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Gunpowder and Arab Firearms in Middle Ages

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Gunpowder and Arab Firearms in Middle Ages Gladius, VI (1967), pp. 45-58 A. Rahman Zaky ISSN 0435-029X GUNPOWDERGUNPOWDER ANDAND ARABARAB FIREARMSFIREARMS ININ MIDDLEMIDDLE AGESAGES BYBY A.A. RAHMANRAHMAN ZAKYZAKY GUNPOWDERGUNPOWDER (BARUD)(BARUD) THERETHERE isis nono certaintycertainty asas toto thethe actualactual datedate ofof thethe inventioninvention ofof gun­gun- powder.powder. TheThe evidenceevidence thatthat thethe ChineseChinese possessedpossessed itit inin ancientancient timestimes isis notnot conclusive.conclusive. AmongAmong thethe claimantsclaimants ofof discoveringdiscovering gunpowdergunpowder areare Chinese,Chinese. Indians,Indians. Greeks,Greeks. Arabs,Arabs.z EnglishEnglish" andand Germans.Germans. WhoWho firstfirst thoughtthought ofof propellingpropelling aa ballball throughthrough aa metalmetal tubetube by explodingexploding gun­gun- powderpowder isis unknown; anyhow;anyhow; itit certainlycertainly 'waswas notnot MonkMonk BertholdBerthold Schwartz.Schwartz. IsIs therethere anyany probability thatthat RogerRoger BaconBacon (c.(c. 1214-1292)1214-1292) waswas thethe discovererdiscoverer ofof gunpowder?gunpowder? HisHis formulaformula waswas hiddenhidden awayaway inin crypticcryptic writingswritings onlyonly recentlyrecently solved.solved. RearrangingRearranging thethe lettersletters ofof hishis strangestrange words,words, wewe get:get: «take<(take77 partsparts ofof saltpetre,saltpetre, 55 ofof young hazelwoodhazelwood (charcoal),(charcoal), andand 55 ofof sulphur».sulphur>>. ThoughThough BaconBacon suggestssuggests thatthat byby meansmeans ofof thisthis explosiveexplosive mixturemixture anan enemy'senemy's armyarmy «might<(might be eithereither blownblown upup bodilybodily oror putput toto flightflight by thethe terrorterror causedcaused byby thethe explosion»,explosion>>,therethere isis nothingnothing inin hishis writingswritings toto leadlead usus toto supposesuppose thatthat hehe everever contemplatedcontemplated usingusing itit asas itit isis inin firearms.firearms.'1 AlmostAlmost atat thethe samesame time,time, anan arabarab AI-HassanAl-Hassan al-Rammahal-Rammah (f1.(fl. c.c. 1275-95)1275-95)wrote mote aa militarymilitary treatisetreatise inin whichwhich hehe clearlyclearly indicatedindicated thatthat saltpetresaltpetre waswas thethe primaryprimary substancesubstance forfor pyrotechnicpyrotechnic com­com- positions, andand describeddescribed carefullycarefully how itit waswas separatedseparated fromfrom otherother saltssalts byby solutionsolution andand repeatedrepeated crystallization.crystallization. ContemporaryContemporary alsoalso isis thethe bookbook ofof FiresFires forfor thethe BurningBurning ofof EnemiesEnemies by MarcusMarcus GraecusGraecus 2 (f1.(fl. c.c. 1300).1300). AsAs toto China,China, thethe earliestearliest evidenceevidence forfor thethe manufacture ofof saltpetresaltpetre isis inin thethe ChineseChinese recordsrecords before A. D.D. 1200.1200. TheThe AndalusianAndalusian IbnIbn aI-Bayal-Baytartar (d.(d. 1248)1248) mentions itit asas «Chinese<(Chinesesnow». snow)>. ItIt seemsseems thatthat thethe ChineseChinese have mademade use ofof theirtheir discoverydiscovery chieflychiefly forfor manufacturing fireworks.fireworks. TheThe Arabs,Arabs, thanksthanks toto theirtheir communicationcommunication withwith ChinaChina sincesince thethe tenthtenth centurycentury oror before,before, werewere notnot longlong beforebefore theythey learntlearnt thethe artart ofof makingmaking gunpowder;gunpowder; and,and, asas itit wouldwould seem,seem, atat firstfirst theythey mademade objectsobjects suchsuch asas I' J.J. F.F. C.C. FULLER:FULLER:ArmamentA~marnent andand History,Hzstovy, NewNew YorkYork 1945,1945, p. 79.79. SeeSee also:also: W.M. 1.L. HIME:HIME.TheThe OriginOrtgzn ofof Artillery,Avtzllevy, 1915,1915, pp.pp. 112-113;112-113; alsoalso hishis GunpowderGunpowder andand Ammunition,Arnrnunztzon, 1904,1904, p.p. 142.142. 2 SeeSee later.later. 45 Digitalizado por InterClassica Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas http://interclassica.um.es http://gladius.revistas.csic.es Gladius, VI (1967), pp. 45-58 A. Rahman Zaky ISSN 0435-029X crackers, which would explode in a case. From such a use of powder as this, to putting it withwith a projectile into a tube for the purpose of discharging the projectile, a very long stepstep had to be taken.taken.33 It was by the Arabs, that this stepstep waswas taken, and thus with justice, they may claim to have performed an important part in the invention of the can­can- non at least as the Chinese themselves: The earliest indication of FIG.FIG I.