The History and Chronology of Gunpowder and Gunpowder Weapons (c.1000 to 1850) : Henry Pratap Phillips : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive (2024)

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Henry Pratap Phillips

Gunpowder has been considered as one of the most
important discoveries made by man after the wheel. Interestingly, the
origin of gunpowder is still shrouded in uncertainty. Nobody can
definitely say who actually invented gunpowder and when. Common belief
has it that gunpowder was invented in China and then came to India via
the Silk Route. Studies done by the author show that gunpowder was
actually invented in India went to China via the trade routes, from
where it was showcased to World. With gunpowder, came the development of
weapons, which changed the course of wars and changed the very course
of history. An analysis of various weapons, their development and
chronology has been systematically discussed. It covers the time period
from 1000 AD to 1850 AD. The end period, 1850 AD, has been chosen as the
cutoff date since percussion weapons came into vogue after that period
and are well-documented in history. The start date, 1000 AD, is chosen
on purpose to give a small margin to encompass any aberrations in
discovery of gunpowder. The author sincerely hoped that this work would
form a platform from which other studies/ research could be conducted by
future arms historians