Chinese musketeers from the Ming Dynasty.
The term musketeer (French: "mousquetaire"), is what is used to describe a wielder (soldier or non-soldier) of a type of musket, who were usually trained in how to fire, maintain, and carry a musket. Many Spanish infantry groups had musketeers that could shoot enemies from a distance, while pikemen would take over fighting enemies with melee weapons. Some of the finest musketeers in Europe were in Sweden during the mid-17th century. Japan and France also had musketeers.