Invention of Gunpowder Changed War Tactics, Political Landscapes, World History
November 1, 2006
By Valerie Orleans
Empires have been built — and lost — based on the availability
and destructive power of weapons. During medieval times, a startling new
discovery was made that forever changed the face of war: gunpowder.
“There were swords, long bows and cross-bows, but the development
of gunpowder radically changed the tactics of the battlefield and, of course,
history,” said Laichen Sun, assistant professor of history and teacher
of the class, “Gunpowder Technology and the Early Modern World.”
Most military history scholars believe that gunpowder first originated
in China. Sometime around 900 AD, it is believed, a group of Daoist monks
who frequently developed elixirs to cure illnesses or bestow long life,
accidentally created an elixir with entirely new properties. When they
mixed saltpeter, sulfur and charcoal (the basic ingredients of gunpowder),
they discovered that it would burn and explode. This became the prototype
of gunpowder.
“In China, you still see people who sometimes use gunpowder as a
medicine,” Sun said. “It didn’t take long for the Chinese
to see that this new elixir also could have a practical application in
war.”
For more than 400 years, the Chinese refined gunpowder and gunpowder
weapons, learning the right combinations to make it burn and then explode.
They also experimented with different materials to use with the powder — first
using bamboo (because it was hollow) to propel various projectiles.
Eventually, they settled on metal rods, which became the prototype of guns
and cannons.
Before too long, the traveling Mongols noticed these new weapons, and
within 40 years, gunpowder technology had traveled to Europe and other
regions of Asia. It’s believed that the first European guns appeared
in Italy around 1326.
Guns and gunpowder gave people a significant advantage over their enemies,
Sun said. “Warriors were able to kill more of their enemies while
limiting their own danger.”
While the Chinese invented gunpowder, the Europeans perfected it.
“In early modern Europe, there were constant battles over principalities,” Sun
explained. “Between 1450 and 1750, there was almost constant fighting.
Warfare and the goal of conquering others necessitated the improvement
of guns.”
Sun said it was the Chinese who first employed gunpowder weapons on
ships but again, it was the Europeans who did this more effectively. During
the age of discovery, many European ships were equipped with the firepower
not only necessary to defend themselves and subdue their enemies — but
to conquer new lands.
“The Spanish were able to conquer the Incas and Aztecs because of guns,” Sun
said. “The Americas were conquered by Europeans with guns. And, when the
Europeans began to settle in these countries, they did so with their guns at
their sides. Throughout history, those without guns often simply disappeared.
“When one group comes to dominate another, it changes the political landscape.
It changes history. It changes the world,” he said. “Our modern world
order has much to do with gunpowder technology.”
Produced by the Office of Public Affairs at California State University, Fullerton.