Gunpowder & Guns Flashcards
Lecture
Notes
– Although not technically accurate, I’ll use
the term “gun” to described many types of
firearms (not just naval artillery).
– Some of you are engineers & chemists who
know more about the technical details than I
do. Let’s not argue over “salt petre vs.
potassium nitrate,” ok?
– This lecture covers only some basics of the
history of ranged weapons & gunpowder
weapons.
Ranged Weapons
– anything not hand-to-
hand
– spears, javelins,
slings, & bows are some
examples
– technically, a
thrown rock, knife,
sword, hammer, or axe
would also be a ranged
weapon, but c’mon man
you know what I mean
Ranged Weapons: Bows &
Arrows
– technology over 60,0000 years old from Africa
– bow: wood or bone bent
with string or sinew
– arrow: (usu.) wooden shaft with(often pointed) striking tip at one end and notch at other end to fit into bow
string
– feathers affixed to shaft
stabilize arrow & improve range & accuracy
– left: Spanish cave painting depicting archery combat
The Italian Crossbow
perfected in Italy ca 1000 CE
– bow made of metal
instead of wood
– little strength or training required to be lethal with it
– capable of penetrating armor & chain mail
– outlawed in Europe at Lateran Council of
1139*
The English Longbow
approx. 5’ 6” ft. tall
– made of yew tree wood
– took years of dedicated training to master
– range up to 400 yds, but probably used mostly at 200
– could penetrate armor & chain mail
– state of the art during “100 Years War” between
England vs. France 1337- 1453 (Yes, that’s more than 100 years.)
The Turkish/Mongol
Composite Bow
short recurved bows made of
bone (belly),wood, (core), & sinew (face)
– soldier carried one for fighting on horseback and one for fighting on foot
– took years of training to master & required considerable strength
to use
– fired light arrows up to 500 yds; heavier arrows for shorter ranges; some were capable of penetrating armor & chain mail
– right: Sultan Murad II practicing archery w/Turkish bow (he is trying to hit a target at the top of a pole while riding full gallop)
Early Gunpowder Weapons
75% salt peter (potassium nitrate), 10-15% sulfur, 10- 15% charcoal
– discovered & made famous
by Chinese Daoist alchemists
– could go back as far as 200 BCE but firm evidence
dates from 10th century
– tu huo qiang: an early gun fired projectile through bamboo tube developed ca 1100 CE
– by the 1200s, China had bronze guns
Mongols, Tartars, & Weapons
from the Depths of Hell
– Tatars are a group of
Mongols
– Europeans often
referred to all Mongols as
“Tatars”
– “Tatar” sounds a lot like
“Tartarus,” which is a
Classical term for Hell
– The “Tartars”
introduced firearms to
Europe in the 1200s.
Gunpowder in the Islamic
World
– by the mid 1200s
Muslim scientists were
working on better
gunpowder
– the Ottoman, Safavid,
& Mughal Empires
were referred to as “The
Gunpowder Empires”
– right: Battle of
Nicopolis, 1396,
Ottoman victory over
the “Last Crusade”
Ottoman Bombards
siege cannon used to
smash medieval
fortifications
– One at left is 918 mm
– took 60 oxen to move
– fired 24” diameter,
500 lb. stone projectile
– could be fired only 7
times/day
– range 1500m
– served until 1807
Gun from Battle of Talikota
crafted in 1459 by a Persian engineer for an Indian sultan
– Known as the Malik-i
Maidan or “King of the Battlefield”
– bronze bombard
weighing 55 tons & is 14.5 ft long
- approx. 700 mm bore
– used by winning side in Battle of Talikota (1565) ag. Kingdom of Vijayanagar
Development of Small Arms
available science &
teach made small arms
possible but impractical
– first practical gunpowder small arms emerged in mid 1400s
– Ottoman Janissary Corps was among first to adopt them in large numbers
– left: drawing of Janissary loading a matchlock arquebus
The Arquebus/Harquebus
place of origin unknown, but widely used by Ottomans in early 1400s
– gets its name from Dutch “haakbus” or “hook gun”
– the “hook” was a stabilizer
often used w/ “shooting stick”
– firing mechanism was matchlock (= lit fuse)
– range: < 200m
– right: 19th cent drawing of arquebus shooter
Forgotten Innovator: Jan
Zizka (d. 1424)
– leader of proto-Protestant
Hussites
– army made up of peasants w/farm tools & moved by religious zeal
– innovation: combined
infantry, cavalry, & artillery as early combined arms
– innovation: mobile wagon- mounted artillery
– innovation: men AND
women fought together
– Zizka was undefeated in
battle but his ideas ignored until 1600s.
Wheel Lock Firing
Mechanism
developed ca 1515
– pro: more reliable
than matchlock; could
be used at night; did
not need smoldering
wick
– con: required skilled
craftsmen; very
expensive, too
expensive for mass
production
