Weapons and Warfare in Renaissance Europe: Gunpowder, Technology, and Tactics (Johns Hopkins Studies in the History of Technology) [Hardcover]

Professor Bert S. Hall (Author)

Book Description

Series: Johns Hopkins Studies in the History of Technology | Publication Date: May 12, 1997

Weapons and Warfare in Renaissance Europe explores the history of gunpowder in Europe from the thirteenth century, when it was first imported from China, to the sixteenth century, as firearms became central to the conduct of war. Bridging the fields of military history and the history of technology -- and challenging past assumptions about Europe's "gunpowder revolution" -- Hall discovers a complex and fascinating story. Military inventors faced a host of challenges, he finds, from Europe's lack of naturally occurring saltpeter -- one of gunpowder's major components -- to the limitations of smooth-bore firearms. Manufacturing cheap, reliable gunpowder proved a difficult feat, as did making firearms that had reasonably predictable performance characteristics. Hall details the efforts of armorers across Europe as they experimented with a variety of gunpowder recipes and gunsmithing techniques, and he examines the integration of new weapons into the existing structure of European warfare.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Francis Bacon, writing in 1620, remarked that the magnetic compass, the printing press, and gunpowder changed the appearance and state of the whole world. Bert S. Hall focuses closely on the last innovation to examine the effects of changes in military technology on European history in the late Middle Ages and early modern era. Strategists, he writes, first used guns as a means of inducing panic in an enemy. When rival armies gained access to this technology, the psychological use of firearms gave way to their employment as weapons of mass destruction. With increased military power came a transformation in the power of states, allowing greater centralization and force. Military history buffs will find much of interest in these pages.

Review

"Hall has long been recognized as a leading authority on early modern military technology. Scholars of the period and historians in general will find this the best treatment to date of the impact of gunpowder on Western Europe during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries." -- History: Reviews of New Books

"Combines a good grasp of military history with an understanding of the history of technology... Hall manages to integrate his technical discussion into a refreshing reinterpretation of general military history in the period, and his book is an engrossing read." -- American Historical Review

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press (May 12, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801855314
• ISBN-13: 978-0801855313
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,004,927 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Original thinking and excellent scholarship., January 29, 2003

By 

E. A. Hunter "Jenesseeted" (Bloomfield, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Weapons and Warfare in Renaissance Europe: Gunpowder, Technology, and Tactics (Johns Hopkins Studies in the History of Technology) (Paperback)

It didn't take long for me to be pleasantly surprised at the high level of scholarship and clearly presented facts, the sort of writing all too often lacking from this area of history. As the author notes, many technology historians, military historians, and arms and armor writers propagate continuing myths and assumptions that can't be supported when the facts are examined closely. Here, Hall does the topic justice and it is clear he did his homework. The chapter discussing the technology of gunpowder was especially interesting, and supports his case for the reasons firearms developed as they did. I recommend a trip to the Metropolitan Museum in New York to have a look at their firearms, where many aspects of his discussion will further illuminate the items on display.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent combination of technology, society and tactics, October 6, 1998

By 

James D Cobb (Madison, WI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Weapons and Warfare in Renaissance Europe: Gunpowder, Technology, and Tactics (Johns Hopkins Studies in the History of Technology) (Hardcover)

More than miltary buffs should read this book. Hall intertwines facets of technology and society to clarify how each can affect the other. Gunpowder did not sweep away the Middle Ages; the thought of the Middle Ages and Renaissance molded how and why gunpowder would be used. Hall makes the point that a new techology such as gunpowder does not dominate progress but is rather only an ingredient in a very complicated mix of elements.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The title should be: Gunpowder in Renaissance Land Warfare!, January 31, 1999

By 

M. Ramos "macoram" (Funchal, Madeira Island Portugal) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Weapons and Warfare in Renaissance Europe: Gunpowder, Technology, and Tactics (Johns Hopkins Studies in the History of Technology) (Hardcover)

This book presents a serious, unbiased and well documented view on gunpowder-technology origins and evolution and its real significance in medieval and Renaissance land warfare. However, only the projectile weapons have a good coverage, and warfare (and use of gunpowder) at sea is almost totally forgotten! If its title reflected its contents this book would get SIX stars from me.