numerically formidable as it had once been.
Steel:
Steel was was impenetrable via Native American weapons such as. stones arrows and other weapons which bounced off. This greatly reduced he effect of native American efforts.
War dogs:
These were not ordinary dogs. These were strong large dogs that had been bred ad trained of kill. They were also provided with armor, and would tend to horrify warriors as they beheld their comrades being torn to pieces.
Cavalry:
The horse was not seen in the Americas until the Spaniards imported them. At first, rider and horse were imagined as one creature. These were not ordinary horses. They were specifically trained to kill. These also were armored and trained to kick the enemy as their riders attacked. They were the like tanks toppling aside and trampling varying in their way.
Arquebuses: These were the precursors to the rifle. True, they needed to reload. But Spaniards were able to keep up a steady barrage by taking turns, loading as the others fired as was the case in the final scene of the film Zulu. Furthermore, the Arquebuse's range was greater than the arrows, adding more killing power.
The development of volley fire - by the Dutch in Europe, and by the Chinese and the Portuguese in Asia - made the arquebus of practical advantage to modern militaries. Volley fire allowed armies to turn their usual formation into a rotating firing squad with each row of soldiers firing a shot then marching to the back of the formation to reload.
military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Arquebus
military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Arquebus
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Native American Allies:
Having Native American allies was very crucial to nullifying numerical superiority. A good example of this is Cortez and his entry into Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital. He entered it with only several hundred Spaniards supported by 20,000 Native American allies who were traditional enemies of the Aztecs. Later, after suffering a defeat in what is known as La Noche Triste, the Sad Night, he returned with hundreds of Spaniards supported by thousands of Native American allies and laid siege to the city.
Contagious European Diseases:
Last but certainly not the least, were the contagious diseases that the Spaniards introduced to the Americas. Due to geographical isolation from Europe, Native Americans had no immunological defense against such diseases as Typhus, The Measles, Small Pox and the Bubonic Plague. They not only decreased the number of warriors available, but they also depopulated entire regions making occupation of the conquered territory easier. They also demoralized by making it seem as if their gods had abandoned them.
Overconfidence:
Overconfidence did play its role in making conquest swifter: We have the Aztec Emperor Montezuma allowing Cortez to approach and enter his capital unopposed and being taken captive. We also have the Inca Emperor Atahualpa allowing the Spaniards to proceed unopposed and being taken captive after appearing before the Spaniards with thousands of UNARMED warriors.
www.thoughtco.com/armor-and-weapons-of-spanish-conquistadors-2136508