Petronel

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	A decorated French matchlock petronel from the 1570s

A Petronel is a 16th or 17th century firearm, defined by Robert Barret (Theorike and Practike of Modern Warres, 1598) as a horsemans peece. It was the fire-arm which developed on the one hand into the pistol and on the other into the carbine. The name (French petrinel or poitrinal) was given to the weapon either because it was fired with the butt resting against the chest (French poitrine, Latin pectus) or because it was carried slung from a belt across the chest. Petronels are found with either matchlock or wheellock mechanisms.

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This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.