Who cast the Tsar's cannon? Tsar Cannon
But is the “Tsar Cannon” a prop or a real artillery piece? Yes and no.
Here, as they say, “on the third day” I visited India () and, along with all sorts of beauties, I saw the largest cannon in Asia there.
While I was near this weapon, a thought was spinning in my head... but we have more, but it was interrupted by another - yes - that is, but there are just rumors that it (ours) is not real, but a fake, and since certainty it wasn’t, then some kind of ambiguity remained in my soul, and I don’t like this state...
Even then I decided that when I come home I’ll definitely find out!
Maybe everything would have been forgotten, but then my son and the whole class went on an excursion to Moscow and then, upon arrival, showed photos, including this one:
and all sorts of doubts came flooding back again, and since I’m still an artilleryman (oh, what kind of artilleryman are you, knowledgeable people will exclaim, you make an artilleryman like Savchenko is a pilot) I decided to finally figure out what’s what, especially since I’m going to take a ride here one of these days Moscow and walk around historical places there, climb skyscrapers, visit Poklonnaya Hill.
Well, it’s understandable to visit the Kremlin, but you won’t be able to pass by the “Tsar Cannons” there.
As you know, the Tsar Cannon is a medieval artillery piece and a monument to Russian artillery, cast in bronze in 1586 by Russian master Andrei Chokhov at the Cannon Yard.
The Tsar is a bronze cannon.
But this is the barrel itself, everything else that is on display is, yes... - a prop, namely: cast iron cannonballs (they are hollow inside, by the way), which in the 19th century became the source of talk about the decorative purpose of the gun.
In the 16th century they used stone cores, and they were 2.5 times lighter than the cast iron ones. We can say with absolute certainty that the walls of the cannon would not have withstood the pressure of the powder gases when fired with such a cannonball. Of course, this was understood when they were cast at the Byrd plant.
The gun carriage, cast there, is also a fake. You can't shoot from it. When a standard 800-kilogram stone cannonball is fired from a 40-ton Tsar Cannon, even with a low initial speed of 100 meters per second, the following will happen: expanding powder gases, creating pressure, will seem to expand the space between the cannonball and the bottom of the cannon; the core will begin to move in one direction, and the cannon in the opposite direction, and the speed of their movement will be inversely proportional to the mass (the lighter the body, the faster it will fly).
The mass of the cannon is only 50 times the mass of the cannonball (in a Kalashnikov assault rifle, for example, this ratio is about 400), so when the cannonball flies forward at a speed of 100 meters per second, the cannon will roll back at a speed of about 2 meters per second. This colossus will not stop right away, after all, it’s 40 tons. The rollback energy will be approximately equal to a hard impact of the KAMAZ into an obstacle at a speed of 30 km/h. The Tsar Cannon will be torn off its carriage. Moreover, she simply lies on top of him like a log. All this can only be held by a special sliding carriage with hydraulic dampers (recoil dampers) and reliable mounting of the gun. It simply didn’t exist then. . Therefore, the artillery complex that they show us in the Kremlin called the Tsar Cannon is a giant prop.
But this is only part of the picture. There is another one.
What Andrei Chokhov cast in 1586, that is, the bronze barrel itself, could really fire. It would just look completely different from what many people think. The fact is that by its design the Tsar Cannon is not a cannon, but a classic bombard. A cannon is a weapon with a barrel length of 40 calibers and above. The Tsar Cannon has a barrel length of only 4 calibers. But for a bombard this is just normal. They were often of impressive size and were used for siege, like battering rams. To destroy a fortress wall, you need a very heavy shell. This is what giant calibers are for.
There was no talk of any gun carriage then. The trunk was simply buried in the ground. The flat end rested on deeply driven piles.
Nearby they dug shelters for the artillery crew, since such weapons could be torn apart. Charging sometimes took a day. Hence the rate of fire of such guns is from 1 to 6 shots per day. But all this was worth it, because it made it possible to crush impregnable walls, do without months-long sieges and reduce combat losses during the assault.
Only this can be the meaning of casting a 40-ton barrel with a caliber of 900 mm. The Tsar Cannon is a bombard - a battering ram gun designed to besiege enemy fortresses.
Now about that - did she shoot?
In 1980, specialists from the Academy named after Dzerzhinsky concluded that the Tsar Cannon was fired at least once...
