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Firearms 1450-1525
brought from china to europe by the muslims
even though they got the technology later, they were better at making them because
they were used to making bells for the church, and experimented with different
shapes
canons were devoloped by the chinese, but hand-held firearms were developed by the
spanish
gunpowder was used to make castles obsolete
leads to a shift from cavalry to infantry
guns are imprecise
leads to new metallurgic technologhy to improve the guns
war becomes open for peasants to fight against knights
leads to the rise of kings, because only they have enought money to pay a standing
army using crossbows and muskets
up until that time, wars were fought exclusively by knights
by 1560, Copernicus's writings generally accepted by the church, but not by Martin
Luther and some of the priests in northern germany
Map making
everyone already knew the world was round
the primary kind of map in europe was the TO map, divided the world into asia,
europe, and africa, with jerusalem at the center (terribly innaccurate, basically
two quarter circles for europe and africa and a half circle for asia)
new maps developed for sailors desighend to help them navigate (Catalan Atlas)
Abraham Crescas (1325-87) a jewish map maker, commisioned to produce the Catalan
Atlas (more accurate even then the muslim maps), and produced numerous navigation
intruments
Portugeuse (who really wanted to reach the east without relying on the muslims) and
spanish develop the Caravel, uses 2 types of sails
square sail catches the wind at the back to go really fast in the direction of the
wind
lateen sail is triangular, can't sail directly with the wind, but can sail INTO the
wind by going into a zig-zag
using both increases manuverability and overall speed by reducing the time that the
vessel depended on manpowered rowing
Abraham Zacuto 1450-1515 developed an astrolabe that works on ships, allowing them
to use the stars to find their way on the sea
he taught astronomy
in 1492, the Jews are expelled from Spain, Abraham Zacuto had to leave