Editing Musketeer

{{WarriorInfo|[[File:Musketeer 4.jpg|250px]]|[[Rapier and Main Gauche|Rapier & Main Gauche]], [[Wheellock Pistol|Wheel Lock Pistol]], [[Flintlock Musket]], [[Grenade]]|Kingdom of France|King's personal guard|1622-1776|Won vs. [[Ming Warrior]]|Xavier Declie {{c|French Combat Historian}}<br>Luke Lafontaine {{c|Sword Master}}}}

''"So everybody was afraid of the Musketeer. They were the elite bodyguards of the king of France."''<br />-Xavier Declie, French Combat Historian

'''Musketeers''', the king's ruthless personal guard and fierce defenders of France's borders;

vs. the '''[[Ming Warrior]]''', the merciless 14th Century weapons innovators who launched China's greatest dynasty.
==Stats==
*1622 - 1776
*Height - 5' 9"
*Weight - 160 lbs
*Armor - Steel Cuirass
*Symbol - Cross with a Fleurdelis at each end (Which is the emblem of King Louis VIII)

==History==
===French Musketeers of the Guard===
In 1622, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XIII_of_France Louis XIII] formed the French Musketeers of the Guard as his personal bodyguards. They numbered only 200 men, but were chosen from the most elite soldiers in the French army. In 1776, due to the collapsing economy (influenced by large French debt from the Seven Years War and the American Revolution), King [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XVI_of_France Louis XVI] disbanded the faction. In 1814, [[Napoleon]] revived the Musketeers in an attempt to save his collapsing Empire. In 1816, the fall of Napoleon re-disbanded the Musketeers.

The Musketeer of the Guard would have many of their special forces roles replaced by the [[French Foreign Legion]].

===Musketeer History===
Musketeers are basically any warrior that wields a musket.

The American Civil War introduced the 1860 Spencer and [[1860 Henry Repeating Rifle]]s; which were able to fire multiple rounds before reloading. Many other concepts of repeating rifles existed prior to the Civil War; but lever-action was more effective, reliable and safe than previous firing mechanisms. This effectively made the muskets obsolete. European colonies still used muskets so that potential colonial revolutionaries would not use the new modern rifles; however these colonies engaged in WWI and so needed to modernize their weaponry in the late 1910s. The 'Musketeer' was replaced by the modern 'Rifleman' and 'Infantry'. Muskets today are only used by hunters; and even then, they are very uncommon.

==Weapons==
{| border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 250px"
|Close-Range
|[[Rapier and Main Gauche]] 195
|-
|Mid-Range
|'''[[Wheellock Pistol]]''' 178
|-
|Long-Range
|'''[[Flintlock Musket]]''' 275
|-
|Special Weapon
|[[Grenade]] 26
|}

==Armor==
The French Musketeers wore a steel cuirass which effectively protected their torso. While it was much lighter compared to plate armor, it left rest of the body undefended giving it a disadvantage. They also wore their signature cape and hat.

==Simulated battle==
<span style="color: #ff7e7e">[[File:Red.png]]</span><span style="color: #ff7e7e">[[File:Red.png]]</span><span style="color: #ff7e7e">[[File:Red.png]]</span><span style="color: #ff7e7e">[[File:Red.png]]</span><span style="color: #ff7e7e">[[File:Red.png]]</span><span style="color: #ff7e7e"> Ming Warriors</span>

<span style="color:  #8a7eff">[[File:Blue.png]]</span><span style="color:  #8a7eff">[[File:Blue.png]]</span><span style="color:  #8a7eff">[[File:Blue.png]]</span><span style="color:  #8a7eff">[[File:Blue.png]]</span><span style="color: #8a7eff">[[File:Blue.png]]</span><span style="color: #8a7eff"> Musketeers </span>

The battle starts with a band of five Musketeers making their way through a forest. Up ahead, four Ming Warriors emerge from a cave on a cliff, waiting for the Musketeers. A fifth is down below, setting up a Mechanically Triggered Land Mine and sticking a sword on top of it as bait. One of the Ming Soldiers opens up the Nest of Bees and launches a barrage of arrows at the Musketeers. One of the Musketeers alerts his teammates, forcing them all to run back to avoid the arrows. One, however, doesn't make it and is struck in the leg. He yanks the arrow from his leg and angrily throws it at the ground. Another Musketeer aims his Flintlock Musket at the head Ming Warrior. Just as the Ming Warrior makes his battle cry, the Musketeer shoots and kills him.[[File:Reddead.png]]

The Musketeers then advance towards their enemy, with the one struck in the leg struggling to keep up. One of the Ming Warriors readies his 3-Barrel Pole Gun and fires at the Musketeers. One gets hit and knocked to the ground, but survives due to his armor stopping the projectile. The Ming Warrior prepares to fire another shot, but a Musketeer shoots him with the musket before he gets a chance. He falls over and rolls down the hill. The Musketeer shot by the Pole Gun is assisted in getting back onto his feet, only to be shot in the head by another Ming Warrior's Pole Gun.[[File:Bluedead.png]] The Ming Warrior then retreats further back. A Musketeer sticks a bayonet onto his Flintlock Musket and walks up to the injured Ming Soldier. The Musketeer steps on him and jams the bayonet into him, killing him.[[File:Reddead.png]]

