Gunpowder dates back to AD 850 in China but was not used in weapons until later technology advancements in the West were invented. The usage of gunpowder changed the way the military fought by making it easier to kill, harm and eventually conquer another land. It is known as the leading technology advancement in the late medieval era. Weapons that used gunpowder were either artillery or hand-held guns. Artillery weapons were cannons, bombs and rockets. With the use of gunpowder weapons, armies could attack another without getting so close, they could stay hidden and it was easier to sneak attack. In an economical viewpoint, Europeans used gunpowder and the weapons that used it to expand on their growing trade and network systems. Empires and militaries grew stronger and more capable of taking over cities and countries. The usage of gunpowder transformed Europes feudal systems and created the structure on how they would conquer and dominate the Western world.
Whereas gunpowder was invented long before there were decent weapons to put it in and use efficiently, there were people all over the world trying to find an effective way to use it up until this time. But also in previous centuries there were more usage of bow and arrows and swards rather than guns. I think that up until they really got the hang of how to use gunpowder right, they strayed away from it a little because at some point in history it would be taking more time and effort to use gunpowder than it did other weapons. I think that the gunpowder advancement of the military was their best advancement of this time period, it allowed them to dominate and conquer easier and those who did not have it, didn't stand a chance.
- http://www.livescience.com/7476-gunpowder-changed-world.html
- http://xenophongroup.com/montjoie/gp_wpns.htm
- http://press.princeton.edu/chapters/i10571.pdf
- https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17423-timeline-weapons-technology/