How Gunpowder Revolutionized Warfare - Essay Example

Innovation in History: Impact and Change How Gunpowder Revolutionized Warfare Introduction Gunpowder is considered a major invention which has been used to shape history and is responsible for major changes and revolutions. It has been used in warfare's for more then five centuries. Gunpowder is the chemical mixture which burns rapidly and was used as propellant in small arms and cannons in old times. In fact the first true chemistry was based on experiments to measure and improve its effectiveness and safety. It is a mixture of charcoal, sulfur and saltpeter (commonly called potassium nitrate) grounded together. Today gunpowder is used in various weapons, fireworks and to produce special effects. Although being a low explosive, gunpowder burns rapidly without outside air. In a confined space like the barrel of a gun, the gases build up enough pressure to push the bullet or shell out of the muzzle with high velocity. The gunpowder does not explode like high explosives such as TNT and dynamite. Gunpowder has played its main part in revolutionizing warfare and military thinking. Cannons, muskets, rockets and bombs powered by the black gunpowder removed all weapons and forces that were before them. Apart from playing its role as a weapon, it brought a tremendous boon in civil engineering. It made the development of Quarrying, cathedral foundations and roadways easier. And changed the way the engineers thought about major earth moving constructions. Gunpowder has been used in various fields including mining, military, naval warfare's and as a smokeless powder in propellants which provide higher energy density and lack of smoke. It was used as an igniter to charge the propellant in large guns. In comparison with World War 1 when less sensitive explosions were used; World War 2 saw a drastic change when flash emitted from gunpowder was used to temporary blind the ship crews. Various flash suppressors were created and mixed with the powder, which was formed into grains for small guns and into pellets for the larger guns. History Before the invention of gunpowder people used sword, shield, lance and bow; brute physical force and labor were responsible for construction projects and large civil engineering works needed thousands of dedicated workers. In between A.D 850-1000 Chinese first invented and used the gunpowder. "The sort of universal belief has been given to China or India, the credit of being the birthplace of this destructive compound" (Anderson, 1862). Gunpowder was bought to Europe after 1200; its formula was found in a letter from Francis Bacon to Pope Clement IV in 1267 A.D. Then by 1275 chemist Albertus Magnus described its formula. Bacon with amazing accuracy predicted and described the formula. He was considered the alchemist of his time; he did series of experiments with saltpeter, charcoal and other elements from nature until he arrived at the right composition of all the 3 ingredients; charcoal, saltpeter and sulfur to give gunpowder. His formula included 75% saltpeter, 10% sulfur and 15% carbon. It was after a century when German Friar Berthold Schwartz found out that Bacons experiment could be used as a weapon. Gunpowder's impact on medieval warfare The impact of gunpowder for the medieval army changes the warfare for all times. It brought the beginning of cannon and firearms which revolutionized the way people fought battles. The commander had to reform the ideas on how the war had to be fought and the military leaders that that properly recognized the use of firearms were successful. The archaic stones of the old age could not stand against iron and brass artillery cannons; lowly peasants could gun down well trained and disciplined knights of noble blood and as a result the mighty medieval horsemen's role was changed forever. Gunpowder became a mighty asset in the battlefield and its psychological impact was that the judgment criteria for hiring soldiers had to be changed. "One thing is for certain though: the impact of gunpowder on medieval warfare was profound, and its introduction was the first great step on the evolutionary path to modern warfare" (Gerritis, 2006). Gunpowder was initially used to siege craft. Initially before cannons and firearms the fortifications were so strong that only starvation was used as strategy in warfare which guaranteed success. The castle used to be a place of safety. A typical castle consisted of an outer curtain surrounding a keep, with walls ten to twelve feet thick. Defenses included the familiar moat or deep ditch, a heavily guarded gatehouse before the actual castle and drawbridges, all designed to discourage enemies from reaching the castle. In the castle's walls were arrow loops for archers, narrow openings that widened so that a person could shoot from many directions, crenellations on the tops of the walls to give cover for the soldiers and machicolations that gave defenders the opportunity to drop rubble, boiling oil, coals or refuse down on the attackers through openings in the floor. If the defenders were caught off guard, and the attackers managed to penetrate to the gate, they could be trapped between multiple barricaded doors and portcullises and killed from the murder holes in the ceiling. In short, conquering a castle was not an easy thing to do by force, and to succeed large number of men were needed. It was much easier to simply set up camp outside, throw things at the walls or inside the walls, and wait for the castle to run out of food. But after the advent of gunpowder this structure was no longer considered safe. The development of artillery cannons was too slow and many countries took time to adopt it; initially they were small, unpredictable and ineffective; early firearms were also more of a nuisance. Their use was made during the siege if Cividale in Italy and in battle of Crecy by English; during the Hussite wars of 1419-1424, cannons were mounted on wheels and then used. During the siege of Constantinople in 1451; the true test of bombard occurred; led by Mohammed 2. He used 12 bombards and 56 cannons including the basilica which was the behemoth of bombard; 200 men and 60 oxen's were used to move it. Its ball weighed 1600 pounds and could travel for more then a mile; it could easily break open huge fortresses and palace. The Spanish also used artillery in their campaign Granada, which led to their success. The French king Charles VIII, employed horse drawn