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The fire lance () was a gunpowder weapon used by lighting it on fire, and is the ancestor of modern . 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 combat 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 (about ), and only one shot (although some were designed for two shots). 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 .
Metal fire lance barrels appeared around the mid-13th century and these began to be used independently of the lance itself. The independent metal barrel was known as an 'eruptor' and became the forerunner of the hand cannon.
In Europe, versions with wooden tubes were used.
In 1163, fire lances were attached to war carts known as "at-your-desire-carts" used to defend mobile firebomb trebuchets.
In the late 1100s, pieces of shrapnel such as porcelain shards and small iron pellets were added to the gunpowder tube. At some point fire lances discarded the spearhead altogether and relied solely on their firepower.
By 1232, the Jin were also using fire lances, but with improved reusable barrels consisting of durable paper material. According to the History of Jin, these fire lances had a range of roughly three meters:
In 1233, Jin soldiers used fire lances successfully against the . Pucha Guannu led 450 Jin fire lancers and routed an entire Mongol encampment. The Mongol soldiers were apparently disdainful of other Jin weapons, but greatly feared the fire lance.
In 1259, a pellet wad that occluded the barrel was recorded to have been used as a fire lance projectile, making it the first recorded bullet in history.
By 1276, the character used for "lance" (槍/鎗) in fire lance had switched from using the "wood" radical (木) to "metal" (金), suggesting that fire lances had transitioned to metal barrels. Fire lances were also being used by cavalrymen at this point, as evidenced by the account of a Song-Yuan battle in which two fire lance armed Song cavalrymen rushed a Chinese officer of Bayan of the Baarin. The Huolongjing also mentions a gourd fire lance which was used by cavalrymen as well as foot soldiers.
The metal-barreled fire lance began to be used independently of the lance around the mid to late 13th century. These proto-cannons which fired co-viative projectiles, known as 'eruptors,' were the forerunners of the hand cannon.
In 1396, European knights took up fire lances as mounted weapons.
In 15th century Japanese samurai used fire lances.
The last recorded usage of fire lances in Europe occurred during the Storming of Bristol in 1643 although the Commonwealth of England was still issuing them to ships in 1660.
They were frequently issued to warships and a surviving example was found in the wreck of the La Trinidad Valencera. Testing of an attempted reconstruction was carried out in 1988. During the test multiple sections of the Tronck ignited at once.
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