Cannon in the Middle Ages

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Late medieval bronze culverins and demi-cannon.
Late medieval bronze culverins and demi-cannon.

Cannon in the Middle Ages were large tubular firearms designed to fire a heavy projectile over a long distance. They were used in Europe and China, and were the archetypical form of artillery. The first cannon in Europe probably appeared in Moorish and Christian Spain. English cannon were first used during the Hundred Years War, when primitive cannon were used at the Battle of Crécy in 1346.

The Old French word "cannon" was derived from Old Italian cannone, ultimately from Latin canna—a tube.[1] The Latinised word canon was used for a gun since 1326 in Italy, and 1418 in England. Bombardum, or "bombard", was earliest used for "cannon", but from 1430 it came to refer only to the largest weapons.[2]

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[edit] Early cannon in China and East Asia

For more details on the history of gunpowder, see Gunpowder.

"Fire lances", gunpowder-propelled arrows, were used in China from at least 1132. The first documented record of artillery with gunpowder propellent used on the battlefield is on January 28, 1132 when General Han Shizhong of the Song Dynasty used escalade and Huochong to capture a city in Fujian. In 1221, cast iron bombs thrown by hand, sling, and catapult are mentioned. Somewhere around 1249, the Chinese of the Song Dynasty began to load early gunpowder in the middle of thick bamboo as a projection firearm, firing clay pellets like a shotgun.

Around the time of the wars between the Mongols and the Song Dynasty (1268-1279), mortars with bronze tubes or bronze first appeared.[3] (However, the earliest certain example is dated 1332). Additionally, the Chinese and Mongols took up the use of "true" gunpowder instead of the slower-burning older mixture - which made this early cannon, known as the Huochong, more reliable and powerful. During wartime, the Chinese used the early gunpowder weapons in defence against the Mongols, mounting more than 3,000 bronze and iron casted cannons on the Great Wall of China. The weapon was later taken up by the Mongol conquerors, and also the Koreans. Many of the earliest weapons seem to primarily have functioned as psychological weapons, a trait gunpowder arms would keep for a long time.

[edit] Spread to Europe

Roger Bacon described the first gunpowder in Europe.
Roger Bacon described the first gunpowder in Europe.

The invention of gunpowder and cannon spread into India prior to the Mongol intrusion in China, and thence to the Islamic world. The Islamic Karshuni manuscript has editions of gunpowder recipes from the early 12th century, and there is mention of rockets or fire arrows being used in the mid-13th century, primarily as psychological weapons, and primarily defensively. The first mention of the composition of gunpowder in express terms in Europe appeared in 1216, in Roger Bacon's "De nullitate magiæ" at Oxford.[4] Later in 1248, his "Opus Maior" describes a recipe and recognized military use:

"We can, with saltpeter and other substances, compose artificially a fire that can be launched over long distances... By only using a very small quantity of this material much light can be created accompanied by a horrible fracas. It is possible with it to destroy a town or an army ... In order to produce this artificial lightning and thunder it is necessary to take saltpeter, sulfur, and Luru Vopo Vir Can Utriet".

Bacon described firecrackers, "used in certain parts of the world". Bacon's mixture resembles the assumed composition of Chinese slow-burning powder as used in fire arrows and rockets, but will probably not function well as cannon gunpowder - the saltpeter content is too low. In 1260, the Norwegian Konungs skuggsjá mentioned, in its military chapter, the use of "coal and sulphur" as the best weapon for ship-to-ship combat.[5]

Hand guns were probably in use at this time, with Italian scopettieri ("gun bearers") mentioned in conjunction with crossbowmen in 1281.

[edit] Moorish and Christian Spain

Defensive use of Moorish cannon occurred during the siege of Seville in 1248, and the siege of Niebla in 1262, where it is reported that Almohad defenders used machines which projected stones and fire accompanied by thundering noises. Some Spanish histories consider that this was the first time that gunpowder had been used in warfare in Spain.[6] In reference to the siege to Alicante in 1331, the Spanish historian Zurita recorded a "new machine that caused great terror. It threw iron balls with fire."[7][6] The Spanish historian Juan de Mariana recalled further use of cannon during the capture of Algeciras in 1342:

"The besieged did great harm among the Christians with iron bullets they shot. This is the first time we find any mention of gunpowder and ball in our histories."[8]

