Cannon Timeline 1st Century AD Chinese discover Saltpetre AD 492 Chinese alchemical text describes Saltpetre as burning with a purple flame 9th Century Chinese invent gunpowder 1044 Chinese describe incendiary devices, (described in a copy made in the 1550's) 1132 Chinese mention Fire Lances 1221 Chinese mention cast iron bombs 1259 Chinese describe bamboo tubes and clay pellets 1248 Roger Bacon describes the formula of gunpowder 1248 Peter bishop of Lyon reported Moors used cannon, siege of Seville, Spain 1259 the city of Qingzhou, China is manufacturing 1-2,000 iron cased bombs per month 1259 City of Melilla in North Africa is /defended by cannon 1260 Chinese arsenal of Zhao Nanchong catches fire and explodes 1260 Battle of Ain Jalut where the Mamluk Egyptians use hand guns against the Mongols 1262 Siege of Niebla, Spain, where Moors use Cannon 1268 Roger Bacon describes the use of gunpowder in crackers 1274 Abu Yaqub Yusuf, uses cannon at the siege of Sijilmasa 1279 Mongols learn how to make gunpowder and when they conquer the Chinese 1280 Hasan Al-Rammah writes in Arabic the recipe for gunpowder 1280 Albertus Magnus describes a recipe for making flying fire and gunpowder 1280 arsenal in Weiyang, China catches fire and explodes killing hundreds 1280 Siege of Cordoba where gunpowder appears to have been used 1281 Archaeological finds and documentary evidence indicate Mongol invasion fleet of Japan used grenades 1288 bronze handgun found in the Acheng district dating from this year, Heilongjiang Province, China 1298 Battle of Korcula, Croatia, the Genoese and Venetian fleets list 'Bombadieri' among their ranks and were probably grenade throwers 1304 Edward I at the siege of Stirling was said to have used a combination of oil and saltpetre as an incendiary known as Greek Fire (he did not use cannon) 1304 Egyptians use hand guns against the Mongols 1306 Siege of Gibraltar where gunpowder appears to have been used 1313 Canon used in Ghent (1313 Berthold Schwartz a friar from Breisgau in Germany was said to have made the first gun but now thought to be a renaissance invention) 1324 Cannon used at Siege of Metz 1324 English fortress of La Réole in Gascony falls after a month's bombardment by cannon 1326 Illustration of cannon by Walter Milemete in a book presented to the future Edward III 1326 Florentine document directs manufacture of metal cannon and inventory lists a bronze cannon (there are some doubts over this document) 1327 Cannon used by English against the Scots 'crakys of war', as described by John Barbour writing in 1375 1331 Cannon used at the siege of Cividale in Friuli, Italy 1331 Siege of Alicante, Spain, cannon described 1332 Chinese canon found. The inscription gives it as cannon number 300 1333 Edward III orders gunpowder from a York apothecary 1333 Cannon used at the siege of Berwick 1334 Cannon used in Merrburg, near Freiburg, Germany 1338 French documents list the purchase of iron arrows and sulphur 1338 Gunpowder is being stored in the Tower of London 1338 September 21 French with Genoese crossbowmen capture The Christopherwhich was armed with 3 guns of iron. The first gun shots were fired in a naval battle. 1338 October 4 French raiders attack Southampton, French used pot-defer, firing bolts with iron feathers. 1339 Peter Van Vullaere described as 'Maitre de rebaudequins', took service with the English at Bruges 1339 October 8 Cambrai accounts list the production of 5 iron and 5 metal cannon 1339 French use 'pot de fer' in Perigod and Cambrai against the English 1340 French use 'pot de fer' at Quesnoy 1340 Ribaudequins used at siege of Tournai 1340 Italian painting shows hand guns 1340 June 24 Edward III may have used cannon at the battle of Sluy 1341 Stirling Castle has guns for its defence 1341 Document from Lucca lists cannon 1342 Florentine inventory lists canon to fire iron balls the size of apples 1342 Spanish Muslims used cannon which fired metal balls against Castilian army at Siege of Algeciras (Earl of Derby and Salisbury were present at the siege) 1343 Spanish muslims used gunpowder against Alfonso XI of Castile 1344 The household of Edward III includes 'artillers and gonners' 1345 February 1, Pipe Rolls of Edward III list 'gunnis cum saggitis et pellotis' (guns with arrows and pellots) 1345 Earl of Derby uses canon at the siege of Monsegur 1345 Toulose record of 2 cannon 1345 Tower of London has 100 cannon 1345 French had 24 cannon made at Cahors for the siege of Aiguillon 1346 2 tons of gunpowder made at the Tower of London 1346 March 1 Pipe Rolls of Edward III list 'gunnis cum pelotes et pulvere pro eisden gunnis' 1346 May 10 Edward III inventory lists 10 guns or stocks or beds, 6 pieces of lead, 5 barrels of powder, 100 large pellots 1346 26 August Cannon used by the English at the battle of Crecy 1346 September Peter of Bruges makes a cannon used vat Tournay with a 2lb lead shot 1346 20 Cannon used at the siege of Calais 1347 Bioule record of 22 cannon 1349 Agen, record of canon throwing lead balls 1350 Lille record of arrows for cannon, Saltpetre and Sulphur 1350 Petrarch describes cannon as being in common use 1351 Chinese handgun found from this date 1353 William a brazier of Aldgate, London, casts 4 copper cannon for Edward III 1356 The accounts of Laon list cannon that fired arrows with oaken shafts 1365 Edward III installs 2 great and 9 small cannon at Queenborough 1369 Froissart records handguns used by trrops under the command of Sir John Chandos 1369 document from Pisa refers to Bombards 1370 Gun foundry reference to Augsburg 1371 Dover has 9 cannon Calais has 15 cannon 1371 First Cannon cast at Basel, Switzerland 1373-5 Accounts for the stocking of guns at the tower of London 1375 French use 32 cannon and fire 100 pound stone balls during siege at Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte 1376 Venice had a gun foundry 1377 Tower of London inventory lists 22 cannon 1377 St Gallen Switzerland had 11 cannon 1378 Venetian ships are bombarded by canon from Kotor 1380 Southampton converts some of its arrow slits to gun ports in the town wall towers 1382 cannon used by militia of Bruges, Ghent in the battle of Beverhoudsveld 1382 The bombarde Dulle Griete at Ghent had a 25 inch calibre and fired a 700 pound granite ball 1385 Castillians had 16 light cannon at the battle of Aljubarrota 1386 Battle of Sempach, Swiss use hand guns 1389 Battle of Kosovo, Ottoman Turks use cannon 1399 Richard II takes 8 guns to Ireland 1400 Konrad Kyeser illustrates a handgunner in Bellifortis 1400 Invention of corned (grained) gunpowder in Europe, this allowed the gunpowder to ignite throughout more easily