Gunpowder Weapons
Nobles and the military leaders of the era were also at odds with the new gunpowder weaponry. As gunpowder weaponry continued to develop it eventually progressed to the point of being very effective, and nobles, the knightly class, began to recognize that firearms represented a threat to their dominance. Unlike traditional medieval warfare which respected social status, “...gunpowder weapons had no such respect for class, and nobles risked death as much from gunshot as did non-noble soldiers”. Nobles feared firearms. Their armor could protect them from swords, axes, arrows and crossbows, but it couldn’t stop a long gun like a harquebus-a large heavy rifle- or a cannon.
At this point, both aristocrats and commoners had a certain disdain for …show more content…
Effective large cannonballs took time to develop, because it was difficult to craft a perfectly spherical object from the original clay and stone medium. To compound the issue, there was no standardization of calibers, so every unique cannon manufacturer could require a different ammunition for optimal results. Eventually clay and stone cannonballs gave way to more dense metal cannonballs once manufacturing permitted and the barrels were sufficiently strong.
The devastating effects of these cannon developments were quietly clearly perceived and written about by the notable German military theorist Leonhart Frönsberger in the mid-sixteenth century. He stated:
And so hardly any man or courage is needed any more in matters of warfare, because all kinds of ruse, deception, and treachery, together with the cruel cannon, have spread so extensively that neither individual fighting, scuffling, striking, harquebus, weapons, strength, skill, or courage can any longer help or have importance, for it happens often that a brave, manly hero is killed by a dissolute, outlawed youngster by means of the cannon, a person who otherwise would not even be allowed to look at one or address one in a gross …show more content…
Archers could shoot more quickly and accurately than a man armed with an arquebus with more penetrating power in the beginning. By the later Middle Ages though, arquebus had developed larger bores and the price per weapon decreased till it cost the same as a quality bow. When compounded with lack of training needed to utilize the weapon, it offered a compelling package. As great as a weapon with high penetration and no learning curve is, arquebusiers were still vulnerable to being rushed. Due to this vulnerability, spears and swords remained relevant to modern battlefield strategy, and it took time for firearms to completely supercede traditional medieval weaponry. Hand firearms created a never before seen potential for a common citizen to kill the best equipped soldiers in all of Europe. The arquebus was a large weapon that necessitated the use of a stand to fire. With its two once projectiles it could penetrate nearly all suits of armor from a distance greater than it could be accurately shot at. Due to its low cost, kings could easily afford to outfit a large number of soldiers with this level of firepower. This made it incredibly lethal to knights. In essence, “...by taking the muscle out of killing, powder favored the weak over the
At this point, both aristocrats and commoners had a certain disdain for …show more content…
Effective large cannonballs took time to develop, because it was difficult to craft a perfectly spherical object from the original clay and stone medium. To compound the issue, there was no standardization of calibers, so every unique cannon manufacturer could require a different ammunition for optimal results. Eventually clay and stone cannonballs gave way to more dense metal cannonballs once manufacturing permitted and the barrels were sufficiently strong.
The devastating effects of these cannon developments were quietly clearly perceived and written about by the notable German military theorist Leonhart Frönsberger in the mid-sixteenth century. He stated:
And so hardly any man or courage is needed any more in matters of warfare, because all kinds of ruse, deception, and treachery, together with the cruel cannon, have spread so extensively that neither individual fighting, scuffling, striking, harquebus, weapons, strength, skill, or courage can any longer help or have importance, for it happens often that a brave, manly hero is killed by a dissolute, outlawed youngster by means of the cannon, a person who otherwise would not even be allowed to look at one or address one in a gross …show more content…
Archers could shoot more quickly and accurately than a man armed with an arquebus with more penetrating power in the beginning. By the later Middle Ages though, arquebus had developed larger bores and the price per weapon decreased till it cost the same as a quality bow. When compounded with lack of training needed to utilize the weapon, it offered a compelling package. As great as a weapon with high penetration and no learning curve is, arquebusiers were still vulnerable to being rushed. Due to this vulnerability, spears and swords remained relevant to modern battlefield strategy, and it took time for firearms to completely supercede traditional medieval weaponry. Hand firearms created a never before seen potential for a common citizen to kill the best equipped soldiers in all of Europe. The arquebus was a large weapon that necessitated the use of a stand to fire. With its two once projectiles it could penetrate nearly all suits of armor from a distance greater than it could be accurately shot at. Due to its low cost, kings could easily afford to outfit a large number of soldiers with this level of firepower. This made it incredibly lethal to knights. In essence, “...by taking the muscle out of killing, powder favored the weak over the