The Cannon In Late-Medieval Europe
The Cannon In Late-Medieval Europe
Warfare in Late-Medieval Europe went through some drastic changes with the introduction of gunpowder from China. The first military uses of gunpowder in Europe were in the form of hand-bombs, rockets, the mine, and petard. These devices augmented the traditional offensive and defensive siege tactics of the time. However, the device that became the most useful, and widely used, was the cannon. Invented by Europeans in the 14th Century, the cannons rise to prominence was an evolutionary one, born out of the prevalence of war. The cannon soon revolutionized warfare in Late-Medieval Europe and affected everyone from the commoner to the king.
As cannons gained popularity with lords and kings as a tool of war, the men that fired and took care of the cannons gained experience and expertise. These men became known as artillerists, or artillerymen. Knowing how to fire a cannon so that it would have the desired effect without wounding or killing any friendly troops or yourself, became a sought after and marketable skill. Soon there were artillerymen guilds that guarded and regulated the secrets of this new profession. Artillerymen even had a holiday, St. Barbara's Day, 4 December, named after the artillerymen's patron saint. This holiday became an occasion on which the artillerymen's guild engaged in great festivities. Early on, the artillerymen gained acceptance by the aristocracy even though most artillerymen were of commoner background. However, it was upsetting to the chivalrous how unchivalrous artillerymen and cannon warfare seemed to be, striking down the chivalrous and commoner with the same ease and lack of respect. Warfare had just become a little more brutal, and expensive. It soon became clear to the aristocracy that good artillerymen had to be paid a good wage, typically 10 ducats a day. They also realized that cannon warfare was not for the financially weak.
Lesser lords that could not afford cannons, or the expense of upgrading their defenses to withstand cannon fire, had to align themselves with the ruling aristocracy, or be faced with the very real threat of cannons outside their gates. In the 1340s, a mid sized iron cannon of about 300 pounds, capable of firing a two to three pound projectile, cost around 1,800 ducats. Artillerymen to fire the cannon cost 10 ducats a day each, gunpowder was 35-40 ducats a pound, and handmade stone projectiles ran 20 ducats each. Upgrading ones castle to...