Page 120 - (DK) Smithsinian - Military History: The Definitive Visual Guide to the Objects of Warfare

118 FIELD ARTILLERY

WDER 1500–1680 AND NAVAL CANNON ▲ BRONZE FALCON WITH This falcon was cast by a

Artillery was established as an effective battlefield weapon by the early
16th century, leading to the appearance of a wide range of ordnance, including
practical field artillery and lighter pieces for naval use. Improvements in gun-
casting technology led to the replacement of wrought-iron guns with stronger
Flemish master gun-founder
TEN-SIDED BARREL
for Henry VIII as part of a
Date c.1520
bronze cannon, while the introduction of superior corned gunpowder in the late
consignment of 28 guns. It
Origin England or Flanders
16th century allowed the construction of longer-range guns with short barrels.
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fired balls weighing 2 ⁄4lb (1kg).
Length 9ft (2.78m)
AND GUNPO By the time of the Thirty Years’ War (1618–48) and English Civil War (1642–51), Caliber 6.6cm
artillery was firmly established, with gun units integrated into infantry regiments.
Range 262 ⁄2 yards (240m)
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PIKES ▲ BRONZE FALCON Octagonal- Tudor rose symbol
shaped barrel
Date c.1520
Origin Flanders or France
Length 8 ⁄4ft (2.54m)
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Caliber 6.3cm
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Shot c. 2 ⁄4lb (1.3kg)
The falcon was a light cannon typical
of the early 16th century. This model
was ordered by Henry VIII, possibly ▲ BRONZE SAKER Like many early guns, the saker
from Flanders, because England was named after a bird of prey—
did not have an established gun- Date 1529 in this case, the saker falcon. This
manufacturing industry at the time. Origin England one was acquired from an Italian
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Length 7 ⁄4ft (2.23m) master craftsman as part of Henry Figure of wyvern (mythical
Winged mermaid Caliber 9.5cm VIII’s campaign to enlarge his dragonlike creature)
(facing outward) Range 1 ⁄2 miles (2km) army’s artillery force.
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▲ BRONZE ROBINET Weighing 425 ⁄2lb (193kg), this is
Elaborately Date 1535 an extremely ornate example of
the robinet, a light cannon. This
decorated barrel Origin France model was made in Metz, France.
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Length 7 ⁄4ft (2.39m) It was seized in Paris by Allied
Caliber 4.3cm troops in 1815.
Small-bore
barrel Shot 1lb (0.45kg)

▲ BRONZE MINION Minions, light cannon that were ▼ IRON BREECH-LOADING Pivots that allowed a gun to fire
Date c.1550 particularly well adapted for use SWIVEL GUN across a wide arc turned a fixed barrel
at sea, saw service on many English into a swivel gun, especially useful
Origin Italy ships during their engagement with Date 16th century aboard a ship when firing on other
Length 8 ⁄4ft (2.5m) the Spanish Armada (see pp.148–49). Origin Europe moving vessels. This model was used
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Caliber 7.6cm Length 5 ⁄4ft (1.63m) in an antipersonnel role, shooting
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Shot 3 ⁄4lb (1.5kg) Caliber 7.6cm stone ammunition. Wrought-iron
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Shot 3 ⁄2lb (1.5kg) or grape shot band around barrel
Lever for
pivot