fire lance

The fire lance was a gunpowder weapon used by lighting it on fire, and is the ancestor of modern firearms. It first appeared in 10th–12th century China and was used to great effect during the Jin-Song Wars. It began as a small pyrotechnic device attached to a polearm weapon, used to gain a shock advantage at the start of a melee. As gunpowder improved, the explosive discharge was increased, and debris or pellets added, giving it some of the effects of a combination modern flamethrower and shotgun, but with a very short range, and only one shot. By the late 13th century, fire lance barrels had transitioned to metal material to better withstand the explosive blast, and the lance-point was discarded in favor of relying solely on the gunpowder blast. These became the first hand cannons.

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Frameless

FireLanceAndGrenade10thCenturyDunhuang

梨花鎗

Beccafumi - 10 Uses of gunpowder

《武備誌》裡的火槍

Chinese Hand Cannon with Pellets

Lance shield

Fire lance Europe

Fire Lance Knight

Type	Subtype	Date	Description	Notes	Source
commons	image		FireLanceAndGrenade10thCenturyDunhuang		Commons
commons	image		梨花鎗		Commons
commons	image		Beccafumi - 10 Uses of gunpowder		Commons
commons	image		《武備誌》裡的火槍		Commons
commons	image		Chinese Hand Cannon with Pellets		Commons
commons	image		Lance shield		Commons
commons	image		Fire lance Europe		Commons
commons	image		Fire Lance Knight		Commons