Editing Bayonet (section)

===Socket bayonets===
[[File:Musee-historique-lausanne-img 0095.jpg|thumb|left|Socket of a bayonet, showing triangular cross-section and fluted sides]]

The major problem with plug bayonets was that when attached they made it impossible to fire the musket, requiring soldiers to wait until the last possible moment before a [[melee]] to fix the bayonet. The defeat of forces loyal to [[William III of England|William of Orange]] by [[Jacobitism|Jacobite]] Highlanders at the [[Battle of Killiecrankie]] in 1689 was due (among other things) to the use of the plug bayonet.<ref name="COLD"/><ref name=EB1911/> The Highlanders closed to {{cvt|50|yd|m}}, fired a single volley, dropped their muskets, and using axes and swords quickly overwhelmed the loyalists before they had time to fix bayonets. Shortly thereafter, the defeated leader, [[Hugh Mackay (general)|Hugh Mackay]], is believed to have introduced a socket bayonet of his own invention. Soon "socket" bayonets would incorporate both socket mounts and an offset blade that fit around the musket's barrel, which allowed the musket to be fired and reloaded while the bayonet was attached.

[[File:Bayonette-p1000740.jpg|thumb|Early 19th-century offset spiked socket bayonet]]

An unsuccessful trial with socket or zigzag bayonets was made after the [[battle of Fleurus (1690)|Battle of Fleurus]] in 1690, in the presence of [[King Louis XIV]], who refused to adopt them, as they had a tendency to fall off the musket. Shortly after the [[Peace of Ryswick]] (1697), the English and Germans abolished the [[pike (weapon)|pike]] and introduced socket bayonets.<ref name=EB1911>{{EB1911|wstitle=Bayonet|inline=1}}</ref> The British socket bayonet had a spike with a triangular cross-section rather than a flat blade, with a flat side towards the muzzle and two fluted sides outermost to a length of {{convert|15|in|cm}}. It had no lock to keep it fast to the muzzle, and was well-documented for falling off in the heat of battle.<ref name="COLD"/>

By the mid-18th century, socket bayonets had been adopted by most European armies. In 1703, the French infantry adopted a spring-loaded locking system that prevented the bayonet from accidentally separating from the musket. A triangular blade was introduced around 1715 and was stronger than the previous single or double-edged model.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://blademag.com/knife-history/bayonets-an-iconic-historic-blade |title= Bayonets: an iconic historic blade|website= blademag.com|date= 11 February 2023}}</ref>