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Knowledge of gunpowder –how to produce and use it – spread throughout Europe between the thirteenth and seventeenth centuries. In that period, gunpowder outdated older weapons of warfare, such as the battle-ax, bow and arrow, sword, and pikes. With the use of gunpowder, charges could be shot from cannons, shotguns, rifles, and pistols (Wilkinson 8) . During the time of European expansion, gunpowder was an important supply carried by explorers and colonizers. It helped protect the Europeans from hostile native people, made conquest of new lands possible, and made it possible for settlers to obtain wild game and birds for food (Wilkinson 9). Gunpowder played an important role in the downfall of feudalism in medieval Europe. There were many reasons for this. It increased the power of artillery, which made the lord’s power a thing of the past. After the invention of gunpowder, the feudal lord was no longer superior to the citizen. His armament and sword couldn’t protect him because the most ordinary man could now shoot him off his saddle with a gun (Hans 168). It destroyed the structure of the feudal system by bringing the downfall of knights. “By punching through the knight’s armor and demolishing the lord’s castle, gunpowder brought an end to the Middle Ages and paved the way for the Renaissance” (Seay). Because warfare was closely linked to the political and social structure of the Middle Ages, the social structure of entire countries was altered by gunpowder.
Approximate Word count = 892
Approximate Pages = 3.6
(250 words per page double spaced)
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