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GCSE History · key term
Large guns, such as cannon, used to bombard enemy troops, positions or fortifications.
Used by AQA, Edexcel and OCR
Paper 1
Heavy guns used to fire shells, often to bombard enemy positions before an infantry attack.
Revise: The Western FrontArtillery was central to attempts to overcome these defences. Before an infantry attack, guns bombarded enemy positions. Commanders hoped that shells would cut the wire, destroy trenches and artillery, and kill or disable the defenders.
Paper 1
Revise: The Nature of WarfareInfantry fought on foot, cavalry served on horseback, and artillery operated large guns. Infantry remained the decisive force in battle. During the earlier part of the period, cavalry had declined to about 20 per cent of the army, while artillery formed about 5 per cent.
Heavy weapons used to bombard enemy forces and positions, often from a distance.
Paper 3
Large guns used in warfare. Babur used artillery alongside other weapons and disciplined troops to defeat his opponents.
Revise: BaburBabur brought an experienced army equipped with artillery: his invasion was not simply a movement of people, but an attempt to win territory and establish his own rule.
Keep the comparisons clear: field guns offered mobile battlefield support; heavy artillery provided powerful, longer-range bombardment.
For continuity and change, compare the same role across time. Bombarding the enemy continued, but aircraft and tanks increasingly shared this task with artillery.
Explain why Babur’s tactics mattered: artillery, disciplined troops and effective leadership helped him defeat a larger army at Panipat.
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