However, as they say now, not everything is so obvious - the report of these same specialists was not published for unknown reasons. And since the report is not shown to anyone, it cannot be considered evidence. The phrase “they shot at least once” was apparently dropped by one of them in a conversation or interview, otherwise we would not have known anything about it at all. If the gun had been used for its intended purpose, then inevitably there would have been not only particles of gunpowder in the barrel, which according to rumors were found, but also mechanical damage in the form of longitudinal scratches. In battle, the Tsar Cannon would fire not cotton wool, but stone cannonballs weighing approximately 800 kg.
There should also be some wear on the surface of the bore. It cannot be otherwise, because bronze is a fairly soft material. The expression “at least” just indicates that, apart from particles of gunpowder, nothing significant could be found there. If this is so, then the gun was not used for its intended purpose. And particles of gunpowder could remain from test shots. The point in this issue is put by the fact that the Tsar Cannon never left Moscow.
“After the Tsar Cannon was cast and finished at the Cannon Yard, it was dragged to the Spassky Bridge and laid on the ground next to the Peacock cannon. To move the gun, ropes were tied to eight brackets on its barrel; 200 horses were harnessed to these ropes at the same time, and they rolled the cannon, which lay on huge roller logs. Initially, the “Tsar” and “Peacock” guns lay on the ground near the bridge leading to the Spasskaya Tower, and the Kashpirov cannon lay near the Zemsky Prikaz, located where the Historical Museum is now. In 1626, they were lifted from the ground and installed on log buildings densely packed with earth. These platforms were called roskats..."
At home, using a battering gun for its intended purpose is somehow suicidal. Who were they going to shoot at with an 800-kilogram cannonball from the Kremlin walls? It is pointless to shoot at enemy manpower once a day. There were no tanks then.
Of course, these huge battering guns were put on public display not for combat purposes, but as an element of the prestige of the power. And, of course, this was not their main purpose. Under Peter I, the Tsar Cannon was installed on the territory of the Kremlin itself. There she remains to this day. Why has it never been used in combat, although it is quite combat-ready as a battering weapon? Perhaps the reason for this is its excessive weight? Was it realistic to move such a weapon over long distances?
Modern historians extremely rarely ask themselves the question: “why?” And the question is extremely useful. So let's ask, why was it necessary to cast a siege weapon weighing 40 tons if it could not be delivered to the enemy city? To scare the ambassadors? Hardly. They could make a cheap mockup for this and show it from afar. Why spend so much work and bronze on a bluff? No, the Tsar Cannon was cast to be used practically. This means they could have moved it. How could they do this?
40 tons is very heavy. and the “Tsar Cannon” was dragged, not transported.
Look at the picture of a heavy weapon being loaded - a transport platform is visible in the background. It has a bow curved upward (protection from sticking into uneven surfaces). The platform was clearly used for sliding. That is, the load was dragged, not rolled. And it is right. It is also understandable that the curved bow is bound with metal, because the cargo is very heavy. The weight of most battering guns did not exceed 20 tons.
Let's assume that they covered the main part of the journey by water. Moving these bombards over short distances of several kilometers with the help of many horses is also a feasible task, although very difficult.
Is it possible to do the same with a 40 ton gun?
Let's say goodbye to the idea that our rulers were stupider than today's historians. It’s enough to blame everything on the inexperience of the craftsmen and the tyranny of the kings. The king, who managed to occupy this high post, ordered a 40-ton gun, paid for its production, was clearly no fool, and should have thought very carefully about his action. Such costly issues cannot be resolved at the end of the day. He understood exactly how he was going to deliver this “gift” to the walls of enemy cities.
The fact that the Tsar Cannon is not just a surge of enthusiasm among Moscow foundry workers is proven by the existence of an even more enormous weapon, Malik - er - Maidan.
It was cast at Ahman Dagar in India in 1548 and weighs as much as 57 tons.
This is a siege weapon with the same purpose as the Tsar Cannon, only 17 tons heavier.
And how many more such weapons need to be discovered in order to understand that at that time they were cast, delivered to besieged cities and practically used?
So a logical picture has lined up. In the 16th century, the Principality of Moscow waged numerous military operations both in the east (capture of Kazan), in the south (Astrakhan), and in the west (wars with Poland, Lithuania and Sweden). The cannon was cast in 1586.
