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Gunpowder was first invented by the Chinese in the 11th century and made its appearance in Europe by the fourteenth century. During the seventeenth century, firearms developed rapidly and increasingly changed the face of war.

By 1600, the flintlock musket had made firearms more deadly on the battlefield. Muskets were loaded from the front with powder and ball. In the flintlock musket, the powder that propelled the ball was ignited by a spark caused by a flint striking on metal. This mechanism made it easier to fire and more reliable than other muskets. Reloading techniques also improved, making it possible to make on to two shots per minute. The addition of the bayonet to the fron tof the musket made the musket even more deadly as a weapon. They bayonet was a steel blade used in hand-to-hand combat.

The increased use of firearms, combined with greater mobility on the battlefield, demanded armies that were better disciplined and trained. Governments began to fund regularly paid standing armies.

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14y ago

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