Course:History 344 Nasty Families/Warfare/Firearms
Gunpowder Weapons
In the mid to late 16th Century and early 17th Century there was a shift in tactics in war. There was less of an emphasis on the cavalry and edged weapons; instead, the focus shifted to guns. At this time all of their guns would have used gunpowder.[1] Gun Powder weapons had been around England since the middle of the 14th Century. The main issue in England surrounding gunpowder right from the start was that the Crown never fully controlled it. Although most of the Kings in England tried to, other Noblemen is England also had stockpiles of weapons, including Richard, the Duke of York in the mid-15th Century, who used them in multiple military battles against English Royalist Forces.[2] By the middle of the 15th Century, gunpowder weaponry was uncommon in England and would not reappear until the 16th Century.[3] The main issue with the Kings not having sole control over gunpowder weapons in England appeared evident in the Gunpowder Plot. If one knew who to talk to, it was not overly difficult to purchase gunpowder in England. Throughout much of the 15th Century, there were many battles, either against the King or that never involved the King, where large amounts of gunpowder weaponry were used.[4] Gunpowder Weaponry was used in the War of the Roses, which would eventually lead to the establishment of the Tudor Dynasty.
- ↑ Manning, Roger B, “Styles of Command in Seventeenth-Century English Armies,” Journal of Military History, Vol. 71 (Jul 2007), p671-699,
- ↑ DeVries, K. 1998. "Gunpowder Weaponry and the Rise of the Early Modern State." War In History 5, no. 2 (April 1998): 127-145.
- ↑ Ibid., 127-145.
- ↑ Ibid., 127-145.
BN: This could be the start of a lengthy page on the use of firearms.