Where and when did they invent gunpowder?

In the history of mankind there were many inventions that completely turned the course of history in those or other moments. But a few of them have a planetary significance. The invention of gunpowder refers to such rare discoveries that gave a great impetus to the emergence and development of new branches of science and industry. Therefore, every educated person should know where the gunpowder was invented, in which country it was first used for military purposes.

Prehistory of the appearance of gunpowder

For a long time, disputes about when they invented gunpowder did not abate. Some attributed a recipe for fuel to the Chinese, others believed that it was invented by Europeans, and only from there it came to Asia. It is difficult to say with precision to one year when invented gunpowder, but here it is unequivocally necessary to consider China as its homeland.

Rare travelers who came to China in the Middle Ages, celebrated the love of local residents for noisy fun, accompanied by unusual and very loud explosions. The Chinese themselves this action is very fun, but the Europeans were inspired by fear and horror. In fact, it was not yet gunpowder, but simply bamboo shoots thrown into the fire. After heating, the stems burst with a characteristic sound, which was very similar to the heavenly thunder.

The effect of exploding shoots gave the ground for thinking to the Chinese monks, who began experiments on the creation of such a substance from natural components.

History of invention

It is difficult to say in which year the Chinese invented gunpowder, but there are reports that in the sixth century the Chinese had an idea of a mixture of several components that burns with a bright flame.

The palm of primacy in the invention of gunpowder rightly belongs to the monks of Taoist temples. Among them there were a lot of alchemists who constantly conducted experiments to create the elixir of immortality. They combined different substances in different proportions, hoping to find the right combination one day. Some Chinese emperors were heavily dependent on these potions, they dreamed of getting eternal life and did not shun the use of dangerous mixtures. In the middle of the ninth century, one of the monks wrote a treatise, in which he described almost all known elixirs and ways of using them. But this was not the most important - in several lines of the treatise there was mentioned a dangerous elixir, which suddenly caught fire in the hands of the alchemists, causing them incredible pain. The fire could not be extinguished, and a whole house burned down in a few minutes. It is these data that can put a fatty point in the dispute about what year the gunpowder was invented and where.

Although up to the tenth-eleventh century, gunpowder in China was not produced massively. By the beginning of the twelfth century, several Chinese scientific treatises appeared with a detailed description of the components of the gunpowder and the concentration necessary for combustion. It is worth to clarify that when invented gunpowder, it was a combustible substance and could not explode.

Composition of propellant

After the invention of gunpowder monks spent several years to determine the ideal ratio of components. After much trial and error, a mixture called "fire potion" appeared and consisted of coal, sulfur and saltpeter. It was the latter component that became decisive in establishing the homeland of the invention of gunpowder. The fact is that it is quite difficult to find saltpetre in nature, but in China it is in great abundance in the soil. There are cases when it protruded to the surface of the earth with a whitish coating of up to three centimeters. Some Chinese chefs added nitrate to their food to improve their taste qualities instead of salt. They always noticed that the ingress of saltpeter into the fire caused bright flashes and intensified burning.

About the properties of sulfur, the Taoists have known for a long time, it was often used for foci, which the monks called "magic." The last element of gunpowder - coal was always used to produce heat during combustion. Therefore, it is not surprising that these three substances became the basis of gunpowder.

Peaceful use of gunpowder in China

At a time when invented gunpowder, the Chinese did not even realize how great a discovery they had made. The magic properties of the "fire potion" they decided to use for colorful processions. Gunpowder became the main element of firecrackers and fireworks. Thanks to the right combination of ingredients in the mixture, thousands of lights flew into the air, which turned the street procession into something quite special.

But do not think that having such an invention, the Chinese did not understand its importance in military affairs. Despite the fact that China in the Middle Ages was not an aggressor, he was in a state of permanent defense of its borders. Neighboring nomadic tribes periodically raided the border Chinese provinces, and the invention of gunpowder came at an opportune time. With his help, the Chinese permanently consolidated their positions in the Asian region.

Gunpowder: the first use by the Chinese for military purposes

Europeans for a long time believed that the Chinese did not use gunpowder for military purposes. But in fact, these data are wrong. There is written confirmation that as early as the third century one of the famous Chinese generals was able to defeat the nomadic tribes with the help of gunpowder. He lured the enemy into a narrow gorge where charges had been previously laid. They were narrow clay pots filled with gunpowder and metal. Bamboo tubes with impregnated gray cords led to them. When the Chinese set them on fire, there was a thunder, several times reflected by the walls of the gorge. From under the feet of the nomads flew clods of earth, stones and metal pieces. A terrible accident forced the aggressors to leave China's border provinces for a long time .

