The Renaissance Artillery Cannon

By Josh Irving

Modern day cannon Renaissance cannon

How Does It Work?

First you need to load the gunpowder and ammunition into the cannon. Then you need to set it off. The explosions is so strong that it will shoot the ammunition out but the force is not strong enough to destroy the whole cannon.

HistoryThe Chinese record the first use of gunpowder. The first cannon appeared in Russia around 1380. The first metal cannon was the pot-de-fer which was used by both the French and English during the Hundred Years’ War. They were a rare weapon. The cannon was further refined and developed in China dating to the 12th century.

They were among the earliest forms of gun powered artillery but it was during the Renaissance period that the cannon became standardized and more effective. This allowed a lot more tactics to be used making a lot of older defenses obsolete. It also led to the construction of forts that could withstand bombardment from such heavy artillery.

In the 15th century, a heavy English cannon required 23 horses to transport and moved at a walking pace. After this time, many larger cannons were abandoned for the smaller ones as they were easier to manouevre and to handle in war.

Cannons also transformed naval warfare, with the Royal Navy taking advantage of their power and destructive potential.

Cannons were used in both world wars with a majority of deaths in World War 1 caused by the cannon. Cannons were crucial in Napoleon Bonaparte’s rise to power.

During the Renaissance, better gunpowder, improved cast-iron projectiles and greater knowledge about trajectory, etc. meant that cannons were deadly.

By the 16th century, cannons were made in a great variety of lengths and bore diameters. Large amounts of gunpowder were needed.

The Renaissance Cannon

During the Renaissance period, many different sizes of cannons were made. The general rule was the longer the barrel the longer the distance the cannon ball would cover - some even had 10 foot barrels!

Consequently, larger amounts of gunpowder were needed to fire cannons.

By the 15th century, cannons became more mobile and common.

“In the Art of War”, Noccolò Machiavelli observed that the smaller artillery cannons were more destructive than the bigger ones. This was the case in Flodden, in 1513: the English artillery cannons outpaced the Scottish cannons firing twice even three times as often as the Scottish. These cannons evolved into a German artillery invention called the ‘cannon’.

The Effect on our World

The development of the cannon during the Renaissance led to a change in the style of warfare. In the past, battles involved close hand to hand combat but the cannon’s increasing accuracy allowed enemies to fire on one another from increasing distances apart.

Cannons were an important part of trench warfare. Using the cannon, it was possible during the First World War, to fire cannon shells into the trenches. The cannon allowed navy ships to fire at land targets.

During the Renaissance, the cannon became smaller and more mobile. It thus became possible to move the battlefield and to fight on the move with good accuracy and far more quickly.

blueprints

Model

Bibliography

http://www.nps.gov/fosu/planyourvisit/upload/How_Does_A_Cannon_Work.pdf

http://home.mysoul.com.au/graemecook/Renaissance/04_Artillery.htm

http://www.roy-stevenson.com/medieval-cannon.html