BOMBARDA FIELD HAUBITZE FROM XV C.

The first references to gunpowder artillery or fire artillery appeared in Latin Europe in the late Middle Ages, and more precisely in the 14th century. It is worth adding here that gunpowder was known outside Europe - in China - much earlier, and the first use of gunpowder artillery in this country can be dated probably to the 12th, and certainly to the 13th century. In the Polish lands, initially on a relatively small scale, gunpowder artillery was used, probably during the reign of Casimir the Great (1333-1370). In general, it can be assumed that the first powder guns in Europe were very imperfect - they had a low rate of fire, generated great problems in transport (suffice it to say that they were not mounted on a wheel bed!) And were very inaccurate. In addition, they were extremely expensive (by the standards of the time) and required properly trained personnel. All this meant that they were not used on a very large scale, and if anything - rather during sieges, than in general battles. However, gunpowder artillery developed intensively in the 15th century. More and more perfect bombards appeared, which with time can already be called cannons, mounts with wheels began to be used (especially in France), the technology of casting guns was improved and the use of cast metal balls, not made of stone, began to be used, thanks to which the ball could be even better fit to the barrel tube. All this meant that the role of artillery on the battlefields grew. At the end of the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453), it already played a significant role in the French army, as in the Burgundian army during the reign of Charles the Bold (1467-1477). However, it played a great role at the beginning of the Italian wars (1494-1559), both during sieges and during fights in the field.