Hand cannon or hand cannon-like devices were reported to be employed against the Mongols in 1260 and in 1304, an unattributed manuscript also depicted fire arrows and long-handled handguns. By 1340, light cannon are widespread enough in the Islamic world to end up in military inventories. The Spanish kings at the initial stages enlisted the help of Moorish experts:

"The first artillery-masters on the Peninsula probably were Moors in Christian service. The king of Navarre had a Moor in his service in 1367 as maestro de las guarniciones de artilleria. The Morisques of Tudela at that time had fame for their capacity in reparaciones de artilleria."[9]

[edit] England and France

A reconstruction of the vase cannon that fired arrows.
A reconstruction of the vase cannon that fired arrows.
Main article: English cannon

Juan de Mariana also relates that the English Earl of Derby and Earl of Salisbury had both participated in the siege of Algeciras, and they could had conceivably transferred the knowledge about the effectiveness of cannon to England.[10] Cannon certainly saw its first real use on the European battlefield during the Hundred Years War, being only used in small numbers by a few states during the 1340s. "Ribaldis" were first mentioned in the English Privy Wardrobe accounts during preparations for the Battle of Crécy between 1345 and 1346.[11] These were believed to have shot large arrows and simple grapeshot, but they were so important they were directly controlled by the Royal Wardrobe.[11] According to the contemporary Jean Froissart, the English cannon made "two or three discharges on the Genoese", which is taken to mean individual shots by two or three guns because of the time taken to reload such primitive artillery.[11] The Florentine Giovanni Villani agreed that the were destructive on the field, though he also indicated that the guns continued to fire upon French cavalry later in the battle:

"The English guns cast iron balls by means of fire… They made a noise like thunder and caused much loss in men and horses… The Genoese were continually hit by the archers and the gunners… [by the end of the battle] the whole plain was covered by men struck down by arrows and cannon balls."[11]

Similar cannon appeared also at the Siege of Calais in the same year, although it would not be until the 1380s that the "ribaudekin" clearly became mounted on wheels.[11] The culverin was developed by the French in the 15th century, to bombard targets from a distance. It was of relatively long barrel and light construction, firing solid round shot projectiles at long ranges along a flat trajectory. Overall, the culverin was a significant advance over the ballista, which was the "light artillery" unit of the previous eras. Since it fired a ball of iron and relied on gunpowder for propulsion, the heavier ball meant a more stable flight and the gunpowder propulsion meant a faster and farther-ranged weapon.

[edit] Byzantine and Ottoman Empires

During the 14th century, the Byzantine Empire began to accumulate its own cannon to face the Ottoman threat, starting with medium-sized cannon 3 feet long and of 10" calibre.[12] Only a few large bombards were under the Empire's control. The first definite use of artillery in the region was against the Ottoman siege of Constantinople in 1396, as the attackers did not yet have any gunpowder of their own. These loud Byzantine weapons, possibly operated by the Genoese or "Franks" of Galata, forced the Turks to withdraw.[12]

The Turks started to use cannons against a Crusader army in Kosovo in 1389, but there are some records of Anatolian Seljuks used cannon against Mongols in the Battle of Kosedag.

The Turks acquired their own cannon by the siege of 1422, using "falcons", which were short but wide cannon. The two sides were evenly matched technologically, and the Turks had to build barricades "in order to receive… the stones of the bombards."[12] Ultimately, the lifting of the siege was not due to strength of arms, but to an apparition of the Theotokos upon the city walls.[12] However, the Empire at this time was facing economic problems, and Pius II promoted the affordable donation of cannon by European monarchs as a means of aid. Any new cannons after the 1422 siege were gifts from European states, and aside from these no other advances were made to the Byzantine arsenal.[12]

The Dardanelles Gun, used by the Turks at Constantinople.
The Dardanelles Gun, used by the Turks at Constantinople.