From the eleventh to the thirteenth century, the Chinese improved their military potential with the help of gunpowder. They invented all kinds of new weapons. Enemies overtook fireballs, shells fired from bamboo tubes, and guns launched from the catapult. Thanks to their "fire potion", the Chinese emerged victorious from almost all battles, and the glory of an unusual substance flew around the world.

Gunpowder leaves China: Arabs and Mongols begin to make gunpowder

Approximately in the thirteenth century, the recipe for gunpowder fell into the hands of the Arabs and Mongols. According to one of the legends of the Arabs stole a treatise, which was a detailed description of the proportion of coal, sulfur and saltpeter, necessary for an ideal mixture. In order to obtain this precious source of information, the Arabs destroyed a whole mountain monastery.

It is not known whether this was so, but in the same century the Arabs constructed the first cannon with shells from gunpowder. It was quite imperfect and often maimed the soldiers themselves, but the effect of the weapons clearly covered human losses.

"Greek fire": Byzantine gunpowder

According to historical sources, the recipe for gunpowder from the Arabs came to Byzantium. Local alchemists worked a little on the composition and began to use a combustible mixture called "Greek fire." It successfully proved itself in the defense of the city, when the fire from the pipes burned almost the entire fleet of the enemy.

It is for sure not known what was part of the "Greek fire". His recipe was kept in the strictest secrecy, but scientists suggest that the Byzantines used sulfur, oil, saltpeter, resin and oils.

Gunpowder in Europe: who invented it?

For a long time, Roger Bacon was considered the culprit for the appearance of gunpowder in Europe. In the middle of the thirteenth century, he became the first European to describe in the book all the recipes for the manufacture of gunpowder. But the book was encrypted, and it was not possible to use it. If you want to know who invented gunpowder in Europe, then the answer to your question will be the story of Berthold Schwartz.

He was a monk and practiced alchemy for the benefit of his Order of the Franciscans. At the beginning of the fourteenth century, he worked on determining the proportions of matter from coal, sulfur and saltpeter. After a long experiment, he managed to grind in the mortar the necessary components in a proportion sufficient for the explosion. The blast wave almost sent the monk to the next world. But his invention marked the beginning of a new era in Europe - the era of firearms.

The first model of the "shooting mortar" was developed by the same Schwartz, for which he was imprisoned in order not to disclose secrets. But the monk was stolen and secretly transported to Germany, where he continued his experiments on improving firearms. What ended the life of an inquisitive monk, is still unknown. According to one version, it was blown up on a barrel of gunpowder, on the other, safely died at a very old age. Whatever it was, but gunpowder gave Europeans great opportunities, which they did not fail to take advantage of.

The appearance of gunpowder in Russia

Unfortunately, there are no sources that would shed light on the history of the appearance of gunpowder in Russia. The most popular version is the borrowing of the explosive recipe from Byzantines. Whether it really was - is unknown, but gunpowder in Russia was called "potion", and it had a consistency of powder. For the first time, firearms were used at the end of the fourteenth century during the siege of Moscow by the Khan Tokhtamysh. It is worth noting that the guns did not have much striking power. They were used to intimidate the enemy and the horses, which from the smoke and the roar lost their orientation in space, which sowed panic in the ranks of the attackers.

By the nineteenth century gunpowder was widely spread, but its "golden" years were still ahead.

The recipe for smokeless gunpowder: who invented it?

The end of the nineteenth century was marked by the invention of new modifications of gunpowder. It should be clarified that for decades, the inventors have tried to improve the combustible mixture. So in which country was invented gunpowder without smoke? Scientists believe that in France. The inventor Viel managed to produce a pyroxylin powder, which has a solid structure. His tests produced a furore, the advantages of the new substance were immediately noted by the military. The so-called smokeless powder had enormous strength, it did not leave a deposit and burned evenly. In Russia, it was received three years later than in France. And the inventors worked independently of each other.

A few years later, Alfred Nobel suggested using nitroglycerine powder, which has absolutely new characteristics, in the manufacture of shells. In the future, in the history of gunpowder, there were many modifications and improvements, but each of them was intended to sow death for immense distances.

Until today, military inventors are working hard to create completely new types of gunpowder. Who knows, perhaps with his help in the future they will radically change the history of mankind yet more than once.