Organ Gun (Ribauldequin)
Various medieval gunsmiths · Machine Gun · Out Of Production · 1400
Also known as: Ribauldequin, Ribault, Ribaudkin, Rabauld, Infernal Machine, Organ Gun
Overview
The organ gun, or ribauldequin, was a late-medieval volley gun consisting of many small-caliber iron barrels mounted parallel side by side on a flat platform or cart, resembling the pipes of an organ. A single train of powder connected the touch holes so that all barrels discharged in near-simultaneous volley, producing a devastating shower of shot against massed infantry. First recorded in the army of Edward III of England in France in 1339, it remained in use as an anti-personnel and fortification-defence weapon into the 17th century. It is regarded as a conceptual ancestor of the multi-barrel mitrailleuse and the machine gun.
Specifications
| Barrel Length | 665 mm (26.18") |
| Action Type | Muzzleloader |
| Magazine Capacity | 12 rounds |
| Barrel Rifling | Smoothbore |
| Frame Material | Wood |
| Barrel Material | Iron |
Calibers
- Organ gun lead ball (16-18mm) · primary — also known as lead ball, iron shot
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Fixed Multi Barrel Volley
- Features: Multi Barrel Volley, Single Powder Train Ignition, Cart Mounted, Muzzle Loaded, Anti Personnel
Service history
Operators
- Kingdom of England · adopted 1339
- Duchy of Burgundy
- Spanish forces
Conflicts
- Hundred Years' War (1337-1453)
- Wars of the Roses (1455-1487)
- Italian Wars (1494-1559)
Production
Production years: c.1339-1600
Built individually by military engineers; Leonardo da Vinci produced famous organ-gun designs. No production totals survive.
Origin
Country of origin: France
Discontinued: 1600
Notes
Barrel count varied enormously: Edward III's had 12 barrels, Italian versions around 9, and Louis XII of France reportedly owned one of 50 barrels; a wagon design theoretically carried up to 144. The 665mm barrel length and 16-18mm ball cited here are from a reconstruction of the Edward III pattern. The major weakness was reloading: every barrel had to be re-charged by hand after a single volley.
Background
Pedro Navarro wheeled ribauldequins against the French at the Battle of Ravenna in 1512, and Eastern European armies kept the volley guns in service into the 1600s, more than two centuries after Edward III first deployed them.