FIREARMS

Although firearms were introduced into European warfare early in the fourteenth century in the form of cannons, it took almost two centuries to develop an efficient hand-held gun. At first the noble knights regarded guns with contempt, for they were complicated to use, and their noise frightened the battle chargers. This attitude changed, however, when gunsmiths developed a gun-the wheellock—that ignited automatically and could be managed with one hand. Once the gun was accepted, the knights had to adopt new military tactics, for which plate armor was ill-suited. Piece by piece, beginning with their sabatons and greaves, they discarded their steel gear, until the knight in shining armor was just a memory.