Roger Bacon states formulas for gunpowder

Historical Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.02: English Writing and Culture: High and Late Medieval, 1066-1485.
Vol. editors: Kate Ash-Irisarri (University of Edinburgh), Rory Critten (Université de Lausanne), David Fuller (University of Durham), Natalie Hanna (University of Liverpool), Hugh Magennis (Queen's University Belfast), Jamie McKinstry (University of Durham), Sarah Peverley (University of Liverpool), Sebastian Sobecki (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen)

Domains

Explosives and Bombs

Dates

Date of occurrence 1249

Places

England (Location)

Resources

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Roger Bacon was a Franciscan friar, based in Oxford, who also wrote several philosophical works. He is often feted as the champion of empirical methods, in contrast to the Scholastic methods (based primarily on tradition and received authority) that held sway at the time. Amongst the many interests and observations he detailed in his works was arguably the first European description of the ingredients of gunpowder. He had probably been privy to a view of some Chinese fireworks, most likely brought to England through his fellow Franciscan, William of Rubruck, who had travelled across Asia.

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95 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Roger Bacon states formulas for gunpowder". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 31 July 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=6057, accessed 06 May 2024.]

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