Culverin
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15th century culveriners.

A culverin was a simple ancestor of the musket, and later a medieval cannon of relatively long barrel and light construction that fired solid round shot projectiles with a high muzzle velocity, giving a relatively long range and flat trajectory. Round shot refers to the classic solid spherical cannonball. The culverin was adapted for use by the French in the 15th century, and later adapted for naval use by the English in the late 16th century. The culverin was used to bombard targets from a distance.

Hand culverins

"Hand bombard", or early culverin, 1390-1400.

Hand culverin (middle) with two small cannons, Europe, 15th century.

Early culverins (15th century): a hand culverin (top), and a sabot-loaded culverin (bottom).

The term "culverin" is derived from the Latin, colubrinus, or "of the nature of a snake". It was originally the name of a medieval ancestor of the musket, used in the 15th and 16th centuries.^[1]

The hand culverin consisted in a simple smoothbore tube, closed at one hand except for a small hole designed to fire the gunpowder. The tube was held in place by a wooden piece which could be held under the arm. The tube was loaded with gunpowder and lead bullets. The culverin was fired by inserting a lighted cord into the hole.

"Murderer", 1410 France.

These hand culverins soon evolved into heavier portable culverins, around 40kg in weight, which required a swivel for support and aiming. Such culverins were further equipped with back-loading sabots to facilitate reloading, and were often used on ships.

Field culverins

There were three types of culverin in use, distinguished by their size: the culverin extraordinary, the ordinary, and the least-sized. The culverin extraordinary had a diameter of 5 1/2 inches (13.97 cm), a length of 32 calibers (13 ft, 3.9 m), and a weight of 4800 pounds (2177 kg); its load weighed over 12 pounds (5.4 kg), and it carried a shot with a diameter of 5 1/4 inches and weight of 20 pounds. The ordinary culverin was 12 ft long, carried a ball of 17 pounds 5 ounces, had a caliber of 5 1/2 inches, and weighed 4500 pounds. The culverin of the least size had a diameter of 5 inches, was 12 ft long, weighed 4000, carried a shot 3 1/4 inches in diameter, weighing 14 pounds 9 ounces.^[2]

Bronze culverins and demi-cannon

There were also smaller versions, including the bastard culverin (4 inches diameter, 7 pound shot) and the demi-culverin or culverin-moyen (4 1/2 inches [11.43 cm] diamter, 10 pound [4.5 kg] shot).^[1]

Overall, the culverin was a significant advantage over the ballista, which was the "light artillery" unit of the previous eras. Since it fired a ball of iron and relied on gunpowder for propulsion, the heavier ball meant a more stable flight and the gunpowder propulsion meant a faster and farther-ranged weapon. A replica culverin extraordinary has achieved a muzzle velocity of 408 m/s, and a range over 450 m using only mimimal elevation.^[3]

The culverin was later replaced by the field gun once technology had advanced to the point where cannonballs had become explosive.

"Hurrah! the foes are moving. Hark to the mingled din,

Of fife, and steed, and trump, and drum, and roaring culverin."

Macaulay, Ivry, 31-32

"In this, my countrymen, be rul'd by me:

Have special care that no man sally forth

Till you shall hear a culverin discharg'd

By him that bears the linstock, 199 kindled thus;

Then issue out and come to rescue me,

For happily I shall be in distress,

Or you released of this servitude."

Marlowe, The Jew of Malta, Act V

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References

1. ^ ^{a b} "culverin". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 2nd ed. 1989.
2. ^ This article incorporates content from the 1728 Cyclopaedia, a publication in the public domain.
3. ^ Discovery Channel, Battlefield Detectives, episode "Who Sank the Armada"

External links

• [1] Encyclopedia Britannica
• [2] Specifications and pictures of a French culverin found in the Azores.