Although Kazan had already been taken by this time, and the Western countries had established a shaky truce, however, more like a respite.
Could the Tsar Cannon be in demand under these conditions? Yes, definitely. The success of the military campaign depended on the presence of battering ram artillery. The fortified cities of our western neighbors had to be taken somehow.
The Tsar Cannon is real.
The surroundings around her are a sham.
The formed public opinion about her is false.
On the one hand, we have an example of a gigantic props of the 19th century, on the other, one of the largest working medieval guns, and it turns out that a real miracle is on display in the Kremlin (it’s not for nothing that the Tsar Cannon was included in the Guinness Book of Records), disguised as absurdity , but for some reason we don’t notice it.
Maybe because they are zombified by Russophobic propaganda, false hypotheses and the opinion of liberal “authorities” who claim that except for “slurping cabbage soup with bast shoes”, the Russians did not know how and do not know anything...
And now some interesting and educational facts and tales associated with this miracle gun.
- Gumilyov claims that she shot False Dmitry I, the only Pole who returned to Poland from Russia, however, in the form of a mixture of black powder and teeth.
- They also say that the second shot was fired in the 60s of the 20th century - the gun was taken to the firing range before being moved. The cannonball flew about 250 meters. The weight of the core is 40 pounds.
- The famous mathematician and troll Fomenko claims that the Tsar Cannon was cast under Nicholas II, and previously it did not exist at all.
- The Tsar Cannon was moved back and forth for a long time. First it was placed on Lobnoye Mesto, then it was moved inside the Kremlin to the Arsenal building. Then they pulled it out and placed it side by side on a decorative carriage and placed two stacks of kernels next to it. And only under Soviet rule in the 60s they brought it to Ivanovskaya Square, where it still stands today.
- In 2001, a duplicate was made by special order in Izhevsk and donated to Donetsk. The duplicate weighs 42 tons. Completely souvenir, cannot be used for its intended purpose.
- In 2007, a duplicate was also cast in Yoshkar-Ola, half the original size. They claim that this is a working model, so they put a core in the barrel and welded it there. Unlike the original, it is made entirely of steel (the original has a bronze barrel). Weight - 12 tons.
- Other weapons made by Chokhov have also survived.
Siege arquebus "Skoropea"
Siege arquebus "Lion"
The siege arquebus “Lion”, slightly redesigned, now looks like this.
All of them are located in St. Petersburg in the Artillery Museum on Kronverkskaya Embankment.
The Tsar Cannon in Moscow is a famous monument to artillery and foundry, one of the main attractions of the Moscow Kremlin. The caliber of the legendary gun is recognized as the largest in the world. Like the Tsar Bell standing next door, this ancient instrument is of particular historical and tourist significance for tourists and guests of the capital.
The weight of the Tsar Cannon is 39.31 tons, length is 5.34 meters, the diameter of the patterned belt at the muzzle is 1.34 meters, while the outer diameter of its barrel is 1.2 meters. Caliber - 890 mm. The gun is cast from bronze, the carriage is cast iron.
Despite the fact that this weapon has a competitor in the form of the German cannon (caliber - 800 mm, weight - 1350 tons), the Kremlin Tsar Cannon is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest caliber weapon on the planet.
Short story
Many people heard about the Tsar Cannon in childhood. In the books this weapon was called the Giant of the Moscow Kremlin. Since her birth, she has never ceased to amaze not only children, but also adults with her beauty, strength and power.
The Tsar Cannon in the Kremlin was cast at the Cannon Yard by foundry worker Andrei Chokhov. This event took place in 1586. Initially, the cannon barrel was placed on a wooden beam near Lobnoye Mesto. Later, log beams were replaced with reliable stone ones.
The enormous weight made its transportation extremely problematic. But this task was accomplished with the help of 200 horses, which dragged heavy weapons along the log flooring. For ease of transportation, four special brackets are mounted on each side of the barrel for securing rope strips.
The gun was moved several times to different places in the Kremlin. After the construction of the Kremlin Palace of Congresses was completed, the gun was moved to a new location - Ivanovskaya Square.
Today the Tsar Cannon is located next to the Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles on a decorative special carriage, manufactured much later than the cannon itself in 1835 at the Berda factory in St. Petersburg.