carriages for his artillery guns during the invasion of Italy in 1494-1495.his new guns used iron cannon balls instead of old brass and lead; which made it more disastrous. Before the advent of firearms in Europe; the most coveted soldiers were the mounted horsemen on the field, they were the most prized and effective soldiers and were often taken captives in battlefield and then ransomed. But with the introduction of gunpowder this changed. It was then that the handguns were developed by the Spanish and used allover Europe. Then the musket balls were developed and used to kill horses. These simple weapons developed had changed the fact of battle field and bought down the supremacy of mounted horsemen. It forced the role of cavalry to change and after the invention of wheel lock mechanism in 1515 by the German's cavalry had regained its offensive power in the past. Wheel lock pistols were now used by mounted horsemen and this brought a new strategy in warfare and a kind of new flexibility for them. The role of infantry changed; new soldiers were bought which were more independent and mysterious gunners. Day after day the technology became advanced the weapons became better and better and more destructive, while easy to use. The gunpowder and bullets were supplied much more easily then well crafted arrows. Those who did not adopt these new weapons were stormed up by adopters. The balance of power shifted; siege by famine was shifted to artillery bombardment, and as the technology advanced the strong fortresses no longer remained safe from enemies. The manner in which European armies fought had changed forever and the utility of firearm was about to begin a long evolutionary period which lead to development of innovative weapons. Change in history The change brought by the gunpowder was huge and some call it military revolution because gunpowder forced military advancements in not only weaponry, but also tactics and even the formation of standing armies and navies; something feudal monarchs had not been able to form. Initially good swordsmen were crucial to victory but no longer had this stayed the case as the weapons took over. Thus this bought the concept of nobles to create military with later their powers spreading in the government. No longer were kings forced to hire highly skilled swordsman to do their fighting if they wanted to win in battle. A standing army of infantrymen with muskets slowly eliminated the privately owned and operated armies of the nobles. Nobles then entered their king's service as paid and permanent military leaders and commanders in service to the king fighting for only one country. Old traditional role as vassals giving military service to the crown and then returning home when the battles were finished were over, these new nobles served for one state and its king with careers as military leaders. As the nobles now served king's permanent military, they lost their power to tax the people in their respective provinces. Taxation became the right of the sovereign state, the king, was the leader and the only one allowed to wage a war. Warfare was a necessary part of a king's rule in order to gain more lands and increase the size of his nation; therefore, taxation increased in order to fund the king's newly formed standing army and military campaigns. The noble's loss their military power, the expenses rose of the nation as the gunpowder was extremely expensive. If the nobility were unable to purchase such weaponry and instead used their obsolete and outdated materials for warfare, the crown didn't hire them to fight; modern artillery thus became a monopoly of the crown. And then begin the thirty three year war, when all the major countries came together with soldiers on foot with muskets and cavalry. Military strategy and tactics had to be changed immensely, during the Thirty Years War, it took time for the military leaders to realize that the art of warfare had changed dramatically in just a couple hundred years and older medieval tactics were obsolete when fighting with muskets. Napoleon Bonaparte was one man who would later show Europe and the world how to implement his artillery, cavalry, and infantry on the battlefield in an effective manner. Even before Bonaparte many leaders including King Philip and Queen Elizabeth had used gunpowder in their warfare. This is not to say that no other leader before Napoleon used gunpowder weaponry effectively, but Napoleon implemented new tactics and strategies, further making modern artillery more effective. Since firing a musket could be done by less skilled soldiers, when compared to the old sword nobles, many lower class and peasantry served in the military as infantryman. Standing armies then became extremely large, with the ability to travel farther away from their central commander, the king. As these newly formed sovereign states gained experience in warfare and in government, leaders began to realize that new tactics were essential on the battlefield. The feudal monarchies of the middle ages were reduced by the effects of gunpowder on warfare and government. This new invention can be credited with aiding in the formation of the European countries as we see them today. As countries began to become larger by the lands gained from victorious military campaigns, governments became increasingly centralized and more powerful over the people in their lands. People tried to associate themselves with countries who believed in the same religion, but the newly formed sovereign states many-of-times saw a divide country on the issue of religion as a weakness in the nation itself. Many times, these highly centralized sovereign states were less interested in the safety and success of the people living in their lands and more concerned with military victories and living lavishly. This military Revolution not only completely changed warfare, but also led to the development of sovereign states financially capable to take their influence world wide. Work cited Bert S. Hall, Weapons and warfare in renaissance Europe: Gunpowder, technology, and tactics, 1997. David Wm. Trenholm, The impact of gunpowder on medieval warfare, 2006. Geoffrey Parker, The Cambridge illustrated history of warfare: The triumph of the west, the gunpowder revolution 1300-1500, 1995. Kendall F. Haven, 1000 greatest science inventions of all time, gunpowder, 2006. William Anderson, Sketch of the mode of manufacturing gunpowder, history of gunpowder, 1862. . . . Read More