History of the Cannon

China:
Cannons are derived from the fire-lance, a gunpowder filled tube attached to the end of a spear and used like a flamethrower. Sometimes the fire lance was loaded with debris which would shoot out when the fire-lance was fired. Over time the bamboo barrels of the fire lances were replaced with metal. This was the start of the cannon. The cannon was used by both the Chinese and Mongols and over 3,000 cannons were mounted on the Great Wall.

The Middle East:
Hand cannons were used by the Egyptians to repel the Mongols in the 1200-1300’s. The type of gunpowder used during this time was extremely close to modern compositions of gunpowder, resulting in very effective cannons.

Medieval Europe:
Gunpowder was first used in the Moorish cannon in Spain at the siege of Seville in 1248. By 1340, light cannons were widespread enough in the Islamic world to end up in military inventories. English cannon were first used on the European battlefield during the Hundred Years War, when primitive cannon were used at the Battle of Crécy in 1346. "Ribaldis" were believed to have shot large arrows and simplistic grapeshot, but they were so important they were directly controlled by the Royal Wardrobe. One man, Giovanni Villani, recalls the destructiveness of these cannons saying that at the end of a battle the whle plain was covered with men struck down by arrows and cannon balls. Near the 1380’s cannons started to be mounted on wheels. After the Middle Ages many cannons were built as a show of power. However, nations began to turn away from using heavy, cumbersome cannons and started to cast lighter more maneuverable cannons.

18th Century to present day:
During this time period cannons were now being mounted on ships. Cannons from this point were being made lighter and more maneuverable so that fewer soldiers could operate them. Modern cannons are a dual-purpose weapon. It can operate as a direct fire, low trajectory, high velocity weapon, firing directly at its target like a modern main battle tank. Now the minimum caliber of a cannon is 20mm.