Gunpowder Revolution

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Gunpowder… First used in warfare by Chinese in 10th century Used by Ming dynasty in artillery against Mongols. Spread to Mongols and then to the Middle East and Europe.

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What were the effects of the trade and spread of gunpowder and firearms?

Growth of large empires

Made existing castles obsolete

Use of horses and cavalry in battle became less important

Armies became much larger

Power of aristocracy declined

War casualties (soldiers & civilians) much higher

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For example… In 1450 Europe had about 600 independent states but contained only around 15 by the 1800s.

About 30 independent political units were absorbed into the Russian empire.

The Mughals unified India’s numerous kingdoms.

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Gunpowder Empires What is a “gunpowder empire”?

◦ An empire formed by outside conquerors who unified regions largely based on the mastery of firearms.

Most historians would classify the following empires as gunpowder empires:

◦ Ottoman Empire◦ Safavid Empire◦ Mughal Empire◦

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Armies Most states began investing in better disciplined and more politically reliable permanent troops.

The size of armies grew because now it was easier and less expensive to train a man in the use of a musket.

Some argue that this was the beginning of national unity and patriotism as more men were drawn in from across the nation into an organized army.

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Casualties More troops involved in fighting. (King of France had 20,000 men fighting in 1550 but had up to 500,000 by 1700.)

Improvements in weapons technology and techniques made war more deadly.

Larger armies led to the devastation of civilian areas in an effort to feed themselves. This resulted in famines.

Conflicts lasted longer and battles were often sieges of fortified towns.

Lack of a clear set of rules concerning the treatment of prisoners and non-combatants meant many were killed.

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Let’s take a closer look…

Gunpowder Empires:

Ottoman

Safavid

Mughal

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Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire was established by the Osman Turks who began expanding in the 14th century. By the 1500s the empire stretched from North Africa, Mesoptamia, and into eastern Europe under Suleyman I.

Osman- founder of the Ottomans

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Safavid Empire Founded by Shah Ismail, the new Persian state, the Safavid empire extended over much of what is Iraq and Iran today. The Safavids reached their high point under Shah Abbas (1588-1629).

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Mughal Empire Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire, used firearms and artillery in the early 1500s.

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Mughals Akbar, a descendant of Barbur, also used gunpowder weapons in expanding the Mughal Empire.◦ A Mughal engineer invented

the autocannon, the earliest multi-shot gun

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