Gunpowder Revolutionized Medieval Europe And The End Of The Medieval Style Of Warfare

The World of Gunpowder and How It Revolutionized Weaponry and More Invented by an unknown Chinese alchemist, gunpowder has changed the world of weaponry and the the world of weapons as well. Gunpowder has changed the world in many ways. Invented in the fifth century, a Chinese alchemist was trying to find a potion to immortality, but it failed (Ross). Eventually they found out the powder can explode by igniting a flame to it. With gunpowder, fireworks were invented and people thought it could ward off evil spirits with their bright lights and loud noises (“THOF”).

Medieval society, in spite of its stereotypes, was not inherently more violent than modern society. “Although there was no state in the modern sense, and therefore no set of laws that inherently took away the power of the average man or woman to exercise violence, the violence of the day was considered differently, and with out the inherent sense of criminality that accompanies it today. Our understanding of the weapons of the medieval world is skewed by the vast disarming of the “the civilian” that is taken for granted today, yet is a vastly different situation compared to what existed in many parts of “the West” as little as seven years ago.

Warfare did not get invented during the Renaissance, but there were some significant innovations. Feudal cavalry lost its strength of the battlefield, infantry gained in stature, states learned how to field large armies for long periods of time. Most important of all, however, was the use of gunpowder.

During the Middle Ages, or also known as the Medieval Ages, change was a major part of that period. Europe was watching war become much different. In the older times, a few thousands of troops were considered a large army. Nowadays, nobody has ever seen such size of an army with such variety in weapons including guns, munitions, and artillery that were all developed during that period. Besides, it was obvious that the face of warfare was changing by the end of the fifteenth century. Two of the most significant developments were the maintaining of a fair amount of troops on a permanent basis at the ready, and the rising need of gunpowder weapons and munitions. In essence The Middle

gunpowder itself. Such as where was it originated, when was it originated, and how did it

As Europe became so much more industrialized, major problems started to rise and make itself known. Unemployment and lack of money for the people were two of the major problems (Doc R). Europe’s solution to this was to colonize parts of Africa and send all of the extra people there. This allowed the overflow of people to be minimized because of the new acquired space they now had. It also helped their economy because as European people were being pushed out to Africa, new factories and businesses were put up so they could work in them. Also, the inventions of the cannon based on the “gunpowder empires” in Africa and Europe allowed them to get ahead of their competitors (Doc H). This new artillery invention allowed Europe to take down African and Asian armies that were larger than theirs. Since the cannon was a necessity for Europe to take down their enemies, and was generally ahead in the military aspects, the factories had to make and model these in the most efficient way possible. This heavy demand for weaponry placed a big load of work on the factories to produce the cannon and send it out to the troops the fastest they could. This increase in workload in factories provided more jobs and strengthen the economy for Europe. Also, the gunpowder industry began as a result of the industrial revolution. This revolution was so popular in Europe that it paved the way for Europe to overall strive in many aspects such as the production of gunpowder. The new overseas technological advances and transportation gave Europe an extra layer of protection to their already great military (Doc H). The industrial revolution in Europe was were steamships and the transporting of goods originally started. This laid a foundation for the factories in improve the ships and put Europe ahead. Having effective and efficient

Weaponry also played a role in the Elizabethan society and contributed to the end of feudal times.

This second edition of DeVries and Smiths’ book, Medieval Military Technology, encompasses many of the weapons, fortifications, vessels, machines, and armour developed throughout the medieval period, to provide a brief cultural history of the relationship between military technology and medieval society. DeVries and Smiths’ purpose in compiling this book was to lay out their argument in a way to which the reader can understand the purpose of medieval military and its relationship to society. The central

Prior to the Civil War during the Napoleonic era, artillery was a smoothbore weapon system primarily forged with bronze. These systems were very large, cumbersome, horse drawn and difficult to move into battle. However, near the end of the Napoleonic Era the Gribeauval system would improve cannon systems by casting them out of a solid piece of bronze, and boring out the center. This new Napoleonic invention increased range and accuracy, ultimately, establishing the cornerstone of rifled artillery.1

Along with the longer swords, the cavalrymen and officers in both armies had used a very inaccurate flintlock pistol, which despite its firing speed it was still inefficient as it had even lower accuracy than its musket counterpart. Nonetheless, the flintlock pistol pales in comparison to the larger guns that were used in the war: cannons.

During the time period of 1789 to 1914, several changes began to occur within the European military. Leaders began changing their techniques on how they would approach battles, placement of their men, what kind of equipment they would utilize, along with their means of transportation, how would they communicate with others, along with several other changes. During this time period, the use of technology began to increase which had allowed for the battles to become easier for those using the new technology. There were three important changes that had occurred in the European military which included: transportation with the service of trains and railways, the newest weapons such as the breech-loading rifles, and communication by using telegraphs. With these three inventions, this had changed the outcome on wars and battles for the days to come.

    Ever since prehistoric men started using tools to make work easier, everyone has known the importance of weapons to help with a kill. In the case of the personal weapons, history shows them evolving during this period. These weapons were a huge importance to have in the medieval times, kinda like today’s times. With better advancement in technology and materials,

During the 16th century England and much of Europe found itself in turmoil and in a constant state of war. The outbreak of fighting led to the invention and development of new weapons and the growth and change of weapons of old. The development of weapons was a trademark of the time, with a sort of renaissance, or re-birth in the field of weaponry (Miller). The technology was highlighted by the invention of gunpowder by the Chinese which eventually found its way to England (Grolier). However, the use of gunpowder was minimal, because the use of had yet to be perfected. The technological advancement most useful during the period was progression of the metals used in weaponry. The new forms could

During the 17th century the European powers developed a whole new array of firepower. The old gunpowder weapons that fired by

The discovery of gunpowder was discovered in 850 A.D. by accident. Gunpowder also called black powder is considered the earliest explosive invented. The Chinese alchemists of the ninth century were considered to be a major force behind the early development of gunpowder. They first used the substance to treat skin diseases and to kill insects before people realized it would be