This is a very old gun.
It is made of metal. It shoots things out of a tube. It was used a long time ago. It helped people in many lands.
Can you imagine the loud noise?
Long ago, people made the first small guns.
These were called hand cannons. They had a metal tube. They were much stronger than old bamboo tubes.
To fire them, a person had to touch a small hole. They used hot coal or a slow fire. This made the powder inside go bang! This shot things out of the tube. These guns spread to many lands. They were very important in history.
The hand cannon was the first true firearm. It was a simple metal tube.
It grew from older weapons called fire lances. Early fire lances used bamboo tubes. Later, people used metal to make them stronger. This helped them hold the power of gunpowder.
Hand cannons were used in China during the 13th century. They spread to other lands soon after. In 1287, troops used them in a big battle. These guns caused much confusion for the enemy. Some soldiers even carried them on their backs.
To fire a hand cannon, you needed a touch hole. This is a small hole in the metal. You had to touch the hole with a hot item. You might use hot coal or a slow fire. This made the powder inside go bang. The blast shot things out of the tube. These things could be rocks or lead balls.
Later, these guns changed into the arquebus. The arquebus was a new gun with a trigger.
The hand cannon was the very first true firearm. It was a simple metal tube used to shoot things.
This weapon was much simpler than the guns we see today. It was the oldest type of small arms. It was also the most basic form of metal barrel firearms. You can think of it as a forerunner to the modern handgun. Because it was so simple, it changed how people fought in many lands.
To make a hand cannon work, you had to fire it by hand. It did not have a trigger like a modern gun. Instead, it had a small opening called a touch hole.
A person had to touch this hole with something hot. They might use a piece of smoldering wood or red-hot iron. This heat would ignite the gunpowder inside the metal barrel. Once the powder burned, the pressure would shoot a projectile out of the tube. These projectiles could be lead balls or even rocks.
These weapons grew from older tools called fire lances.
In 1259, a fire-emitting lance made of bamboo was used. It stuffed a pellet wad inside a large bamboo tube. When it fired, the sound was like a bomb. Later, people moved from bamboo to metal barrels. Metal was needed to stay strong against the explosive pressure of gunpowder. This change helped create the different gunpowder weapons we know today.
Hand cannons were used widely in China starting in the 13th century.
In 1287, Yuan Jurchen troops used them during a rebellion. These cannons caused great damage and much confusion. Some soldiers even carried the cannons on their backs. By the 14th century, these weapons spread across Eurasia. They reached Europe, where they were seen in Florence by 1326. They also moved to the Middle East and India.
Over time, these simple tools became much more advanced. In 15th-century Europe, the hand cannon evolved into the arquebus. The arquebus was a new kind of firearm that finally had a trigger.
This was a big step forward in how guns worked. Earlier, smiths used brass or bronze to make the barrels. Improvements in gunpowder and the invention of the flash pan helped this change happen. The simple metal tube had finally become a complex machine.
The hand cannon represents the first true firearm in human history. It is considered the oldest type of small arms ever made. It also serves as the most mechanically simple form of metal-barreled firearm.
While modern guns use complex internal machinery, the hand cannon is a basic tool. It is a direct successor to the earlier fire lance. This simple device eventually paved the way for the modern handgun. Understanding its design helps us see how gunpowder technology first changed the world.
To understand how it works, you must look at its manual ignition process. Unlike a matchlock firearm, it lacks a trigger or a firing mechanism. Instead, the weapon features a small opening known as a touch hole.
To fire the weapon, a person must apply heat directly to this hole. They might use smoldering wood, coal, or even a red-hot iron rod. This external heat ignites the gunpowder contained within the barrel. The resulting explosion creates pressure that shoots a projectile out of the tube. These projectiles could include lead balls, iron bullets, or even rocks.
The hand cannon evolved from much older gunpowder tools called fire lances. In 1259, a version called a "fire-emitting lance" appeared in China. These early versions used large bamboo tubes rather than metal. They were stuffed with a pellet wad, which may be the first true bullet in history. Because the wad filled the tube, it helped direct the force of the blast. Eventually, builders switched from bamboo, wood, or paper to metal barrels. Metal was necessary to withstand the intense explosive pressure of the gunpowder.
This transition led to various "eruptor" weapons with different functions. Some spewed poisonous gas, while others shot sand or lead pellets.
Historical records show that hand cannons saw widespread use in China during the 13th century. In 1287, Yuan Jurchen troops used them to suppress a rebellion by the Mongol prince Nayan. These weapons caused great damage and massive confusion among enemy soldiers. By 1288, soldiers known as "gun-soldiers" could even carry these cannons on their backs. This era also saw a shift in terminology. People began using the term "chong" to describe metal-barrel firearms. This replaced the older, more vague term "huotong," which meant fire tube.
As time passed, these weapons spread across the vast continent of Eurasia. By the 14th century, hand cannons were used throughout much of the world. In Europe, the earliest reliable evidence appears in a 1326 register from Florence. By 1338, hand cannons were already in widespread use in France. In the Middle East, different scholars debate exactly when they arrived. Some suggest Mamluk forces used them as early as 1260. Others believe they did not appear in the Islamic world until the 14th century.
In India, cannons are recorded as being used starting in 1366.
Specific archaeological finds provide us with exact dates for these early weapons. The Xanadu Gun is the oldest surviving hand cannon with a recorded production date. It contains an era date that corresponds to the year 1298. Another specimen, the Heilongjiang hand cannon, is estimated to be from 1288. While some other cannons may be even older, they lack official inscriptions. In Japan, the introduction of firearms was a later event. While the Mongols brought gunpowder knowledge in the 13th century, a monk did not bring a cannon to Japan until 1510. It was not until 1543 that the Portuguese introduced matchlocks to the islands.
The design of the hand cannon was quite basic but functional. It typically consisted of a metal barrel and a handle. Some models included a socket to attach a wooden stock for better stability.
Because they were difficult to fire, a second person often helped with the ignition. The gunner could also place the weapon on a rest to steady it. In the late 15th century, these simple tools underwent a major transformation. Improvements in gunpowder, such as "corned powder," and the invention of the flash pan led to the arquebus. The arquebus was the first firearm to feature a trigger, marking the end of the hand cannon era.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (6)
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
🪜 Step back
Simpler topics to build understanding
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.