p-handgonnes-lnks Ð 12/10/04

A set of web links to information on medieval handgonnes, and related weapons by 
Dame Aoife Finn of Ynos Mon.

NOTE: See also the files: blackpowder-msg, firearms-msg, pottery-wepns-msg, 
siege-engines-msg, crossbow-FAQ, crossbows-msg, crossbows-lnks.

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NOTICE -

This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I  have 
collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date 
back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.

This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These 
files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org

I  have done  a limited amount  of  editing. Messages having to do  with 
separate topics  were sometimes split into different files and sometimes 
extraneous information was removed. For instance, the  message IDs  were removed 
to save space and remove clutter.

The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make  
no claims  as  to the accuracy  of  the information  given  by the individual 
authors.

Please  respect the time  and  efforts of  those who have written  these 
messages. The  copyright status  of these messages  is  unclear  at this time. 
If  information  is  published  from  these  messages, please give credit to the 
originator(s).

Thank you,
    Mark S. Harris                  AKA:  THLord Stefan li Rous
                                          Stefan at florilegium.org
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From: aoife at scatoday.net
Subject: [Aoife-Links] Links: Medieval Handgonnes and related weapons
Date: 	November 17, 2004 1:57:09 PM CST
To: aoife-links at scatoday.net

Greetings my faithful readers!

This week's Links List in on the subject of Medieval Handgonnes, Cannon,
Arquebus and Matchlokkes. There is much to learn about such weapons, but I
will beg you all to be extremely careful when doing so. History is littered
with examples of folk who thought they knew what they were doing with guns,
but didn't live to tell the tale. For example, please visit the link
provided in the list that is from the Darwin Awards website (and what I
believe to be their earliest story) to read about a man who thought he knew
how to build a cannon...in the Late Medieval era. Yes, guns and gun history
are fascinating. They are also dangerous weapons and should not be used by
those who are not trained to do so.

Remember folks, don't try this at home.

Cheers

Aoife

Handgonnes and Matchlocks: A preliminary Essay in the History of Firearms to
1500
http://homepages.ihug.com.au/~dispater/handgonnes.htm
(Site Excerpt) In 1132, fire lances are mentioned in historical records, in
1221, cast iron bombs, and in 1259, bamboo tubes containing powder and clay
pellets. True gunpowder only appeared in China in the Mongol period
(1260-1368) - this was confirmed by Blackmore's (1995) identification of a
cannon dated 1332 - so we are left at an impasse.

The Musket Drill copyright Mark Gist
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Mark_Gist/musket.htm
(Site Excerpt) The most common firearm during the first half of the 17th
century was the matchlock musket. Rather than striking a spark to light the
gunpowder, the musketeer carried a slow-burning piece of rope known as a
slow-match. This was held in the "serpentine". When the trigger was pulled,
the serpentine would move down, touching the burning end of the match to the
priming powder.

History, Safety, Care, and Feeding Of Period Guns by Dexter Gupthill Based
on a class by George Paczolt, medievally known as Justinian Syke
http://dguptill.home.mindspring.com/gunclass2.htm
(Site Excerpt) 14th Century: Earliest cannon, in 1326. An inventory in 1340
is the earliest reference to a portable firearm. By 1364, references to
handheld firearms become common. These were miniature cannon barrels, some
mounted on poles or handles, some simply built with a hook to fit over a
fortification's wall and soak up the recoil. First reference to these as
"handguns", 1386. Late fourteenth Century, slow-match - woven cord
impregnated with nitrates by boiling with gunpowder.

Matchlokkes
http://www.matchlock.net/
(Site Excerpt) "The strong tall and best persons to be pikes, the squarest
and broadest will be fit to carry muskets and the least and nimblest may be
turned over to the Harquebush". (Gervase Markham 1625) I usually collect
flint locks but recently I found a bargain match lock mechanism on eBay, and
then a restocked English Civil War barrel from Peter Dyson and these things
are addictive.

Arquebus and Matchlock Musket Page
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Campground/8551/
Information and resources for these weapons

Range weapons in the Armory of the Dukes of Burgundy
http://www.geocities.com/ulfberth/Leger3.htm

Gunpowder Weapons of the Late Fifteenth Century
http://www.xenophongroup.com/montjoie/gp_wpns.htm
(Site Excerpt) Gunpowder weapons were the 'leading edge' of technology in
the late medieval era. Gunpowder weapons took two forms: artillery, and
hand-held guns. The two systems were employed tactically in sieges and
battles, and in offense and defense operations. All forms of gunpowder
weapons relied on chemical and metal-working advancements of the time, and
their effective exploitation in warfare relied upon new thinking of the
military commanders.

Cannons--That Diabolic Instrument of War
Written by David Lazenby - Middelaldercentret ©1999
http://www.middelaldercentret.dk/english/cannon2.htm
(Site Excerpt) Following the previous two reconstruction projects, Leonardo
da Vinci’s Ornithopter and an early 15th century underwater diving suit, the
next proposal investigates warfare,  - "the mother of invention". Born in
the middle-ages and destined to change the face of tactics forever, the
invention of the firearm was to create a revolutionary impact on medieval
armies and the race for military superiority.

