Just a word of warning: the spread of gunpowder is a very complicated and controversial subject. If you have any questions about this video, please don't hesitate to ask.
Ollie Bye oh okay but what kind of musket had the minie balls and I am surprised no shotguns or revolvers like the famous colt revolver and the famous Spencer repeating riffles
@@chasemurraychristopherdola7108 Those are individual models. The examples I was showing were supposed to be more general innovations in technology. Also, most of the guns you've mentioned didn't use gunpowder AFAIK.
I don’t know much about the history and spread of gunpowder but visuals within this video are beautiful. Are you still planning to make a video on the spread of writing scripts?
Dominic Guye I wouldn’t say “thanks” They brought over to Europe yet another weapon for the continent to use againsts itself... they brought Europe a new weapon to kill itself with in other words.... And it wasn’t just Europe as this video shows.... besides all of that... They also brought the Plague! Btw: I know “thanks” in this context is just stating why it particularly spread in the silk road.... but I’m bored and thus I made this comment
If they had of kept developing it secretly, they could've easily ruled the world by now. Perhaps just about everyone who isn't Chinese should be somewhat thankful to the Mongol Empire (Edit~ You can be somewhat thankful for one reason, yet detest for many others obviously)
@@lucidx2907 for slaughtering so many people that the global population decreased, bringing the deadliest plague of all time and permanently ruining Asia?
@@thecount1374 Some people use gunpowder by choice for muzzleloaders or cannons. For all practical purposes there are more efficient smokeless powders for the job.
The Europeans had the advantage of being numerous separate kingdoms. This spurred innovation in weaponry as they did not trust each other. China, on the other hand, was unified for the majority of its history during this period and actually banned the development of firearms to maintain political stability.
If China, specially the Qing oppened itself to the world and actually worked on its massive potential and many big minds that lived there (in the 19th century they had like 300m ppl. For comparasion the Bri'ish Empire in totality had 400m; that by owning 20% of Earth's land AND India). So they had a lot of intelligence hidden. We could see a much more developed, democratic and powerful State that would be competing even more closely to America than today's is. Or even surpassing any power actually
That is why Europe advanced itself more than other areas like India and China, which were relatively unified and/or had a large population of quite "happy farmers". Europe was cold... farming did not produce all the goods they needed. Hunting was now viewed as uncivilized, so you only can trade if not farm, or provide expertise in architecture and making better household things like clocks. And you have so much coal, that why not industrialize and get ahead from the rest of the world? That's why the West went through a **great divergence** from the rest of the world.
Also, the political divisions resulted from the geography of Europe (not so flat and as much fertile as China and India). That's why when new, more powerful rulers came to dominate, they accepted their traditions and culture.
@@arta.xshaca This trend is further supported by the times places in Asia were not at peace. During periods of high intensity warfare China was faster than usual to innovate with gunpowder weapons - the Song dynasty was the obvious example as they weaponized it first and tried all sorts of applications against the Jin and Mongols. The late Ming are another, they adopted and copied European artillery designs and even studied the newer star forts. The late Ming also occurred alongside Sengoku Japan, which while lacking in artillery mass produced matchlocks as soon as the technology spread to them.
@@learningthroughpain.7215 Turkey and Ottoman can be used Interchangeably as Britishers and French people used to call it Turkey Historically rather than the Ottoman Empire.
Most soldiers in Medieval age Europe are either elite or mercenaries, only until when Napoleon drafted peasants into the army, but still, until WWI is when all people are truly drafted.
As always impeccable and extraordinary work, dear Ollie! Excellent! One aspect of this video that really thrills me is the fact that, although gunpowder was invented in China and thence spread to the rest of the Eurasian supercontinent, Chinese inventions were rapidly superseded by Middle Eastern and, especially, European inventions and upgrades onto the original prototypes imported from China! This may help explain, I think, why the Chinese and Indian empires stagnated and finally succumbed in the course of 15th-19th centuries to the ascending Western colonial empires. This is further depicted by the fact that a) since c. 1400 no further inventions were produced by the Chinese and b) that by 1500 suddenly all red icons disappear from the map and with minimal exceptions there is a balance until c. 1600 between European and Middle Eastern inventions/icons, when the maps turns overwhelmingly blue. Thank you again Ollie for the good and hard work you put into each and every video you prepare for all of us!
