Gunpowder: The European Invention Of Gunpowder

The Europeans development of gunpowder was the most influential innovation to military development and forever changed how Europeans fought. Originally the Chinese had experimented with gunpowder hopes to fend off their Mongolian aggressors in the 1200s. Unfortunately, the Chinese were never able to master the art. But the Europeans were able to build on the Chinese models, and develop a sustaining type of gunpowder. This gunpowder was far easier to load and a lot more powerful than any earlier form of gunpowder. This also reduced the dust explosion which occurred from the gunpowder being too dry. This development led to rapid military advancements in the form of artillery, even leading future military scientists to produce rockets. This invention made fighting a war much easier and less time-consuming. Those European countries able to produce the invention were able to become dominant in their colonial endeavors and among other European nations

The English had mastered the longbow since the thirteenth century. During the Medieval period, longbows ranged more than six feet. Before gunpowder, the longbow was the law of the land. It had won the English many battles and gave them a distinct advantage. The longbow was much more accurate than gunpowder artillery and weapons and could load much faster as well. The issue with such a weapon however, was one needed to be considerably trained to use it. The Pike consisted of a long wooden handle with a spearhead at the end and varied in size anywhere from ten to twenty-five feet. The pike was used throughout ancient and medieval times but was vulnerable against distance shooters like archers and helpless against flank attacks. The Swiss perfected the pike during the Renaissance by enhancing their training regiment and becoming more aggressive. Once gunpowder was able to develop a lightweight firearm, warfare changed for