In 850 AD, a Chinese alchemist discovered gunpowder while trying to form life-extending elixirs. What if he didn't discover gunpowder, and just made a useless mixture instead?
If that philosopher doesn't make it, someone else will.
Maybe, but it might take another thousand years. All of the ingredients for gunpowder have been known since at least the early Roman period but it took a millennia and a half to come up with it. It's such a weirdly specific mixture and then making a useful gunpowder is even more specific set of steps still.
Not only did it take 1,500 years to come up with, it was, as far as we know, only discovered once.
Gunpowder is hardly a specific recipe that can be discovered once : while it asked centuries to really come up with more and more efficient recipes and proportions of given ingredients, it less asked a list of these ingredient than enough knowledge in early chemistry to mix them.Maybe, but it might take another thousand years. All of the ingredients for gunpowder have been known since at least the early Roman period but it took a millennia and a half to come up with it. It's such a weirdly specific mixture and then making a useful gunpowder is even more specific set of steps still.
Nomad horsearcher continue to dominate.
In europe the further evolution and dominance and spread of heavy armor and development of weapons that can harm it.
Later we can imagine every aspect of a modern army - its education, uniform, logistics, canton system, etc just with mass produced heavy armour and such.
Finally steam punk like weapons are developed and used in various quantities.
Full blown armor would continue on in use much longer
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Just out of curiosity, where did this picture came from? Not that I'm a big specialist but it looks a little bit "too much" of everything and not necessarily from the same place and time.
The body armor (what's seen of it) does not look like Maximilian or even Gothic (or any plate armor) while the helmet is quite sophisticated (looks like post-Gothic but an attempt to raise visor would probably end with a failure due to the shape of a helmet) and the shoes are definitely not from any of those (Gothic - pointed, Maximilian - "bear paw") and, sorry, but dagger's handle is too short for practical usage and their blades usually had been longer. Sword of the Maximilian period was longer and narrower with a pointed end (for piercing between the pieces of the plate armor). Of course, these are just my impressions and I can be totally wrong.
Probably not ramming; it had already fallen out of fashion long before gunpowder, as heavier, sturdier hulls were less susceptible to ram-induced ruptures.Naval battles would be pretty interesting. Would ramming or boarding still be the primary methods of disabling? Maybe Greek Fire could end up spreading?
In addition to what @dandan_noodles said, you had a wide use of crossbows and small mechanical artillery during the Middle-Ages.Naval battles would be pretty interesting. Would ramming or boarding still be the primary methods of disabling? Maybe Greek Fire could end up spreading?
Yeah it's a fanciful take on some historical armor but from a hodgepodge of periods as you described. Just found it on Google.
Represention I guess of armor from a period where maybe gun powder never arises.