A lance was a long wooden spear with a tip made of sharp metal. When knights battled, they would charge at each other from as far away as possible on their horses. They would use their lances to try to pierce each other or knock each other to the ground. Knights usually wore heavy armor so that they could take a lot of damage before being hurt themselves. Lances were used in many battles but they weren't the first weapon used in wars. Long before lances were invented, people fought using swords, spears, and arrows. However, because you needed good training and skill with a sword or spear to be able to fight effectively, only soldiers who were rich enough to pay for martial arts schools could use them. This means that most people had to rely on their armor and their weapons were only useful against the armored body parts of your opponent. During the 11th century, the development of gunpowder led to the creation of guns. These were also wooden objects shaped like a spear with a hole in the end through which a ball of powder was pushed. They were very dangerous because if they went off behind your back you could be sure that someone would come after you with a knife or something else sharp. In 1415, black powder was introduced into Europe by Chinese traders. It wasn't until much later that Europeans learned how to make their own gunpowder.