-Earliestl -Earltest typetype ofof aa cannon.cannon FromFrom thethe ms.ms ofof WALTERWALTEROFOF MILLEMETE:MILLEMCTE.De nobilitatihusnobzlztatzbus sapientiissapzentzzs etet prudenciisprudenczzs regum,regum, fromfrom aboutabout 1326-271326-27 (Library(Library ofof ChristChrist ChurchChurch CoiL,Coll, Oxford,Oxford, n.On: 92,92, fol. 70').70'). R,l?. {I1/49Lj g cannoncannon inin ChinaChina isis extantextant examplesexamples clearlyclearly dateddated 1356,1356, 1357,1357, andand 1377.1377.44 TheThe firstfirst pictorial evidenceevidence ofof aa cannoncannon inin EnglandEngland isis foundfound inin thethe Mille­Mille- mete manuscript ofof 13271327 portrayingportraying anan armouredarmoured knightknight touchingtouching thethe linstocklinstock toto aa crude,crude, vase-shaped piecepiece loadedloaded withwith aa stoutstout featheredfeathered bolt 5 (Fig.(Fig. 1).1). ,' CIIARLESCEIARLESBOUTELL:BOUTELL: ArmsArms andand Armour,Armour, pp.pp. 216-217.216-217. , L.L. C.C. GOODRICH:GOODRICH:NoteNote onon fewfew earlyearly ChineseCbznese bombards,bombards, «!sis»,<(Isis)>,XXXV (1944),(1944), 211,211, figs.figs. 11 andand 2;2; ibid.,zbid, XXXVI (1946),(1946), 122,122, n.n. 27,27, 120,251.120, 251. S ChristChrist Church,Church, OxfordOxford Ms.Ms. ofof WALTERWALTEROFOF MILLEMETE:MILLEMETE:DeDe OfficiisOfficzzs regum,regum, foL€01. 70.70. ColonelColonel RimeHime offersoffers historicalhistorical evidenceevidence toto showshow thatthat gunsguns withwith powderpowder werewere importedimported intointo EnglandEngland fromfrom GhentGhent inin 13141314 (?).(?). AtAt anyany rate,rate, thethe newnew weaponweapon soonsoon spreadspread throughoutthroughout westernwestern Europe,Europe, sincesince bombards areare mentionedmentioned inin thethe accountaccount ofof aa siegesiege ofof Metz inin 13241324 andand inin aa FlorentineFlorentine documentdocument ofof 1326.1326. 46 Digitalizado por InterClassica Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas http://interclassica.um.es http://gladius.revistas.csic.es Gladius, VI (1967), pp. 45-58 A. Rahman Zaky ISSN 0435-029X There is not enough evidence of the use of cannon in India u~rduntil the fourteenth century and the beginning of 15th century, when they were very common in the Daccan States. The reason was that these states were in contact by sea with Arabia, Iran and Turkey, from which they received artillery and engineers. It is said that Sultan Mahmoud Shah Bahmani installed a firearms factory in 1365. Sultan Mahmoud BaykaraBaykarB with the help of Turkish gunners sank with his guns a Portu­Portu- gese ship at Diu in 1509. Bahdur Shah of Gudjarat excelled his contem­contem- poraries in Artillery; his master gunner, Rumi Khan, cast many cannons. BARUD (GUNPOWDER) Perhaps the first word used by thethe Arabic-speaking peoples to denote the new saltpetre-containing powder, a word of universal ap­ap- plication, was «dawa»ctdawb (remedy), medicament, or drug. It Waswas in fact the term used by Hassan al-Rammahal-Rammiih (d. circa 1295), to denote the mixture used to fill the «midfa»<(midfa)>(gun): 10 parts of «barud»,ttbarud,, 2 of char­char- coal, and 1.5 of sulphur. The form of the word «barud»ttbarud), appears for the first time twice in the Djami' of Ibn aI-Bayal-Baytartar (d. 1248),61248); which is the foremost Arabic and medieval treatise of its kind. It is stated there that abarud);.«barud» is the name given in the Maghrib by the common people and physicians to the <<snow«snow of China»China), or «saltpetre».ttsaltpetre)>. Again, for Ibn al-Kutubi (£1.(fl. about 1310), «barud»ctbarud,, only meant saltpetre. From the mention of «barud»ctbarud), in Ibn ai-Bayal-Baytar,tar, Romocki concluded that saltpetre first came to the Arabs from China in c. 1225-50, and the Arabs then passed on the knowledge of it to Europe, where it was known to Roger Bacon in 1248.1248.77 AlXJmariAl:Umari (d. c. 1348) in his «Ta'rif»ctTa'rif)> twice uses the word «barud».ctbarud)>. In one instance, he is talking about a substance incorporated in the «naphthactnaphtha pots»pots), (Kawarir al-Naft), projectiles used in naval warfare. In the other, he is talking about Makahil al-Barud, where the word could be taken to refer to a propulsive saltpetre compound. , IBN AL-BAYTAR, part 2, p. 306, 151, Cairo, 1291 H. See also:also. GEORGE SARTON: IntroducttonInlroduclion 10to theIhe HzstoryHistory 0/of Science, vol. II,11, part 11,II, p. 663. '7 ROMOCKI:Geschichte,Geschtchte, I, 38-39. 47 Digitalizado por InterClassica Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas http://interclassica.um.es http://gladius.revistas.csic.es Gladius, VI (1967), pp. 45-58 A. Rahman Zaky ISSN 0435-029X HASSAN AL-RAMMAH Circa (1275-1295) Hassan al-Rammahal-Rammih Najm aI-Dinal-Din Ahdab, a Moslem author contributed an Arabic treatise entitled: Al-Furusiyahwa al-mal-muna-una­ sebscb al-Harbiyaal-Harbzya (Horsemanship and strategms of war). This treatise exists in two Paris Arabic manuscripts, BNEN ancient fonds 2825 (old 1128) and fonds AsselinAsse1in 643. The introduction says that the book
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