Medieval Hand Cannon
Various medieval gunsmiths · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1400
Also known as: Handgonne, Hand-gonne, Hand gun, Tannenberg Gun
Overview
The medieval hand cannon (handgonne) is the earliest form of portable firearm, a simple cast-bronze or wrought-iron tube mounted on a wooden pole or tiller. It was muzzle-loaded with black powder and a metal or stone ball, then fired by touching a glowing wire or slow match to a touch hole drilled in the rear of the barrel. Widely used across 14th- and 15th-century Europe, it was the direct ancestor of the matchlock arquebus. The Tannenberg Gun of 1399, recovered from a castle well in Hesse, Germany, is the oldest surviving firearm that can be dated with certainty.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 1235 g (43.6 oz) |
| Overall Length | 320 mm (12.60") |
| Barrel Length | 286 mm (11.26") |
| Action Type | Muzzleloader |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Effective Range | 46 m (50 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Smoothbore |
| Frame Material | Bronze |
| Barrel Material | Bronze |
| Stock Material | Wood |
Calibers
- Hand cannon ball (~15-18mm) · primary — also known as lead ball, stone ball, iron ball
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Single Shot Muzzle Loaded
- Features: Touch Hole Ignition, Wooden Tiller Pole, Muzzle Loaded
Service history
Operators
- Late medieval European armies
- Kingdom of France · adopted 1338
Conflicts
- Hundred Years' War (1337-1453)
Production
Production years: c.1330-1500
Hand-made in countless local workshops; no production records survive. Evolved into the matchlock arquebus by the late 15th century.
Origin
Country of origin: Germany
Discontinued: 1500
Notes
Specifications are based on the Tannenberg Gun (1399), a cast-bronze specimen now in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg. Bore figures across surviving examples range 14-18mm. Lethal against unarmored troops to roughly 50 yards (46m), armor-piercing only at close range (~20 yards). Two-man operation was common, one bracing the gun while another applied the match.
Background
Hand cannons sailed with Columbus in 1492 and were carried by Cortes and Pizarro into Mexico and Peru, where their thunderous report and smoke were as valuable for terrifying defenders as for the wounds they inflicted.