6. The Gunpowder Revolution
Gunpowder revolutionized warfare, but not overnight. It took centuries before gunpowder weapons, first used in the fourteenth century, came to dominate warfare in the sixteenth century. Cannons were the first to leave their mark in the late fifteenth century. Charles VIII of France invaded Italy in 1494, and used mobile artillery to breach numerous castle walls. Firearms, held back by their slow rate of fire, took longer. Enter Gonzalo Fernandez de Cordoba (1453 – 1515), a Spanish general known as “El Gran Capitan” (Great Captain). He innovated tactics that enabled firearms to dominate battlefields ever since. Firearms had been used for centuries before Cordoba, but infantry armed with such weapons were handicapped by the length of time needed to reload. After discharging, firearms took so long to reload that cavalry, or even swift footed infantry, could close in and chop up firearms users before they managed to get off another shot.
