The Effects Of Gunpowder On The Middle East And Western Europe Essay

Gunpowder was known of in China since the eleventh century, but it reached Europe in the mid-thirteenth century, however, it was not until the fourteenth century when gunpowder began to be used practically. Innovations such as the cannon were used widely throughout europe when attacking and defending from sieges. The timely process that was siege warfare was quickly cut down by the cannon by 1380. The defensive walls that had for so long defended fortresses crumbled quickly due to heavy cannon bombardment. The first response was to thicken defensive fortress walls, however, by the later fifteenth century the french began to use trenches. The effect of gunpowder on medieval warfare took a long time to actually become noticeable because of the many cons to using cannons. Cannons were very hard to move because of their weight and some of the earlier cannons had to be dangerously close to the target in order for the shot to reach, not only that, the reloading the cannons was a lengthy and unconventional process making the use of early cannons not so desirable for attacking armies. Early cannons were also the cause of a good number of accidents that mostly resulted in death such as when James II of Scotland was killed when the chamber of a cannon exploded. While gunpowder did affect medieval warfare, it was not until the very end of the middle ages when weapons that

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

Gunpowder single handedly changed the world. What once started as fireworks, would eventually become the greatest aspect of warfare known to man. It was first used by the Chinese, as colorful displays of fire in the sky, but under the rule of the Ming and Ching it became a feared machine of war. Although the effects of gunpowder were mainly positive, there are still some major disadvantages.

A Rifle could shoot a bullet up to 1,000 yards–and were more accurate. However, until the 1850s it was nearly impossible to use these guns in battle because, since a rifle’s bullet had roughly the same diameter as its barrel, they took too long to load. (Soldiers sometimes had to pound the bullet into the barrel with a mallet.)

The first cannon was found in Sweden and was dated back to 1326. It was used at the battle of Crecy in 1346. Cannons changed the tide of the war. They could take down ships blow up groups of people and you could stuff screws and nails in the cannon and fire it called grape shot. The first step to load a cannon is you take the worm (sacrapos) and Coleman the barrel. The second step is to use the Ladle (Cuchara) and lightly dip it in the waste and stick it down the barrel, to make sure all the sparks are out. The third step is to put the cannon gal, i. With a bag of gunpowder and use the rammer (Atacador) to pack them in the cannon. The fourth step is to use the Vent Pick to break the bag of gunpowder. The fifth step is to step back and light the

Another result of technological progression was the matchlock, which would shoot with ignition of a lit match. "The introduction of firearms into the Elizabethan Weapons Arsenal saw the end of castle warfare and the building of the magnificent Medieval castles"(Alchin 1). With the invention of lethal, quick cannons came the decline of forts for defense as soldiers prepared for battle. Cannons were made of bronze and iron, in many different sizes, and they fired stone or iron, to be used on land or

Gunpowder was used in the 11th century Song Dynasty by, Wujing Zongyao. This was a discovery led to the invention of fire work’s. Gunpowder consists of potassium nitrate, some common charcoal, and sulfur. The potassium nitrate became from a decaying animal manure, and later it becomes from mines in china.

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.

The invention of the powerful artillery guns would change man 's role in warring engagements. The artillery guns at first were very limited by their own design. The guns were very heavy and had to be transported by water, which meant that only towns and fortresses that were close to a body of water could be attacked with artillery also known as the cannon. There were also some fortresses that were impervious to the early cannon attacks based on strong designs or natural defenses. The French were able to penetrate the round shaped castles and large walls during the late 1400s by using concentrated fire of several small guns instead of a few large ones.

Europe during the Age of Imperialism The Age of Imperialism was a great time period throughout our history. Every nation uses imperialism to help them gain power, and conquer the world. Europe played a huge role throughout the Age of Imperialism. Europe conquered nations like China, and Africa, and gained power.

This is one of the first actions on a firearm that was more than simple hand cannon. The first recorded use of this kind of firearm was in 1364 according to the timeline from PBS history deceives website.

From its discover by the Chinese in the 9th Century, to the South’s surrender at the Appomattox Courthouse, gunpowder has been used to project small and large munitions across battlefields that have crippled armies and destroyed nations. The Eastern discovery of gunpowder has enhanced technological innovations throughout the last 1,000 years, from artillery pieces to the guided munitions used today. Each advancement in weaponry (and its use of gunpowder) by one nation has required another to adapt to their adversaries use in order to either survive or gain a decisive advantage.

The discovery of gunpowder changed war from being fought with medieval weaponry and battle tactics to more modern day weapons and tactics because the gunpowder powered weapons are more deadly. Weapons that use gunpowder to launch projectiles have a greater range than melee weapons and are more powerful than bow and arrows. Also, cannons are more powerful and have a greater range and accuracy than catapults and they also can be reloaded faster than catapults. Gunpowder weapons changed war because they are stronger, more accurate, have a greater range and are able to be reloaded faster than medieval weaponry.

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

Gunpowder has been around for centuries, over millennium. How has gunpowder effected Warfare, and life as we know it? It could easily be argued that one of the most important inventions or discoveries in history has been gunpowder. Gunpowder permanently altered the way humans wage war. Gunpowder was to blame for the rise and fall of Empires (Schroder, M. 2012)