mediumaevum:

Handgonne

 ”Gonne” is the Middle English word for “gun” and was actually used in the 14th and 15th century.

The first dated recipe for black powder in Europe was given in 1265 by Roger Bacon. Here, we learn that black powder was first used to make firecrackers by young villains to scare innocent citizens at night. Roger Bacon didn’t mention guns.

A hand cannon is possibly the oldest type of portable firearm, as well as the simplest type of early firearm, as most examples require direct manual external ignition through a touch hole without any form of firing mechanism. It may also be considered a forerunner of the handgun. The hand cannon was widely used in Europe and throughout Asia until at least the 1520s, when it was supplanted by matchlock firearms (More on these on Hominis Aevum).

image: The first and oldest picture of a firearm ,Walter de Millimete (De Notabilitatibus Sapientis et Prudentia Regnum, 1326)