what if gun powder never made it to the west?

i don't know if this is ASB, but what if the secrets to gun powder never left china, how would european weapon/technology development change?

I speculate that it would by more along a flame thrower line seeing how the byzantine already bad something along that line. i don't know if this would make it a double what if, but what if the formula on how to make greek fire spread throughout europe instead of dying with constantinople?
 

Valdemar II

Banned
I can't really see it happening, weapon technology spread rather fast in Euroasia, and the westen part which was more or less in a permanent state of war, adopted everything it could get it hands on, and the problem with gun poweder are that it's incredible easy to duplicate, if you have seen it.

THe nly way I could see it not sprweading are if Europe are unified by a westen equalant of the Middle Kingdom just more stable, so that it doesn't need to adopt new kind of weaponry.
 
i don't know if this is ASB, but what if the secrets to gun powder never left china, how would european weapon/technology development change?

I speculate that it would by more along a flame thrower line seeing how the byzantine already bad something along that line. i don't know if this would make it a double what if, but what if the formula on how to make greek fire spread throughout europe instead of dying with constantinople?

This is ASB because gunpowder tech would leave China at some point period. Given that its use was originally fireworks, I wouldn't be surprised if a trader from Europe sees a fireworks, gets interesting, and figures out how to make one. From there, he takes it to some monarch and boom, the birth of European guns.
 
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