Yeah, China never really had much of a reason to invent new weapons though since they weren't at war that often during that period. Europe and the Middle East had a lot of wars tho so it makes sense that they'd innovate more often so they can 1 up the enemy, and it also kinda meant that the Europeans did all the innovating for the Asians so they didn't really need to do it
My favorite thing to take away from this is that in the attempt to find the elixir or immortality, instead, they found a substance that causes even greater death. It's pretty ironic if you think about it.
Europe was always at war. That contributed greatly to their fast invention speed. China however, was always united as one and never had a true opponent. Which is why they weren't interested in invention. Complacency cause decline. And also the Manchurian Qing dynasty administration(from 17th century to 20th century)was pretty bad. They suppressed innovation and banned imported technologies because they feared their rule would be overthrown by the Han majority.
@@orz.4805 Actually the first century and a half of Qing rule was pretty good with Kangxi, his son and the early half of his grandson's reigns marking a high point in both the dynasty and Chinese history as a whole. Kangxi especially was initially very welcoming of foreigners and even tried to start a dialogue with the Pope but the latter insulted him , thus cooling his enthusiasm towards them.
Original video, great as always! I am not a specialist of the period, but I think the bombard arrived earlier in Western Europe than you put it, the French Kings from Charles VII used them in the later years of the Hundred Years War, they were one element of their victory.
no, i dont think so, but this is a video in a similar style to this one, its about buildings: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0MobSmVpvTM.html
against the natives of africa of course and indian ocean and americas . that innovation the european did didnt have the same fire power of the guns used by the "Gunpowder Empires" the blue guns were more reliable but not as deadly as the many variants of the orange guns . the east also had its own ressources and innovations and tricks . reason why the east and north africa wont totally be submitted until the industrial revolution or post ww1 and why all french and portuguese and spanish and italian invasions against north africa prior to the 19th century failed miserably or had a very limited success . take for example The Battle of Alcácer Quibir where the morrocans were reportedly more deadly and accurate using their guns and canons than the portuguese and german mercs and their so called advanced innovated western guns after what some peoples say here . this video doesnt really prove any superiority of one side over the other except the superiority against the natives of central africa and indian ocean and the new world but those didnt even know what horses are so what are you even try to prove ? you pride seekers better go look for something else to satisfy your arrogance .
Hello, I was just wondering why you didn't put anything in the Philippines at all. Somewhere in 1530s, The first cannon blacksmith native to the Philippines learned how to cast cannons from the Portuguese. He was comissioned Rajah Sulayman, the 14th Rajah of the Kingdom of Maynila. The palisades were then surrounded by the cannons Panday Pira created. It was also believed that Rajah Sulayman had a 16 feet cannon near his house. Moreover, ancient Filipino fleets were armed by what is called "lantakan", a hand cannon used by many malay kingdoms. When the Spanish came in 1570s, they conquered Manila and looted the cannons. The Spaniards used the natives to build a large fortress called Intramuros, and since they lack a blacksmith with them, Panday Pira was commissioned to cast the cannons that will protect the Intramuros. During the Filipino revolution against Spain cannons were also heavily used by the Filipinos. During the Siege of Baler, the Filipinos bombarded a church stationed by several Spanish soldiers. The Filipinos later won, taking much of the archipelago except Manila. In 1898, cannons were also used by the Filipinos in the Philippine-American War.
Regions where gunpowder was being used are lighted up. If you notice, the Philippines start being lighted around 1450, which is when the use of gunpowder first started spreading in the islands. Only the symbol is missing. Still, where the symbols are is bit misleading: for example the matchlock musket (invented in Turkey and first used by the Janissary corps of the Ottoman Empire) is missing from Turkey itself.
olodemolo MCAroon Yes but Europe played a big role too. Did you know the Russian Empire sent two fleets to help blockade the southern ports for the union? Britain and France gave the confederacy weapons and supported the confederacy and Russia and Switzerland was on the Union’s side.
