Monk Schwarz Berthold is the inventor of gunpowder

It is sad, but very many inventions and discoveries that could advance humanity along the path of progress, found themselves primarily in the military sphere, that is, they served just the annihilation of people, and not the improvement of their lives. Among them is gunpowder. After his invention, it took nearly six centuries before people realized that the energy released by the explosion is capable of serving peaceful purposes.

Chinese, Arab or Greek?

Among the scientists do not stop arguing about who is the true inventor of gunpowder. Opinions are divided. According to one of the most widespread versions, this honor belongs to the Chinese, who even before our era were able to create a highly developed civilization and possessed many unique knowledge.

Supporters of another point of view believe that gunpowder first appeared in the arsenal of the Arabs, already in antiquity had sophisticated technologies based on advanced inventions for the time. In addition, in historical monuments, there are frequent references to the so-called Greek fire used to defeat enemy ships. Thus, in discussions about who invented gunpowder, the ancient Hellas is mentioned.

Opinion of skeptics

However, a serious argument that casts doubt on all three of the above hypotheses is the complexity of the chemical composition of the gunpowder. Even in the most primitive variant it should include sulfur, coal and saltpeter, combined in strictly defined proportions. If the first two components are still found in nature, then nitrate, suitable for the production of explosives, can only be obtained by laboratory means.

Chemist-wizard of the Order of the Franciscans

The first inventor of gunpowder, whose works have documentary evidence, is the German monk Berthold Schwarz, who lived in the XIV century and belonged to the Franciscan Order. The life of this man is extremely poor information. His real name is known - Konstantin Anklitzen, but the date of birth is very vague - the end of the XIII century.

His life passion was chemistry, but since in those days did not see much difference between the scientist and the sorcerer, this occupation brought him great trouble, and once even led him to prison, where he got on a charge of witchcraft.

The minister of God, who taught us how to kill

By the way, the history of the name worn by Schwarz Berthold is curious. If the second part of it was given at monastic vows, the first, which is a nickname and translated from German as an adjective "black", he received only for his questionable, from the standpoint of others, classes.

It is known for certain that, while in prison, he had the opportunity to continue his studies, and it was there that he made his great invention, which allowed people to kill each other much faster and in greater numbers. As far as these monastic works are compatible with the principles of Christian charity and humanity - the topic of a completely different conversation.

The spark that spawned the discovery

About the circumstances under which Schwarz Berthold first received an explosive, we know not from the records of the scientist, but from a legend that has come down from those ancient times. Being in Nuremberg prison (according to another version - in Cologne), as we have already said, he was engaged in chemical experiments and once mixed in the mortar the very same sulfur, coal and saltpeter.

The day sloped towards evening, and it got dark in the cell where he worked. To light a candle, the prisoner needed to strike a fire - there were no matches then, and the spark accidentally landed directly in a mortar half covered with a stone. Suddenly there was a strong clap and the stone flew to the side. Fortunately, the experimenter himself was not injured.

Mortar turned into a cannon

When the first fright (quite natural in such a case) passed and the smoke dissipated, Schwarz Berthold re-filled the mortar with a mixture, withstood the previous proportions of the components. And again an explosion followed. So there was gunpowder. This event took place in 1330, and with it began the era of firearms, formerly unknown not only in Europe but also in the world. By the way, the same irrepressible Schwartz Berthold was working on the development of his first samples.

Evicted after the explosions from prison and inspired by success, he immediately tried to find his inferno mixture practical application. Creative thought prompted him that if a mortar is made of a large size, filled with a mixture and picked up a worthy stone, one can cause great trouble to the enemy, having turned the entire structure in his direction beforehand.

The beginning of the era of firearms

The very first tools really looked like an overturned mortar mortar. They even began to be called mortars (from the Latin mortarium - "mortar"). Over time, their design extended and took shape of the old cannons we knew from childhood, and the stones were replaced by cast-iron cores.

Military technology has always been at the forefront of progress. Soon, heavy and slow-moving guns brought their developers to the idea of creating light, elongated trunks with thin walls that could be held by a foot soldier. So in the arsenals of the European armies there were muskets and arquebuses, which became the prototype of modern systems of small arms.

Documentary evidence of who invented gunpowder

If the specific circumstances under which Berthold Schwartz had been the discovery of gunpowder, can be challenged, then his very authorship is unquestionable. There is a sufficient amount of documentary evidence to this fact. One of them is a record found in the archives of the city of Ghent and made in 1343. It says that under the city walls in a collision with the enemy guns were used, which was invented by a certain monk Schwarz Berthold.

The name of the monk-inventor is also mentioned in the decree of the French King John II of Good, published in May 1354. In it, the monarch commands, in connection with the invention of the German monk Berthold Schwartz, to prohibit the export of copper from the kingdom and use it exclusively for the casting of guns.

Life is a mystery

There is also a number of medieval evidence that Bertold Schwartz is the inventor of gunpowder. The biography of this man as a whole is rather vague, but the fact of the discovery made by him is undeniable. The date of the death of the one whose light arms the battlefields began to be blown out by cannonade is as unknown as those circumstances in which he passed away.

We do not know if it was a natural death, or, continuing experiments, an inquisitive scientist at some point did not calculate the charge, and the right to mistake him, like the sapper, was given only once. Since the whole life of this person is shrouded in mystery, and the discovery made by him is a national pride, many cities in Germany claim the right to be considered his homeland. This is Cologne, and Dortmund, and Freiburg, in which a monument to Berthold Schwartz is erected on the town square.