Gunpowder In The Middle Ages

Words: 847
Pages: 4
Open Document
“We owe to the Middle Ages the two worst inventions of humanity - romantic love and gunpowder” a quote said by Andre Maurois regarding the time period. The Middle Ages was the one of the first civilizations. In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages, also called the Medieval period began in about the fifth and lasted through most of the 15th century. Many people call the era the Medieval period instead; Middle Ages. “People use the phrase “Middle Ages” to describe Europe between the fall of Rome in 476 CE and the beginning of the Renaissance in the 14th century” (History.com). “The Dark Ages were actually a time of great discovery and invention. The Middle Ages also saw major advances in technologies that already existed, and the adoption of …show more content…
Gunpowder was supposed to be a potion for unlimited life and ended up being a potion for death and that is still used today. Ancient Chinese alchemists were trying to find a potion for immortality and they ended up making gunpowder. When the Chinese found out that it exploded they used it for fireworks. After a few hundred years they started using it in war. They first used it at the beginning of a war to try to scare people off before they fought them. The Chinese finally realized that if you explode gunpowder near people they might die so they started using it in war as a kind of explosive (Ross). Mary Bellis, in her article, “Gunpowder History: Alchemists were the major force behind the early invention of gunpowder,” explains that, “During the eighth century Tang dynasty, sulphur and saltpeter were first combined with charcoal to create an explosive called huoyao or gunpowder” . A substance that did not encourage eternal life, however, gunpowder was to treat skin diseases and as a fumigant to kill insects before its advantage as a weapon was made clear” (Bellis). Gunpowder consists of potassium nitrate, common charcoal, and sulfur. The potassium nitrate first came from decayed animal manure, and later it came from mines in India. The common charcoal is made from wood that has been cooked so all the gases are removed. When these ingredients are mixed they make gunpowder. The
Show More

Related Documents: Gunpowder In The Middle Ages

How Did Gunpowder Cause Violence?

Gunpowder made warfare more violent. 3 Gunpowder made warfare more violent. Gunpowder was invented by Chinese scientists in china around 850 Anno Domini (Whipps,2018). The ways of how gunpowder has changed are quite ironic. It was first used for medical reasons, (Clark,2001-2018) where now, they promote the violence of wars, hence the irony. Before gunpowder was invented warfare was more a profession for exports…

Words 1186 - Pages 5

Invention Of Gunpowder

things wouldn’t be possible without the invention of gunpowder. Gunpowder was invented by the Chinese for unlimited life, but it turned into a weapon of death and destruction. It changed the world by altering how wars were fought by changing their weapons and tactics and providing entertainment. Gunpowder was invented a long time ago in the time of the Song Dynasty, which was from A.D. 960 to A.D. 1280. (NOVA) In an article, called “Middle Age Technologies: Gunpower,” Cody Ross states, “Ancient…

Words 1162 - Pages 5

How Did Gunpowder Change The War

I. Gunpowder is made from sulfur and potassium nitrate and charcoal gunpowder changed the war in many ways with the cannons guns and grenades. Experimenting with life-lengthening elixirs around A.D. 850, Chinese alchemists instead discovered gunpowder. II. Their explosive invention would become the basis for almost every weapon used in war from that point on, from fiery arrows to rifles, cannons and grenades. Gunpowder made warfare all over the world very different, affecting the way battles were…

Words 342 - Pages 2

Essay on The Renaissance

* Meaning of “Humanism” and “Renaissance”: * Traditionally, humanism and the renaissance were seen as a momentous cultural change, which ended the middle ages and began the (early) modern period * “Humanism,” was a term used at the time (more on that in a moment. But modern scholars have their own meaning: a shift in values, a new focus on the worth of human life, and human abilities, and human virtue (that certain people make for good moral models) * “Renaissance” (a term never used…

Words 899 - Pages 4

Chapter 11 Outline and Summary Ap European History Essay

CHAPTER 11 THE LATE MIDDLE AGES: CRISIS AND DISINTEGRATION IN THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY _____________________________ CHAPTER OUTLINE I. A Time of Troubles: Black Death and Social Crisis A. Famine and Population B. The Black Death 1. Spread of the Plague 2. Life and Death: Reactions to the Plague C. Economic Dislocation and Social Upheaval 1. Noble Landlords and Peasants 2. Peasant Revolt in France 3. An English Peasant Revolt 4. Revolts in the Cities II. War and…

Words 925 - Pages 4

Renaissance Turning Point

meaning renascence or rebirth. This period was named after the reawakening interests in human philosophy, Greek and Roman art and culture (Classical scholarship), thinking and questioning the world around them. This period immediately followed the Middle Ages and was foundation to the discovery of new lands and continents, changes in astronomy —substitution of the Copernican for the Ptolemaic system— the discovery and exploration of new continents, decline of feudal system and growth of commerce. This…

Words 326 - Pages 2

Li Yiwei Essay

occurring elsewhere. Chase’s complete thesis is a bit more pragmatic; hinging on the observation that constant emphasis on steppe warfare led East Asian powers to neglect the increasingly important gunpowder revolution. This seems a bit heavy-handed, however and fails to address the fact that firearms and the gunpowder revolution were not always one and the same; or the fact that firearms were of limited use on the steppe until well into the nineteenth century. Yet the steppe was certainly a source of military…

Words 2777 - Pages 12

How The Middle Ages Affected European Warfare

civilization. The technology of the Middle Ages greatly affected European warfare by allowing states to find new ways to defeat their enemies and implement countermeasures to existing technologies during the time period. This allowed European powers to improve to their armies, defense structures, and siege capabilities to gain the upper hand in battles. Winning important battles gave the kings of Europe the power and resources to dominate the region. Soldiers of the Middle Ages were the manpower need to…

Words 1085 - Pages 5

Middle Passage Olaudah Equiano

Olaudah Equiano also known as Gustavus Vassa, was born in Benin, West Africa in 1745. According to his biography, at an early age of ten years old he was kidnapped by Africans and sold into slavery which he documented – “The next day proved a day of greater sorrow than I had yet experienced; for my sister and I were then separated, while we lay clasped in each other's arms. It was in vain that we besought them not to part us; she was tom from me, and immediately carried away, while I was left in…

Words 933 - Pages 4

Essay on Abbasid Caliphate

The Abbasid Golden Age The Abbasid dynasty lasted from 750-1258 A.D.(Douglas. pg.162-165). The dynasty began with the fall of the earlier caliphate known as the Umayyad’s. The Abbasids were widely accepted when they came to power and wasted no time rebuilding the empire. With the help of wonderful resources and the adoption of ideas from earlier empires, the Abbasid Caliphate blossomed into a prominent golden age. A golden age is a time in which a dynasty makes advancements in multiple fields…

Words 1330 - Pages 6