The Pumhart von Steyr (lit. 'Styrian Bombard')[1] is a medieval large-calibre cannon from Styria, Austria, and the largest known wrought-iron bombard by caliber.[2] It weighs around 8 t (7.9 long tons; 8.8 short tons) and has a length of more than 2.59 m (8 ft 6 in). It was produced in the early 15th century and could fire, according to modern calculations, an 800 mm (31 in) stone ball weighing 690 kg (1,520 lb) to a distance of roughly 600 m (2,000 ft) after being loaded with 15 kg (33 lb) of gunpowder and set at an elevation of 10°.[3]
The bombard is today on display in one of the artillery halls of the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum at Vienna.
Besides the Pumhart von Steyr, a number of 15th-century European large-calibre weapons are known to have been employed primarily in siege warfare, including the wrought-iron Mons Meg and Dulle Griet as well as the cast-bronze Faule Mette, Faule Grete and Grose Bochse.
Footnotes
- ^ "The Continuing Usefulness of Spolia II: Canons-Pierriers and Marble Cannon Balls". artserve.anu.edu.au.
- ^ Schmidtchen 1977a, p. 162
- ^ Schmidtchen 1977a, p. 163
See also
References
- Schmidtchen, Volker (1977a). "Riesengeschütze des 15. Jahrhunderts. Technische Höchstleistungen ihrer Zeit". Technikgeschichte. 44 (2): 153–173 (162–164).
Further reading
- Schmidtchen, Volker (1977b). Bombarden, Befestigungen, Büchsenmeister: Von den ersten Mauerbrechern des Spätmittelalters zur Belagerungsartillerie der Renaissance. Düsseldorf: Droste. pp. 33–34. ISBN 3-7700-0471-X.
External links
Media related to Pumhart von Steyr at Wikimedia Commons