The iron cased rocket developed by the Kingdom of Mysore was probably the first missile. In a battle against the British, one of these bad boys blew up a British weapons cache 2 miles away from the front, forcing the British to retreat. The British then took these back to Britain and reverse engineered them to create the Congreve rockets which would eventually lead to them winning against Mysore after 2 war defeats.
Muslims from Manila and Sulu in the Philippines were already using lantakas (swivel canon) and long canon even before the Spaniards came (1500s) mainly thanks to Sultanate of Brunei. I guess the lack of dark area after 1450s symbolizes that.
Great video, but if you mention specific priming mechanisms, why aren't things such as rifling and the modern breach used? As far as I'm aware, gunpowder did not really go away until the 1880s, but there were plenty of gun technologies that predated that point.
Agreed. Even the famous western Gatling Gun, Colt Single Action Army, and most lever action repeating rifles were all in black powder. Seems odd to exclude the ridiculous advancements in firearms technology that occurred during the industrial revolution before the invention of smokeless powder. Might have been a time constraint though, as so many inventions happened so quickly during that period
This a good video. Another weapon(s) you could have noted on the timeline was the invention of the rifled musket and/or the first breechloading firearms. Also, smokeless powder wasn't created until 1886, so the timeline should have maybe run from 800 to the 1880s.
yeah I noticed that, chinese and middle east introduce their weapons to europe for the first time. Europeans start using it and after a time design their own improved gunpowder weapons which results in the rest of the also adopting european weapons. Kinda ironic in a way.
wrong . only the mecanisme of the gun was advanced in europe . but from north africa to eastern persia they had the better fire power . they werent nicknamed the gods of powder or the gun powder empires just for fun . rennaissance made europe only equal to the golden age of the east and the west wont really surpass the east until the 19th century with the industrial revolution .
Really interesting how gunpowder arrived later in Europa, but developed very quickly from the 1400s onwards, surpassing all the countries where the gunpowder was coming from. I wonder why
War, one example is china, Ming dynasty stayed place for 300 years with only few major wars, and there is much less motivation for weapons development then Europe
Gunpowder is the name for a mixture of sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate (or saltpeter). It produces a lot of smoke and after a couple of shots the barrel becomes very dirty. At the end of the 19th century smokeless powder was invented. This uses other ingredients and burns much faster,, propelling bullets at double the speed compared to bullets fired from old gunpowder weapons, or even faster. So modern firearms can use much smaller and lighter bullets while still delivering enough kinetic energy.
Ottoman empire colonising literally whole middle east, Northern Africa, Arabia, Balkans, far in Persia and Afganistan: *Am I a joke to you?* But its about developing and researching better variants. Even in Stone age idea of using stones as tools and weapons spread wide. But those who realized to attach stone on end of a stick became far more superior.
because we didn't have necessity like Europe , Europe constantly fought wars and then invent to get ahead of their neighbors , while most of India was already under one rule during 1600s-1800s
@@takshashila2995 the chinese invented a lot of stuff but they really sucked at implementing and improving their own designs, this is why the rest of the world adopted European designs not Chinese. The printing press techniques that got adopted all over the world were the european ones not the chinese.
@@michahunicz1741 The Ottomans supplied gunpowder technology to the Kanem-Bornu State; that's what was being depicted there. I got the information from someone who speicialises in African history.
Only problem I have with the video is that you skip out on percussion and early carriage firearms that existed before the widespread introduction of smokeless powder in the 1880’s/1890’s. Other than that good job!
Hello, Ollie. I'm currently working on a mapping project myself, which is heavily influenced on your most recent "History of the World" video. Before I end up presenting my project onto the inter-webs, I'd like to check with you if everything I'm doing is okay. Albeit, what I've actually pulled from your work is arguably insignificant, but I think it's still enough to require your permission. (just for the sake of being polite, lol). Thanks!