It is believed that the weapon was created for the defense of the Kremlin, but modern researchers claim that the Tsar Cannon would not have coped with the mission assigned to it. Due to its dimensions and design features, it is only suitable for destroying thick fortress walls.
According to historian Alexei Lobin, by its design the Tsar Cannon is not a cannon at all, but a bombard. What does the barrel length indicate - 3.4 calibers, which is the standard ratio for bombards of that time, while a classic gun usually has a barrel length exceeding 40 calibers.
Hollow cast-iron cannonballs, cast in 1835, are stacked in front of the cannon. Each shell weighs almost two tons. True, the cannon is not capable of firing such cannonballs - due to their enormous weight, the cannon would most likely simply explode. Therefore, they have an exclusively decorative function. According to experts' calculations, the cannon could fire stone cannonballs weighing no more than 1 ton or buckshot.
Did the Tsar Cannon ever fire?
It is believed that the Tsar Cannon never fired, but was made in order to instill fear in foreigners. It was supposed to instill fear in all enemies, including the leaders of the Crimean Tatars.
In the 1980s, a group of restorers came to the conclusion that the gun could not fire, as evidenced by sagging and unevenness in the barrel, as well as the absence of traces of cleaning after casting the gun. Also, no seed hole was made.
There is another version according to which particles of gunpowder were found in the cannon channel, which means that the bombard was still fired at least once.
Decor
The bombard and gun carriage are decorated with cast patterns and ornaments. There are fastenings for transportation on the sides of the barrel. On the right side is depicted Prince Fyodor Ivanovich sitting on horseback. He has a crown on his head, and on top there is an inscription describing the personality of the ruler. There is an opinion that thanks to the image of Fyodor Ivanovich, the legendary Tsar Cannon received its name. Another version claims that the name of the weapon is associated solely with its large size.
In order to perpetuate the name of the foundry worker, an inscription was made on the gun: “Cannon maker Andrei Chokhov worked on the creation of the cannon.”
Copies of the Tsar Cannon
Throughout the years of its existence, the Tsar Cannon fell in love with many foundry workers. In 2001, an exact copy of the gun was made in Udmurtia. Its weight was 42 tons, and the weight of the core was 1.2 tons. This copy was solemnly presented to Donetsk (Ukraine).
There is also a copy of the Tsar Cannon in Perm. This weapon belongs to the combat category. It was actively tested. Therefore, more than 300 shots were fired with cannonballs, as well as bombs, the flight range of which was 1.5 km. The Perm Tsar Cannon was manufactured for Kronstadt in order to reliably protect the northern capital of our country from the naval side.
Replicas of the Tsar Cannon and monuments named after it also exist in Yoshkar-Ola and Izhevsk.
Opening hours and ticket prices in 2019
Tourists can come and see the artillery monument on all days of the week except Thursday. From May 15 to September 30, the attraction welcomes tourists from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. From October 1 to May 14, the Tsar Cannon welcomes guests from 10 am to 5 pm.
To get to the Kremlin territory, you should buy a single ticket to visit the architectural ensemble of Cathedral Square. It will allow you not only to see the Tsar Cannon, but also to watch the Ceremonial Dividing of the Horse and Foot Guards of the Presidential Regiment. The ceremony takes place at noon on Saturdays.
The ticket costs 500 rubles. Tickets are sold to pensioners and full-time students at a discount - for 250 rubles.
How to get to the Tsar Cannon in Moscow
The best and fastest way to go Metro. The Tsar Cannon is located near the station. “Alexandrovsky Garden”, “Library named after. Lenin", "Borovitskaya". To get off the metro in the right place, you need to find the exit to the Alexander Garden at the sign. If you did everything correctly, a long pedestrian crossing will await you, at the end of which there will be ticket offices for paying for your visit to the Kremlin territory. The ticket offices are located near the Kutafya Tower within the Alexander Garden.
After this, you should enter the Kremlin itself through the Trinity Tower. Then you need to walk along the Palace of Congresses and reach the legendary Tsar Cannon.
You can also get there by bus. The nearest stops are at the entrance to the Kremlin through the Kutafya Tower - Art. m. Library named after. Lenin. Suitable routes are M1, M2, M3, M6, H1, H2, K, 144.
For those who don't like public transport, there is taxi calling apps and: Uber, Yandex.Taxi, Gett and car sharing: Delimobil, Belkacar, Lifcar.
