"The Man Who Came Early," by Poul Anderson (1956). He knows, for example, that gunpowder is made of sulfur, saltpeter and charcoal, but can't find any saltpeter in medieval Iceland.
The other view-- that a modern man sent into the past could rule the world with his knowledge-- probably originated in Murray Leinster's "Sidewise in Time" (1934).
Probably both versions are correct-- in Anderson's story, the hero is thrown back in time with no warning, but Leinster has his professor pack the books and tools he will need to rule the ancient world.
Lest Darkness Fall by L. Sprague de Camp is a pretty good read too.