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Early Gunpowder (Spread to Europe)

Type Object Region Europe Time c. 1260–1350

After the gunpowder formula reached Europe via Mongol conquests and trade networks, early military applications were recorded in Italy, Iberia, and e…

Timeline

  1. c. 1300–1305Eastern Mediterranean · Eastern MediterraneanThrough the Crusades and Eastern trade, knowledge of the saltpeter-sulfur-charcoal mixture spread across the Mediterranean world, and European alchemists and artisans began recording and experimenting with gunpowder proportions.
  2. c. 1308–1310Iberian Peninsula · IberiaEarly records appear in parts of Iberia and Italy of using gunpowder-throwing devices to attack fortresses; the devices were cumbersome and of limited range, but already showed gunpowder's potential in siege warfare.

Sources