During the 16th century, Austria was almost constantly in a state of war.
The defeat of Hungary and death of King Ludwig II at the battle of
Mohács in 1526 meant that Austria faced the Turkish threat in the
east alone. This resulted in further fortification of Styria and the
creation of a military buffer zone in Croatia. The head of this activity
from 1564 to 1590 was Archduke Karl II, youngest son of Emperor Ferdinand
I.
Styria held the overall responsibility for this defense. As a result, the number of Styrian armorers and weapons-makers reached a new high, and their output was supplemented by products imported from southern Germany.
The troops defending the empire consisted of cavalry and infantry, and fought in Styria and on the frontier. They were backed up by more lightly armored horsemen, equipped with portable firearms made possible by the invention of the wheel-lock ignition early in the century. Foot-soldiers used the shoulder-fired harquebus and later the musket. The appearance of firearms forced armorers to make heavier bullet-resistant armor, particularly to protect the head and chest. Infantrymen wearing half armors and carrying long, spear-like weapons called pikes, were used to protect the unarmored musketeers while they reloaded, a time-consuming process. Other foot-soldiers, armed with two-handed swords, had the task of cutting a breech for their comrades through enemy formations.