The Pumhart von Steyr () is a
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
large-calibre cannon from
Styria
Styria ( ; ; ; ) is an Austrian Federal states of Austria, state in the southeast of the country. With an area of approximately , Styria is Austria's second largest state, after Lower Austria. It is bordered to the south by Slovenia, and cloc ...
,
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
, and the largest known
wrought-iron bombard by
caliber
In guns, particularly firearms, but not #As a measurement of length, artillery, where a different definition may apply, caliber (or calibre; sometimes abbreviated as "cal") is the specified nominal internal diameter of the gun barrel Gauge ( ...
. It weighs around and has a length of more than . It was produced in the early 15th century and could fire, according to modern calculations, an stone ball weighing to a distance of roughly after being loaded with of gunpowder and set at an elevation of 10°.
The bombard is today on display in one of the artillery halls of the
Heeresgeschichtliches Museum at
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
.
Besides the Pumhart von Steyr, a number of 15th-century European large-calibre weapons are known to have been employed primarily in
siege warfare
A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characte ...
, including the wrought-iron
Mons Meg and
Dulle Griet as well as the cast-bronze
Faule Mette,
Faule Grete and
Grose Bochse.
Footnotes
See also
*
List of the largest cannon by caliber
References
*
Further reading
*
External links
800 mm artillery
Individual cannons
Medieval artillery
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