Panorama of Ivanovo Square near the Tsar Cannon
Video “Tsar Cannon in 1908”
Tsar Cannon in the Moscow Kremlin
The Tsar Cannon is called no matter what: the first among guns in caliber, a masterpiece of foundry art, the pride of an artillery collection, a symbol of Russian power. Even one of these epithets is enough to attract the attention of tourists to it. The caliber of the miracle gun is 890 millimeters, and this figure is truly the largest of all known world analogues.
The Tsar Cannon - both as a weapon, and as an open-air museum exhibit, and as a calling card of Belokamennaya among other historical monuments - is very original. On the one hand, it is an example of the largest medieval weapon, and on the other hand, it is the clearest example of “gigantism” of the 19th century. The origin of the name of the original landmark, which has not yet been solved by scientists, is also intriguing. Some suggest that it is connected with the fact that one of the Russian autocrats is depicted on the cannon. Others believe that the name is due solely to the impressive size of this weapon.
Be that as it may, there are few foreign tourists who, having arrived in Moscow, would not want to look at this miracle of props. In addition to the fact that the Tsar Cannon is the largest caliber weapon in the world, it is 5.34 meters long and weighs about 40 tons. These indicators were enough to include the majestic Moscow beauty in the Guinness Book of Records. And how can you then pass by such a unique landmark without touching it with your own hands and taking a photo in front of it?
History of the Tsar Cannon
In 1586, alarming news spread throughout Moscow that the Crimean Khan Islyam II Giray was moving into the city with his horde, so it was necessary to create a weapon for the defense of the Kremlin, and this task was entrusted to the Russian master Andrei Chokhov. That same year, a huge cannon was cast in the cannon yard. It was installed right on Red Square, near the so-called Execution Ground. A log sheet (flooring) was used as the base. Before this, it was necessary to use 200 horses, which dragged the gun along the logs; 4 brackets were provided on each side for attaching ropes. After some time, the log flooring was replaced with stone.
The Polish hussar Samuil Matskevich recalled on this occasion that “in the Russian capital there is a huge gun so large” that the soldiers of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth can hide “inside it” during the rain.
Meanwhile, the Crimean Khan did not reach Moscow, so no one had a chance to see how the unique weapon fired. In the 18th century, the cannon was moved to the capital's Kremlin, and since then it has been there, in the very heart of the Mother See. First, the gun was placed in the courtyard of the Arsenal, built by Peter I as a Zeichhaus - a repository for ancient and captured weapons. Subsequently, the Tsar Cannon “guarded” the main gates of the Arsenal.
In 1835, it, as well as other century-old guns, was placed along the Armory. It was erected on a new cast-iron carriage, made according to the sketches of Academician A.P. Bryullov. In the 60s of the last century, the Tsar Cannon celebrated another “housewarming”: it was placed in the place where it remains to this day.
Despite the surviving evidence that Tsar Fyodor I Ioannovich gave the order to produce such a large weapon for the meeting of the Crimean Khan’s troops, many researchers believe that in fact the Tsar Cannon was only supposed to make a “frightening” impression on foreigners with its impressive appearance. Writer Albert Valentinov, for example, argued that the master himself, Andrei Chokhov, initially knew that his huge, clumsy brainchild would not shoot. Even if we assume, the writer further reasoned, that the huge amount of gunpowder that is necessary to push out a two-ton cannonball does not blow the barrel to smithereens, it is simply impossible to imagine the Tsar Cannon in battle. After all, due to such a large weight, dragging it from one position to another would be an almost insoluble problem. Valentinov also argued that the foundry’s goal was, first of all, to show the capabilities of the Russian arms industry, and the gun itself was supposed to become a symbol of Russia’s power in the face of possible enemies. Chokhov’s logic, in his opinion, was simple and should have convinced all foreigners: if Russian masters were able to create such a large cannon, they were even more capable of smaller guns.
The assessments of many highly specialized gunsmiths echo the writer’s opinion. Thus, one of them, Alexander Shirokorad, in his work “Miracle Weapons of the Russian Empire” claims that at the cost of costs, instead of this gun, it would be possible to make about two dozen small shotguns, the loading of which would take only 1-2 minutes. While it would take a whole day to load our mighty beauty. In this regard, Shirokorad asks a rhetorical question, quote: “What place did our military think when they wrote down the Tsar Cannon as shotguns?..”
