Berthold Schwarz Berthold Schwarz Berthold Schwarz (sometimes spelled Schwartz), also known as Berthold the Black and "der Schwartzer", was a legendary German (or in some accounts Danish or Greek) alchemist of the late 14th century, credited with the invention of gunpowder by 15th- through 19th-century European literature. The purported period of Schwarz' activity (late 14th century) thus falls between the first reports of gunpowder in Europe (late 13th century) and the development of effective applications in artillery (mid 15th century). It is unclear whether Schwarz is a historical person. It has been suggested that he was a historical alchemist who had developed
Franz Xaver Schwarz official" in the city government of Munich. During World War I, Schwarz served as a second lieutenant in the German Army. Due to gastric troubles which afflicted him for his entire life (he was considered 30 percent disabled in that war), he was spared field duty beginning in 1916. Schwarz joined the Nazi Party in 1922. Schwarz participated in the failed Beer Hall Putsch of November 1923. With the re-establishment of the Nazi Party in Germany on 27 February 1925, Schwarz became party member number six. He left his job as an accountant at the Munich City Hall to become