Trade is one way that gunpowder was transmitted across Asia to Europe. There is another factor that played a significant role in the history of gunpowder's movement; nomads.. The nomadic lifestyle was one of constant travel. Nomads did not, for the most part, settle in one location and farm the lands. Instead, they traveled across vast portions of the grasslands of northern Asia and Europe, known as the steppes. Nomads had three major methods of survival in this harsh habitat. Much of their meat and clothing came from the herds of livestock that they raised on the steppes. Items they could not produce on their own, such as metal objects, they traded for with settled cultures. If the were unable to attain the goods they needed or wanted from the settled farming societies, nomads would often resort to violent methods. The lifestyle of the nomadic people that have helped transmit gunpowder across the world.

The Mongols

The Mongols were a nomadic group that lived on the steppes above northern China. From the early days of the Chinese empire, these nomadic warriors were a constant threat. In order to maintain military advantage over the growing Chinese empire, the Mongols captured Chinese technicians and forced them to reveal their secrets. Without this advantage, the Mongols would not be able to successfully raid the fortified Chinese cities when necessity demanded it. Through captured technicians, Mongols learned about gunpowder relatively soon after it became well-known inside China itself. There are other ways in which the Mongols would have been exposed to gunpowder. As they attacked Chinese towns, they were attacked by Chinese soldiers with fire-lances and explosive bombs.

But the [Chinese] ships had on board a supply of those bombs called thundercrash missles and they hurled these at the enemy. Flashes and flames could distinctly be seen ... eventually the [Chinese] fleet broke through, and safely reached Tung-kuan.

The Mongols, under Genghis Khan, were successful in taking the Chinese capital and defeating the Chinese Song empire. Under Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis, the Mongols were successful in conquering the Sung Dynasty in southern China. The Mongols now had complete control over China. With control of China, they would also have had control over Chinese gunpowder research. Successfully conquering all of China was not enough for the Mongol rulers, however. They wanted to expand their empire west into Central Asia. The expansion of the Mongol regime, and the states that they set up, helped to transmit gunpowder west into Central Asia.

The Expansion of the Mongol Regime

At the height of the Mongol regime, the empire had expanded almost to the Mediterranean coast and as far as the Russian states in eastern Europe. This was the situation of the empire at the time of Kublai Khan's death. He had successfully campaigned into Central Asia and eastern Europe. At his death, the empire was divided into multiple states ruled by Mongol lords. These states included the Golden Horde in Russia, the Ilkhan Empire in Iran, and the Empire of Jagatai in Central Asia, not to mention the central hub of Mongol rule in China. The map at left illustrates the size of the empire. With the empire stretched so far into Central Asia, interaction with other cultures was a given. The Islamic people would have had considerable contact with the Mongol invaders. Many Mongols converted to Islam during this time. As a result, many Mongols would have remained behind as the rest of the army moved on. It is possible that some of these Mongols were technicians skilled in the production of gunpowder. Therefore, they would have introduced gunpowder into Muslim society rather quickly.

The Rise of the Ottoman Empire

A group of nomads that lived in the Middle East, known as the Turks, began to form small states during the chaos following the Mongol capture of Baghdad in 1258. The Turks, descendents of earlier Mongol nomads, eventually built up a sizeable force. Interaction with Mongol warriors would likely have given the Turks knowledge of gunpowder. This would have given the Turks, under the rule of a small group of men known as the Ottomans, a clear advantage. With the destruction of the Byzantine city of Constantanople in 1453, the Ottomans created their empire. Under the rule of Suleiman the I, the Ottoman Empire expanded into Europe. The print at the right shows the prominance of artillery in his campaigns. Suleiman used gunpowder heavily to bring about the expansion of the Ottoman empire in the 1500s. It is very possible that Suleiman could have helped to bring the cannon into mainstream uses in Europe because of his extensive campaigns there. In any event, gunpowder made a large impact on the Middle East when it was brought by the Mongol invaders. 

The Moguls Conquer India

The Moguls were a group of nomads from the Hindu Kush mountain range in Central Asia. In 1526, Babur, a descendant of Genghis Khan and of the nomadic leader Tamerlane, led armies down from the city of Kabul in the Hindu Kush mountains and succesfully defeated an army led by the sultan of Delhi that was four times the size. Babur was victorious because he successfully used gunpowder that he had brought with him. Being a descendant of the illustrious Mongol leader, Babur himself was a Mongol in his own right. This would have given him access to Mongol technology, such as gunpowder. When he conquered the sultan, he set up his empire in India. This empire was known as the Mogul empire, Mogul being another name for Mongol. Babur died in 1540, and his son inherited the empire. Baburs son was not the leader he was, and he was defeated many times by his enemies. In one account, an Afghan chief forced Baburs son to flee from battle by not allowing him to use his artillery. When Baburs son fled, it is likely that his artillery was confiscated by the Shah. This could have helped spread gunpowder into Central Asia. The rise of Baburs grandson Akbar brought about a return of power to the Moguls. The Moguls took back the territory that they had lost and helped India flourish. None of Akbars triumuphs would have been possible without the use of artillery. The influence of Moguls on Indian life would have helped to strengthen the presence of gunpowder in India. Chinese traders would have begun the process hundreds of years before, and there is evidence of this in early Indian texts. The Moguls, however, helped bring gunpowder to fruition in India, having received it from Mongol nomads years before.
 

Marco Polo and his Journey to China

The Mongol expansion throughout Asia and into Europe was one cause for the migration of gunpowder. However, European explorers also traveled from Europe to China. The most noteable of these explorers were the Polo's, Niccolo, Maffeo, and of course, Marco. These Venetians traveled to Mongol China in the later part of the 1200s. When the Polos arrived in China, they were greeted at the court of Kublai Khan, leader of the Empire of the Great Khan. Their journey is one example of many journeys that Europeans took during this time period. The significance of these trips in the transmission of gunpowder could be significant. The Mongols were very proficient with the techonology of gunpowder. Travelers, like the Polo's, were exposed to many of the marvels of Chinese invention. When they left, they took back many Chinese products. One product that may have returned with them was gunpowder, or a recipe for gunpowder. When they returned to Europe, this recipe would have been spread throughout Europe by word of mouth or in books written by the travelers. This could explain how Roger Bacon knew about gunpowder around this time.