dragon
A dragon is a shortened version of blunderbuss, a firearm with a short, large caliber barrel which is flared at the muzzle and frequently throughout the entire bore. Dragons were typically issued to dragoon cavalry, who needed a lightweight, easily handled firearm to use while mounted. • Illustration — A pair of early dragons from Poland fitted with the miquelet lock
dragon
myself (User:Piotrus) · Self-photographed · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Field
- cannon · blunderbuss
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Etymology
Etymology
The term dragon is taken from the fact that early versions were decorated with a carving in the form of a mythical dragon's head around the muzzle; the muzzle blast would then give the impression of a fire-breathing dragon.
History and description
History and description
• Illustration — A dragon (terakol/terakul) from the Malay World. Early dragons were short wheellock firearms. It is called a dragon because the muzzle is decorated with a dragon's head. The practice comes from a time when all gunpowder weapons had distinctive names, including the culverin, serpentine, falcon, and falconet. The dragon was effective only at short range, lacking accuracy at long range.
Tarkul
Tarkul
In the Nusantara archipelago, the weapon is called a tarkul, terakul, or terakol in Malay and Indonesian and seems to have been preferred by cavalry due to its size. The term may refer to a blunderbuss in pistol form, but can also refer to the flintlock musket. They used a flintlock mechanism, and might be derived from Dutch flintlocks which entered the area in the 17th century. However, it is possible that this weapon was only popular among local warriors in more recent times — the terakul was only recorded in Tuhfat al-Nafis from the 1860s. The manuscript mentioned that Bugis troops with chain mail and armed with terakul pemburas (dragon-blunderbusses) defeated Raja Kechil's troops armed with cannons and swords in 1721 CE.
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Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Dragon (firearm), revision 1333032512 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Sibbald Mike Lier. The British Army: Its Origin, Progress, and Equipment. Cassell, Petter, Galpin. 33, 302–304. 1868.
- 2.George Elliot Voyle, G. de Saint-Clair-Stevenson. A Military Dictionary. W. Clowes & Sons. 43, 114. 1876.
- 3.Charles Francis Hoban. Pennsylvania Archives. 1853.
- 4.p. 333, Bismark
- 5.Ismail, Norain B.T. Peperangan dalam Historiografi Johor: Kajian Terhadap Tuhfat Al-Nafis. Akademi Pengajian Islam Universiti Malaya. 2012.
- 6.Wan Hasbullah, Wan Mohd Dasuki (4 April 2019). Istinggar dalam Manuskrip Melayu: Tradisi Ilmu dan Teknologi Minangkabau. Pusat Dagangan Dunia Putra (PWTC), Kuala Lumpur. A workshop paper in Wacana Manuskrip Melayu Siri 1 (2019).
- 7.Wan Hasbullah, Wan Mohd Dasuki. Manuskrip Ilmu Bedil Sebagai Sumber EtnosejarahTeknologi Senjata Api Melayu. Kemanusiaan. 21. 1. 53–71. 2014.
- 8.See information about Tuhfat al-Nafis in Malay Concordance Project.
- 9.Winstedt, R. O. A Malay History of Riau and Johore. Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 10. 2. 1932.
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Broader subject
1- blunderbussTerminology
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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