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<blockquote data-quote="aspqrz" data-source="post: 7250353" data-attributes="member: 19485"><p><strong><span style="font-size: 12px">An Explosive Matter ...</span></strong></p><p></p><p>Orbis Mundi 2 covers the period from the 11th century through to the 14th century (1001 to 1400) for several reasons, one of which is that it terminates before gunpowder weapons start to dominate the battlefield.</p><p></p><p>Still, something like cannon started to appear as early as 1313 at Ghent and they were being used in the siege of Metz in 1324.</p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10px">Limitations of Gunpowder</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></strong></p><p>As most of you probably know, the earliest form of gunpowder was simply that, a powder - a mix of finely ground sulphur, saltpeter and charcoal. The problem with it was that it tended to separate, even if it was simply sitting in a barrel and, of course, much more quickly when transported any distance. The saltpeter tended to work its way to the bottom and the charcoal to the top, rendering the mix progressively useless.</p><p></p><p>As a result, until the invention of corned powder (worked into small grains by mixing the powder with spirits of wine) in the late 15th century, gunpowder was mixed on the spot and normally only in the quantities actually needed. This was, of course, a dangerous procedure and it was common for artillerists to wear something to warn others they were up to dangerous activities ... so they normally wore something red to indicate this, and red remains a colour associated with artillery units in modern militaries.</p><p></p><p>The other issue with early gunpowder was that the formula hadn't been perfected - modern optimal Black Powder mixes are 75% Saltpeter, 15% Charcoal and 10% Sulphur ... Roger Bacon's mix (1267) was 41.2/29.4/29.4 and by 1400 it was still 71/12.9/16.1, still suboptimal.</p><p></p><p>Finally, early gunpowder was expensive ... 1 pound (Tournois) cost 10/- (Tournois) in 1370-80 and remained at that level well into the 15th century, dropping to 5/- by 1410-20 and 1/6 to 2/- by the end of the 15th century. A typical Bombard required 30-40 pounds of gunpowder per shot!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="aspqrz, post: 7250353, member: 19485"] [B][SIZE=3]An Explosive Matter ...[/SIZE][/B] Orbis Mundi 2 covers the period from the 11th century through to the 14th century (1001 to 1400) for several reasons, one of which is that it terminates before gunpowder weapons start to dominate the battlefield. Still, something like cannon started to appear as early as 1313 at Ghent and they were being used in the siege of Metz in 1324. [B][SIZE=2] Limitations of Gunpowder [/SIZE][/B] As most of you probably know, the earliest form of gunpowder was simply that, a powder - a mix of finely ground sulphur, saltpeter and charcoal. The problem with it was that it tended to separate, even if it was simply sitting in a barrel and, of course, much more quickly when transported any distance. The saltpeter tended to work its way to the bottom and the charcoal to the top, rendering the mix progressively useless. As a result, until the invention of corned powder (worked into small grains by mixing the powder with spirits of wine) in the late 15th century, gunpowder was mixed on the spot and normally only in the quantities actually needed. This was, of course, a dangerous procedure and it was common for artillerists to wear something to warn others they were up to dangerous activities ... so they normally wore something red to indicate this, and red remains a colour associated with artillery units in modern militaries. The other issue with early gunpowder was that the formula hadn't been perfected - modern optimal Black Powder mixes are 75% Saltpeter, 15% Charcoal and 10% Sulphur ... Roger Bacon's mix (1267) was 41.2/29.4/29.4 and by 1400 it was still 71/12.9/16.1, still suboptimal. Finally, early gunpowder was expensive ... 1 pound (Tournois) cost 10/- (Tournois) in 1370-80 and remained at that level well into the 15th century, dropping to 5/- by 1410-20 and 1/6 to 2/- by the end of the 15th century. A typical Bombard required 30-40 pounds of gunpowder per shot! [/QUOTE]
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