Gunpowder Revolution In The Late Medieval European Military

Abstract: From the 14th century to the 16th century, the European military is undergoing a series of changes when the rest of the world is in a slow development. Gunpowder Revolution, which is an important part of this series, has not only changed European wars, but also had a far-reaching impact on European society. The emergence of Gunpowder Revolution became the land mark event of the collapse of the European feudal system; the Gunpowder Revolution has vigorously promoted the transition of feudal society to capitalist society and accelerated the birth of modern civilization. Understanding of the Gunpowder Revolution in European military will help to explore the mysteries of the rise of modern Europe.The thesis consists of an introduction, four chapters and a conclusion. The introduction firstly makes a survey on the history of Gunpowder Revolution, and secondly makes a brief investigation on the historiography of the Gunpowder Revolution, focused on debates of origins of the Gunpowder Revolution.The first chapter mainly discusses how the Europeans produced the gunpowder in the early Medieval. When the gunpowder was introduced to the Europe from China, the European continent was in a period of wars and political fragmentation. In this context, the gunpowder had been applied to the military field because of the strong power. In the 14th century, the great power of gunpowder weapons was not brought into full play, because the gunpowder was expensive.The second chapter describes the development of European gunpowder weapons on the study of artillery guns and firearms. The development of late medieval artillery is divided into three stages. The development of European firearms is later than the artillery's development; the types of the firearms had emerged continually.The third chapter discusses impact which Gunpowder Revolution on the construction of the castles, medieval sea wars and the health care of the European military. Based on the gunpowder weapons, European military has taken a comprehensive reform.The fourth chapter mainly analyzes the important impacts on society. The adoption of gunpowder weapons brought many impacts on the European politics and economy. Although gunpowder weapons in Europe have had a significant impact on society, but it remains pretty many debates.In the final conclusion, the Gunpowder Revolution may in fact be seen as a product of European political system and the Chinese gunpowder. It was a culmination of the development of technology and European ideology. Gunpowder Revolution has not only brought important changes in the military, but also had a major impact on the European society. Modern Europe had taken a road of aggression because of the important influence of Gunpowder Revolution.