Editing Grenadier (section)

==Origins==
[[File:Grenadier (NYPL b14896507-90049).jpg|thumb|upright|18th century grenadier throwing a [[hand grenade]]. The concept of throwing grenades made its way to Europe during the mid-17th century.]]

The concept of troops being equipped with [[grenade]]s dates back to the [[military of the Ming dynasty]], when Chinese soldiers stationed on the [[Great Wall of China|Great Wall]] used [[thunder crash bomb]]s. The earliest references to soldiers using grenades in European armies dates back to the [[early modern era]] in the Austrian and Spanish armies. References to grenade-throwing troops also appear in England during the [[Wars of the Three Kingdoms]], and it was during the reign of King [[Louis XIV]] that companies of soldiers serving as grenadiers were first introduced into the [[French Royal Army]]. According to René Chartrand, [[Jean Martinet]] formed a grenadier company in the ''Régiment du Roi'' in 1667. By 1670 27 French infantry regiments were authorised to include elite companies trained to carry and hurl grenades<ref>René Chartrand, page 18 ''Louis XIV's Army'', {{ISBN|0850458501}}</ref>

The infantry of the [[Dutch States Army]], influenced by their French invaders, adopted grenadiers in 1672. By 1678 six men in each company were trained to throw hand grenades, developed by the Dutch master fireworker Johan van Haren.<ref>{{cite book|first=Bruno|last=Mugnai|page=86|title=Wars and Soldiers in the Early Reign of Louis XIV - Volume 1|date=28 February 2019|publisher=Helion |isbn=978-1-911628-59-0}}</ref>

In May 1677, the [[English Army]] ordered that two soldiers of every Guards Regiment were to be trained as grenadiers; in April 1678 it was ordered that a company of grenadiers be added to the senior eight regiments of foot of the army.<ref>{{cite book|page=34 |last=Tincey |first=John |title=The British Army 1660-1704 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |location=London |date=1994 |isbn=978-1-85532-381-0}}</ref> On 29 June of that year the diarist [[John Evelyn]] saw them drilling at an encampment at Hounslow, near London:
{{blockquote|Now were brought into service a new sort of soldier called Grenadiers, who were dexterous<!--dexterous in original--> in flinging hand grenadoes, every one having a pouch full; they had furred caps with coped crowns like [[Janissaries|Janizaries]], which made them look very fierce, and some had long hoods hanging down behind, as we picture [[Jester|fools]]. Their clothing being likewise [[piebald]], yellow and red.<ref>Evelyn. ''The Diary of John Evelyn From 1641 to 1705/6''. [https://archive.org/details/diaryofjohnevely00eveliala/page/400 page 400]</ref>}}

===Grenades===
The first grenades were small iron spheres filled with [[gunpowder]] fused with a length of slow-match, and roughly the size of a [[tennis ball]]. The grenadiers had to be tall and strong enough to hurl these heavy objects far enough so as not to harm themselves or their comrades, and disciplined enough to stand at the forefront of the fight, light the fuse and throw at the appropriate moment to minimize the ability of an enemy to throw the grenade back. Understandably, such requirements led to grenadiers being regarded as an elite fighting force.