Arolema Prarath, to be completely honest, so far I haven't compiled together any videos. I've just made a WHOLE lot of images, like tons. I make my maps on a free "photoshop" program, called GIMP. I plan to take the hundreds of images I've made to create mapping videos; essentially put together the images in a "slideshow." I haven't found a program to put together any "slideshow" as of yet, but I know there's plenty out there. I'd like something easy to use, practical, and relatively cheap. That'd be ideal for me.
You did miss one final invention. The cap lock. Gun powder would be in use until the mid 1880s but even before then brass cartridges were being used which weren’t much different than what we have now
Good old europians, the peoples of tinkering, they dont invent gunpoweder or cannons but they study them and modify them so that everyone eleses becomes obselite.
It was brought to Europe through Spain by Muslims at that time half of Spain was under Muslim rule. It was the Muslim scientist who first inproved the gunpowder Hasan Al Rammah.
@@themorebike880 Iraq never attacked Syria in WW II , that was 1941 Anglo Iraqi war in Iraq because military overthrown the monarch , Syria has nothing to do with it .
Because the Mongol Empire conquered everything at the time, it wouldn't care if the technology was spread within the empire. When empires collapse, technology inevitably spreads.
Liked it before starting. What started out from China as an experiment, ended up becoming the very thing China lagged really behind. Chinese were still using small cannons, when Europeans werw using field guns. I liked the Ottomans coz their entire arsenal was Middle Eastern. Bombards of Egypt, Rockets from Syria, and Matchlocks from Turkey.
The Qing Dynasty had muskets and artillery, but its technology was two hundred years ago. Its emperor forbade Han craftsmen from mastering these techniques, let alone developing them.
You guys dont know how accurate this video is.. i read some esoteric source at the ottomans transporting gunpowder to Somalia in the mid 1500s and there it is
@@JohnDoe-bh2lp Lol source: Andrew tates hair. Somalia wasn't an ottoman puppet, it was a regional power which the Portuguese tried to invade (we beat them) and one of the few muslim players in the region the ottomans helped us counteract them and also annex ethiopia, racist boy
What is the system on which you chose inventions to show us? You show various muskets, varios cannons and other pieces of artillery. But you don't emphasize rifled muskets (rifles), or other determinating milestons of firearms history such as the revolver or the Gatling gun.
@@baneofbanes firearms include types of guns that you hold in your hand, not necessarily use gunpowder, gunpowder weapons are weapons that use gunpowder as an offense method or as fuel, not necessarily firearms
Hữu Vân Nguyễn Faye enough, alright I would argue that if it’s a gun but doesn’t use some variant of combustible powder as a propellant it’s not a firearm.
@@baneofbanes But this video is specifically about gunpowder, or black powder, not any other type of powder, so this means any weapons that don't use black powder are not counted. Furthermore, a firearm can still use gas pressurization for example modern guns. Remember that firearms are guns that can be carried and used by an individual, not limit on any type of mechanics.
It's worth noting that Flintlock rifles are still used in warfare today, most notably with the Dane guns in West Africa used by militias and bandit groups in Nigeria and Cameroon. But there are instances of flintlock rifles being used all around the world usually by groups that can't afford or make modern firearms and bullets like poachers or local militias
It's missing the Turkish Great Bombard from 1450s, a massive metallurgy enhancement over old Bombards, that ended the Roman-Byzantine Empire, transformed siege, and wrapped up the Middle Ages forever
Because those areas are more peace and stable than broken Europe at that time. Just like World War 2, the weapons of 1945 were already much more developed than they were in 1939.
Because Europe was in dark ages, constantly fighting each other. China was a giant behemoth that had no rival or competition in the old days, so they were complacent and never had a need to improve on firearms. They were prosperous exporting silk, tea, and porcelain to all over the world. Industry was more important than wars.
Hey, the mongols might have known gunpowder weapons and introduced them to Europe. It is thought, that they might have used some gunpowder weapons (the red ones form the vid) in the battle of Mohi 1241 to light the enemy camp.
