The falconet was a light

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

developed in the late 15th century that fired a smaller shot than the similar falcon. During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

guns were decorated with

engraving Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an in ...

s of animals, such as reptiles, birds or mythical beasts depending on their size. For example, a

culverin A culverin was initially an ancestor of the hand-held arquebus, but later was used to describe a type of medieval and Renaissance cannon. The term is derived from the French "''couleuvrine''" (from ''couleuvre'' "grass snake", following the ...

would often feature snakes, as the handles on the early cannons were often decorated to resemble serpents. The falconet fired small yet lethal shot of similar weight and size to a bird of prey, and so was decorated with a falcon. Similarly, the

musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually di ...

was associated with the sparrowhawk.Its barrel was approximately long, had a calibre of and weighed . The falconet used of

black powder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). T ...

to fire a

round shot A round shot (also called solid shot or simply ball) is a solid spherical projectile without explosive charge, launched from a gun. Its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the barrel from which it is shot. A round shot fired from a lar ...

at a maximum range of approximately . They could also be used to fire grapeshot. The falconet resembled an oversized

matchlock A matchlock or firelock is a historical type of firearm wherein the gunpowder is ignited by a burning piece of rope that is touched to the gunpowder by a mechanism that the musketeer activates by pulling a lever or trigger with his finger. Befor ...

with two wheels attached to improve mobility. In 1620s Germany a breechloading version was invented, seeing action in the

Thirty Years War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battl ...

. Many falconets were in use during the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I (" Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of r ...

as they were lighter and cheaper than the

s, sakers and minions. During times of unrest they were used by the nobility to defend their grand houses. Though developed for use on land, the falconet gained naval prominence during the 17th century for the defense of light vessels; for example, on small boats for

boarding Boarding may refer to: *Boarding, used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals as in a: ** Boarding house **Boarding school *Boarding (horses) (also known as a livery yard, livery stable, or boarding stable), is a stable where ho ...

maneuvers.

Gallery

File:Caña de falconete (1476-1525). Museo Naval de Madrid.jpg, A barrel of a swivel gun falconete (ca. 1476-1525). Material: Iron. Caliber: 65 mm. File: Falconet in the Peasants War Museum Muehlhausen.jpg, Falconet in the Peasants War Museum Muehlhausen. File: Falconet wrought iron 17th century (16424842933).jpg, Wrought iron falconet, 17th century. File: Falconete Museu Marinha Lisboa.jpg, Breech-loading falconet in the Navy Museum of Lisbon, Portugal. Bronze. Reign of Sebastian I (1557-1578). Found in 1985 in the shipwreck of Portuguese carrack Santiago on the shallows of Judia, Indian Ocean. File:Clevelandart 1916.1915.jpg, Bronze falconet. Diameter: 11.2 cm (4 7/16 in.); Overall: 162.2 cm (63 7/8 in.); Bore: 4.7 cm (1 7/8 in.). File: Berlin. Spandau. Citadel 068.JPG, Falconet (1526); kartouwe (1617); kartouwe (1635); culverin (1681); rifle-barrelled cannon (1730); exhibition in the Spandau Citadel. File:Falconet, col·lecció d'armes municipals, torres de Quart de València.JPG, Breech-loading wrought iron falconet, 15th-16th century A.D.

References

External links

''Artillery through the ages''''Picture of a 17th century falconet
' {{DEFAULTSORT:Falconet (Cannon) Cannon Naval artillery

Gallery

See also

References

External links