News in Science: Medieval Weapons of Mass Destruction
Abbie Thomas in Manchester
http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s943726.htm
(Site Excerpt) The medieval gunpowder was packed into a replica Loshult gun,
a small canon-like gun from Sweden which dates from the 14th Century. The
newly made medieval gunpowder was able to fire a lead ball as far as 945
metres (and reaching speeds up to 200 m per second), compared to a distance
of 1100 metres for the commercial gun powder. The old recipes called for
mixed powder to be 'stamped' - put under pressure - for at least 20 hours,
but preferably 30. But even with very little preparation time the team
achieved surprising results.

The Effects of Gunpowder on Medieval Society
© Jennie Seay 1995
Use without permission will result in a painful altercation with a catapult
http://www.delusionland.com/medieval/paper.html
(Site Excerpt) With the shot of the first cannon in the fourteenth century,
gunpowder became the instrument of chaotic change, tearing down the
calculated defenses of princes and kings and slaughtering the noble knight
in his shining armor.  Warfare was the core of political and social
revolution in the Middle Ages.  The bigger, better, more accurate weaponry
made possible by the mysterious combination of saltpeter, sulfur and
charcoal was a deciding factor in many key battles...

Medieval Technology pages: Cannon
This page is maintained and copyright by Paul J. Gans.
http://scholar.chem.nyu.edu/tekpages/cannon.html
(Site Excerpt) By 1350 Petrarch wrote "these instruments which discharge
balls of metal with most tremendous noise and flashes of fire...were a few
years ago very rare and were viewed with greatest astonishment and
admiration, but now they are become as common and familiar as any other
kinds of arms." [quoted from Cipolla 1965 p 22]

Cannon, development
http://www.hyw.com/Books/History/Cannon__.htm
(Site Excerpt)Cannon were getting larger and better in the 14th century, so
that pieces of more than 1,000 pounds were in existence by Du Guesclin's
death. There was one at Mons in 1375 which ran to 9,500 pounds. But such
monster guns were so immobile as to be practically worthless and so costly
as to practically beggar their owners. As a result, most cannon remained
fairly small.

Gunpowder
http://www.hyw.com/Books/History/gunpowde.htm
(Site Excerpt) Any blend of roughly equal proportions of sulphur and
charcoal with from 40% to 75% of potassium nitrate --saltpeter-- will flash
with considerable noise and may thus qualify to be called "gunpowder".
Precisely when the substance was invented remains obscure. Indeed, in view
of the fact that the ingredients had been known and in common use from
earliest times, it is surprising that gunpowder was not invented much sooner
than was actually the case. Incendiary and pyrotechnic mixtures with
military applications had been around since ancient times.

Cannon
http://www.hyw.com/Books/History/cannon.htm
(Site Excerpt) Then there is an item in the chronicles of Ghent in Belgium
for 1313 to the effect that one Berthold Schwartz, a friar from Breisgau in
Germany, had in that year invented "bussen," that is "guns"; but there are
several linguistic and stylistic oddities about the reference, which suggest
that it was probably inserted some centuries after the fact. It is only in
the 1320s that references to firearms begin to become reliable.

Social Impact of Cannon
http://www.hyw.com/Books/History/Cann0005.htm
(Site Excerpt) Artillerymen very early earned acceptance by the social order
in the most perfect of Medieval fashions. Guilds of gunners appeared fairly
early, replicating all the practices of the guilds which regulated and
guarded the secrets of less spectacular crafts. And they soon acquired a
patron saint of their own, St. Barbara, selected appropriately enough
because her martyrdom is alleged to have been avenged by a timely bolt of
lightning.

Darwin Awards: Urban Legend: A Medieval Tale
http://www.darwinawards.com/legends/legends2001-01.html
(Site Excerpt) During the night the people of Paks created the first wooden
cannon in history, ready for deployment. They towed it up a nearby hill, and
the entire village gathered around to watch the victory....

Mad Monk of Mitcham Home Page,
maintained by Andy Lubienski,
member of the Medieval Siege Society Ltd.
http://www.pomian.demon.co.uk/
(Site Excerpt) We are a group of enthusiasts of all ages - we even have
three generation family memberships - who have combined to re-enact the
conflicts & campaign life of the high medieval period, which covers the Wars
of the Roses and the Hundred Years' War (circa 1350-1490 though currently
the majority of members plump for the later end of this period). At present
we form the largest medieval re-enactment group in the UK.

High Beam Research: How Chickens Helped Fire Medieval Cannon
(Free Trial Membership required to read entire article)
http://www.highbeam.com/library/doc0.asp?docid=1G1:107585256&refid=ink_puballtne
ws&skeyword=&teaser=
(Site Excerpt) MEDIEVAL gunpowder packed more of a punch than scientists
thought, according to a project to recreate the explosive using dung pits,
foot stomping and wood ash.  Researchers at the Royal Armouries in Leeds
were astonished by the results of a 10-year collaboration with European
colleagues to recreate 14th century gunpowder recipes.

<the end>
Edited by Mark S. Harris	p-handgonnes-lnks	4 of 4