How Guns Changed the World

Available for over a year

On April 28th, 1503, a small Spanish army dug a trench, loaded their arquebuses, and ended a thousand years of mounted warfare in a single afternoon. The firearm, more versatile and destructive than ever before, had changed the face of the battlefield forever. But firearms changed more than just war - they altered the very fabric of society, sparking debates about crime, class, and who was allowed to be dangerous. Focusing on Renaissance Italy, historian Catherine Fletcher joins us to explore how firearms changed the world, and how concerns around their regulation some 5 centuries ago still echo in our gun control debates today. Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore. All music from Epidemic Sounds/All3Media. Dan Snow's History Hit is a History Hit podcast.