Renaissance Cannon - Death with a Bang

"Vive le Roi," (Long Live the King), cannon of the armies of the king of France. Note the fleur de lys design embossed on the barrels.

A deadly serpent ready to strike.

Ottoman splendor that brought death to the enemies of the Sultan.

Early bombards such as this spelled doom to the tall Medieval castles that had protected the nobles for centuries.

The development of artillery was a trial-and-error process.  Some ideas such as this early breech loading design were centuries ahead of their time (in other words, a good idea that couldn't safely work with the metallurgy of the era)

But some improvements were very successful as this improved bombard clearly shows.

The last sight any enemy would want to see, the mouth of one of the improved artillery pieces right before it goes BOOM!

The Crossbow

Renaissance Armor-High Point of Personal Protection

From elite (and expensive) Imperial plate armour, ribbed for extra strength (don't worry about the open space between his legs-it and his bottom would have been covered by more flexible chain-mail armour),...

to common (cheap) leather and metal gorget (protected the throat and upper chest) ...

and simple brigantine (leather with metal studs), armor has protected warriors for thousands of years.  Here we have samples of the best of the Renaissance armor maker's work. These are but a few of the hundreds of full and partial suits found at the Musee de l'Armee at Hotel des Invalides.

One size did not fit all, quality suits of plate were tailored for the individual user, one reason for their tremendous cost.

Suits of full plate were even made for wealthy young boys for training as well as protection should they accompany their fathers onto the battlefield.

And let's not forget our four-legged friends, armor for them could cover as little as their foreheads...

our encase both them and their riders in complete metal protection.

Those that could afford the best, purchased full plate for both man and beast (at a cost in modern dollars of over a quarter million).

But an new technology was to soon be so effective as to render the wearing of expensive plate armor useless-the flintlock musket. Easier to use than previous weapons and deadly up to seventy-five yards through even the best armor of the day.

Ancient Chinese Inventions-an Ancient Cultures Gifts to the World

From its earliest days, the Chinese Culture has been inventive, creating many of the World's greatest inventions.  From humble pasta to the greatest war discovery in 5000 years, gunpowder, the creative minds of the people of China have produced many of the foundations of the products our Modern World that we take for granted. The Silk Road trade routes were often the source of introducing these new concepts to the other cultures of Asia, Europe and North Africa.  While the initial inventions often had little resemblance to their modern decedents, the original creations were none the less remarkable achievements for their time periods.  Listed here are some of the more important inventions that have been credited to the Chinese:

Pasta-circa 2000 BCE

Crossbow- 5th Century BCE, Zhou Dynasty

Sun Tzu's The Art of War-circa 5th Century BCE, Warring States Period

Wheelbarrow-3rd Century BCE, Qin Dynasty

Horse Collar- 2nd Century BCE, Han Dynasty

Writing Paper- 1st Century CE, Han Dynasty

Blast Furnace- 1st Century CE, Han Dynasty

Cast Iron- 2nd Century CE, Han Dynasty

Seismograph- 2nd Century CE, Han Dynasty

Cast Iron Plow- 2nd Century CE, Han Dynasty

Fishing Reel- 2nd Century CE, Han Dynasty

Ships Rudder-3rd Century CE, Period of Disunity

Matches-6th Century CE, Period of Disunity

Porcelain- 6th Century CE, Sui Dynasty

Toilet Paper- 6th Century CE, Sui Dynasty

Gunpowder-7th Century CE, T'ang Dynasty

Fireworks-7th Century CE, T'ang Dynasty

Brandy-7th Century CE, T'ang Dynasty

Woodblock Printing- 8th Century CE, T'ang Dynasty

Paper Money-8th Century CE, T'ang Dynasty

Bicycle Chain-10th Century CE, Song Dynasty

Movable Type-11th Century CE, Song Dynasty

Mechanical Clock-11th Century CE, Song Dynasty

Compass-12th Century CE, Song Dynasty

Medical Encyclopedia-12th Century CE, Song Dynasty

Windmill-12th Century CE, Song Dynasty

Guns-13th Century CE, Yuan Dynasty

Cardinal Richelieu Master of 17th Century European Politics

Armand Jean du Plessis, Cardinal-Duc de Richelieu et de Fronsac (1584-1642), Chief Minister of France -1624-1642. An expert at Machiavellian Politics and intrigue... " I have made the King (Louis XIII) the most powerful monarch in Europe...while I am the most powerful man in France" Chooses Nationalism over religion during the Thirty Years War when he supported the Protestant factions over the Catholic Hapsburg Alliance. Thus were the major ideological wars of religion replaced by wars for the national interest. The Age of Enlightenment was at hand.

Louis XIII (1601-1643), King of France 1610-1643. A weak king under the constant influence of others, first his mother, Marie de Medici and later the powerful Cardinal- Richelieu.

Hidden Gold, Lost Cities, Endless Quest-El Dorado.

For centuries the lure of vast treasures, lost civilizations and cities of gold hidden in the wilds of the New World have fevered the minds of explorers and adventurers, congealing in the magic term-El Dorado.  El Dorado ("the gilded one"), untold riches hidden from the greedy clutches of the Europeans by Ancient civilizations long lost to the knowledge of the rest of the World. Thousands have searched and died in failed attempts to find El Dorado.   One time it was the "Seven Cities of Gold" in the Southwest, others involved hidden Inca cities in Peru or the fabulous wealth of Queen Calafia and her female warrior empire.  The Jungles of the Amazon basin (also thought to be the home the the ferocious female warriors) were a favorite destination for countless expeditions.

Yet, no matter how many searched or the lives lost, none have come back with the treasure of El Dorado.  The lure remains, the search continues the explorer travels on and on until

"...as his strength                            "Over the Mountains
Failed him at length,                         Of the Moon,
He met a pilgrim shadow-                Down the Valley of the Shadow,
"Shadow," said he,                          Ride, boldly ride,"
"Where can it be--                            The shade replied--
This land of Eldorado?"                   "If you seek for Eldorado!"

From Eldorado  by Edgar Allen Poe 1849

The Conquistador's-Warriors for Glory, God and Gold

From the 15th to 17 centuries a class of warriors roamed the globe searching for glory, wealth, the wish to spread the Catholic faith and new worlds to conquer for the Empires of Spain and Portugal-the Conquistadors. These warriors for glory, God and gold, believed they were spreading civilization and the True Faith to the barbarian pagans they conquered.

Armed with the latest weapons and armor yet developed in Europe and battle tested in both the Old and New Worlds, the conquistadors were a potent force in the capture of new colonies and destruction of numerous native cultures.

 Across three continents, the conquistadors helped to spread the Roman Catholic faith as their armies always contained missionaries as well as warriors. (Note the image of the Virgin and Child on the flag and the soldiers in prayer in the background.)

By the end of the 17th century the Spanish and Portuguese Empires were on every known inhabited continent.  Most of the New World was in the control of these two imperial titans, as was the vast natural wealth of these land.  Other European countries were quick to follow the example of the conquistadors, and soon most of the New World was claimed as colonies by the powers of the Old World.  The wealth they took would flow for centuries into the coffers of the Europeans further enriching their nations and encouraging yet more colonial expansion.