The Musketeers regroup and continue to run after the three remaining Ming Warriors. The Ming Warrior that killed the first ''Muskeeter despera''tely tries to escape, passing by the sword stuck in the ground. As the Musketeers chase him down, the injured one takes notice of the sword. Thinking that it would be of use later, he hobbles up to the sword and pulls it out. The land mine goes off and kills the Musketeer.[[File:Bluedead.png]] The others see his bloody body and briefly mourn him before advancing toward the Ming Warriors. The Ming Warrior running from the Musketeers fires his Pole Gun again and kills a Musketeer.[[File:Bluedead.png]] Another tries to shoot him with his Musket, but misses. The Ming Warrior hides behind a rock and desperately tries to reload his weapon. The two remaining Musketeers hear him as they approach the rock. One pulls out his Grenade while the other lights it with his match. The Musketeer hurls the Grenade over the rock, which blows up and kills the Ming Warrior.[[File:Reddead.png]]

As the Musketeers look at his dead body while passing by, another Ming Warrior jumps out with his Dao sword and kills one of them with a strike to the neck.[[File:Bluedead.png]] The head Musketeer tries to fire his Wheellock Pistol, but it winds up jamming. He throws it aside and pulls out his Rapier. The Ming Warrior tries to attack the Musketeer, but is shoved aside. The Ming Warrior tries again, but the Musketeer parries and stabs him in the stomach. The Ming Warrior falls to the ground and dies.[[File:Reddead.png]]

The Musketeer hears a yell and turns around, only to find the head Ming Warrior standing on a cliff above him and also armed with a Dao. The Musketeer climbs up and engages the Ming Warrior in a sword fight. Eventually, the two fighters lock swords. The Musketeer uses this moment of opportunity to pull out his Main Gauche. He closes in and stabs the Ming Warrior in the stomach with the Main Gauche. He pulls it out and allows the Ming Warrior to fall to his death.[[File:Reddead.png]] The Musketeer raises his sword and yells out "Vive le Roi!" (Long live the King).

==Expert's opinion==
According to the experts, the most decisive factor in the Musketeers' victory was their armor, as it prevented their opponents from harming their vital spots. Since this fight focused more in long-range gunsmanship, the fact that the Ming armor offered little to no protection against the Musketeers' guns while the Musketeers' armor was almost impervious to the Ming weaponry ultimately decided the battle.

==Trivia==
*The design of French Musketeers changed about every 50-70 years. The one in the show uses the design of the early 1700s.
*As the new Musketeers were defeating the then primitive [[Knights]] during the early 1500s and 1600s, the Musketeers were seen as dishonorable against chivalrous Knights for being able to kill them at a distance with a relatively unskilled weapon. However the performance of the Musket in warfare soon made Musketeers popular and Knights extinct.
*The Musketeers of the Guard were formed under Louis XIII. Ironically, Louis XIII is in the Three Musketeers stories and is depicted as a corrupt king.
**Also ironically; Louis XIII began outlawing honor duels to the death that Musketeers were famous for, and Louis XIV increased these restrictions. Such duels were considered to be actions against the king: as it ignored the king's law to settle issues by force.
***Despite this; 40,000 French noblemen were killed by fencing duels (within the height of duel fencing, about 180 years).
*In 1481 the French King Louis XI employed Swiss Guards before the formation of the French Royal Musketeers. These Swiss Guards had a last stand during the Insurrection of 10 August 1792. The early 19th century saw attempts to revive these French Swiss Guards, but were dissolved again during the July Revolution.
*The word 'Musketeer' can refer to any warrior using a musket. The [[Ming Warriors]] are technically Musketeers, so are other warriors using muskets like [[Hernan Cortes|Conquistadors]], [[Ivan the Terrible|Streltsy]], [[Pirate]]s, the [[George Washington|Continental Army]] and the [[Napoleon Bonaparte|Grand Armée]].

*Documentary of the real historical counterparts of The Three Musketeers and a general history of The French Musketeers of the Guard [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd8npE_Z-_s]

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="120">
Musketeer 1.jpg|A Musketeer with a bayonet plugged into the barrel.
Musketeer 2.jpg|A Musketeer aiming his Musket.
Musketeer 4.jpg|A Musketeer wields a Musket with a Plug Bayonet.
Musketeer 3.jpg
Musketeer 5.jpg
</gallery>
[[Category:Warriors]]
[[Category:Modern Warriors]]
[[Category:Modern European Warriors]]
[[Category:Victorious Warriors]]
[[Category:Season 2]]
[[Category:Gun Powder Warriors]]
[[Category:Special Forces Units]]
[[Category:French Warriors]]
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