When Sultan Mehmet II laid siege to Constantinople in April 1453, he used 68 Hungarian-made cannons, the largest of which was 26 feet long and weighed 20 tons. This fired a 1,200 pound stone cannonball, and required an operating crew of 200 men.[13] Two such bombards had initially been offered to the Byzantines by the Hungarian artillery expert Urban, which were the pinnacle of gunpowder technology at the time; he boasted that they could reduce "even the walls of Babylon".[12] However, the fact that the Empire could not afford it illustrates the financial costs of artillery at the time. These cannon also needed 70 oxen and 10,000 men just to transport them.[12] They were extremely loud, adding to their psychological impact, and Mehmet believed that those who unexpectedly heard it would be struck dumb.[12]

The 55 day bombardment of Constantinople left massive destruction, as recounted by the Greek chronicler Kritovoulos:

"And the stone, borne with enormous force and velocity, hit the wall, which it immediately shook and knocked down and was itself broken into many fragments and scattered, hurling the pieces everywhere and killing those who happened to be nearby."[12]

Byzantine counter artillery allowed them to repel any visible Turkish weapons, and the defenders repulsed any attempts to storm any broken points in the walls and hastily repaired any damage. However, the walls could not be adapted for artillery, and towers were not good gun emplacements. There was even worry that the largest Byzantine cannon could cause more damage to their own walls than the Turkish cannon.[12] Gunpowder had also made the formerly devastating Greek fire obsolete, and with the final fall of what had once been the strongest walls in Europe on May 29, "it was the end of an era in more ways than one".[12]

[edit] Effects of cannon in the Late Middle Ages

The rounded walls of the 14th century Sarzana Castle showed adaption to gunpowder.
The rounded walls of the 14th century Sarzana Castle showed adaption to gunpowder.

Towards the end of the Middle Ages, the development of cannon made revolutionary changes to siege warfare throughout Europe, with many castles becoming susceptible to artillery fire. The primary aims in castle wall construction were height and thickness, but it became almost impossible to follow this ideal against ever more powerful cannon. Inevitably, those fortifications previously deemed impregnable, eventually proved inadequate in the face of gunpowder. The general adoption of cannon led to the loss of importance of majestic towers and merlons. Walls of new fortresses were thicker and angulated, while towers became lower and stouter.

In England, significant changes were evident from the 16th century, when Henry VIII began building Device Forts between 1539 and 1540 as artillery fortresses to counter the threat of invasion from France and Spain. They were built by the state at strategic points for the first powerful cannon batteries, such as Deal Castle, which was perfectly symmetrical, with a low, circular keep at its centre. Over 200 cannon and gun ports were set within the walls, and the fort was essentially a firing platform, with a shape that allowed many lines of fire; its low curved bastions were designed to deflect cannon balls.[14] Cannon were now an inexorable part of English warfare.

To guard against artillery and gunfire, increasing use was made of earthen, brick and stone breastworks and redoubts, such as the geometric fortresses of the 17th century French Marquis de Vauban. These soon replaced castles in Europe, and eventually castles in the Americas were superseded by bastions and forts.[15]

[edit] See also

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ American Heritage Dictionary
  2. ^ Cannons and Gunpowder
  3. ^ Jacques, A History of Chinese Civilisation
  4. ^ (1771) "Gunpowder", Encyclopedia Britannica. “frier Bacon, our countryman, mentions the compoſition in expreſs terms, in his treatiſe De nullitate magiæ, publiſhed at Oxford, in the year 1216.” ; Note the Long s
  5. ^ King's Mirror, Chapter XXXVII: The duties, activities and amusements of the Royal Guardsmen
  6. ^ a b Gunpowder Composition for Rockets and Cannon in Arabic Military Treatises
  7. ^ Partington, J. R., A History of Greek Fire and Gunpowder, reprint by Johns Hopkins University Press, p. 191 (Latin text of Zurita)
  8. ^ Mariana,.Juan de, Historia general de Espana, 2 volumes, Madrid, 1608, ii, 27; English tr. by Capt. John Stephens, The General History of Spain, 2 parts., London, 1699. Part one, p.2 64.
  9. ^ Ada Bruhn de Hoffmeyer, Arms and Amour in Spain, p. 217.
  10. ^ Watson, R., Chemical Essays, vol. I, London,1787, 1999. p.331
  11. ^ a b c d e Nicolle, Crécy 1346: Triumph of the longbow
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k The Walls of Constantinople, AD 324–1453, Osprey Publishing, ISBN 1-84176-759-X.
  13. ^ Military and War Weapons: the Cannon
  14. ^ Wilkinson, Castles (Pocket Guides).
  15. ^ Chartrand, Spanish Main 1492-1800

[edit] References

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