It would seem that the assessments of experts, supported by simple logic and ironclad arguments, should have put an end to the discussion about whether the mission of this weapon was military or, conversely, only propaganda? However, subsequent studies did not confirm the version that the Tsar Cannon was cast only so that it would frighten foreigners with its terrifying appearance. As it turned out, it really belongs to the bombard type - large-caliber siege weapons with a small extension of the barrel, designed to fire 800-kilogram stone cannonballs.
When the Germans advanced near Moscow in 1941, they seriously planned to use the Tsar Cannon to protect the capital from the enemy.
In 1980, the gun was sent for repairs to Serpukhov. At the same time, she was examined by specialists from the Dzerzhinsky Artillery Academy. They confirmed that the structure of the barrel clearly indicates that this is a classic bombard, designed to fire stone cannonballs, that is, “shot.” They classified it as a mounted fire weapon, the transportation of which from place to place was not necessary - such weapons were simply dug into the ground.
Other researchers have no doubt that the Tsar Cannon was fired at least once. Others object: there were tides of bronze left in the barrel chamber, which should not have been there after the shooting. The latter reinforce their position by the fact that the gun does not have a ignition hole, and this circumstance makes firing from it a priori impossible.
What does the Tsar Cannon look like?
Regardless of whether the Tsar Cannon could have been used for the defense of the Kremlin or whether it had a completely “decorative” purpose, it had and still has a ceremonial and majestic appearance. Cast from bronze, the beautiful cannon solemnly, even somewhat proudly, rises on a cast-iron carriage that is almost two centuries old. Next to it are cannonballs cast in 1834 from the same material, each of which weighs 1.97 tons. Of course, the weapon cannot fire such cannonballs.
Once on the right side of the Tsar Cannon, you will see an image of the sovereign-autocrat Fyodor I Ioannovich, also known by the name Theodore the Blessed, sitting on a horse. He has a crown on his head and a scepter in his hands. Those who are not very familiar with history will be able to read next to who exactly is depicted here.
Tsar Cannon in the photoIt is believed, and we said this at the very beginning, that the weapon received its name - the Tsar Cannon - thanks to this image. After all, Fyodor Ivanovich was not only the Grand Duke of Moscow, but also the Tsar of All Rus'. However, on this score, as well as on other points related to the history of the landmark, there is an alternative opinion: the gun received its name due to its dimensions, which really make it the “king” among all ordinary guns.
Now he has moved to the opposite side of the trunk, which faces another famous landmark - the Tsar Bell. On it we can see the inscription that the cannon was cast in the “preeminent royal city of Moscow in the summer of 7094 in the third year of its state,” and that the cannon was cast by “cannon maker Ondrei Chokhov.” But why is such a year indicated, evoking associations with the Byzantine chronology, which, in turn, goes back to the Old Testament? The fact is that in the 16th century, chronology in Russia, as in Byzantium, was carried out from the “creation of the world.” Counting years from the Nativity of Christ, as we are accustomed to today, began in Rus' at the end of the 17th century, on the orders of Peter the Great.
And, of course, we will not ignore the gun barrel, decorated with beautiful ornaments. Let’s talk separately about the gun carriage, which was cast according to the drawings of Pieter Jan de Wie. Foundry workers covered this 15-ton structure with a very original interweaving of plants, among which there is an image of a lion fighting a snake, which has a symbolic meaning. According to the general opinion, the king of beasts was placed here not by chance, but in order to emphasize the special status of the Tsar Cannon. The “plant” theme is continued on the spokes of the large wheels, which are designed in the form of leaves intertwining with each other.
A legend has survived to this day according to which the Tsar Cannon finally fired. And this happened only once, under False Dmitry I. When this self-proclaimed ruler was exposed, he tried to hastily leave the capital. On the way, he was overtaken by an armed detachment. The soldiers brutally killed the impostor, but after the body was buried, the next day... he was discovered near the almshouse. The surprise of the Muscovites knew no bounds, but they could not leave the corpse unburied. It was buried a second time in another place, to an even greater depth. But when the body of False Dmitry appeared again, people became seriously worried. Rumor spread that even the earth would not accept the impostor. And it was decided to burn the body, after which gunpowder was mixed into the ashes and fired from the Tsar Cannon in the direction of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, where, in fact, False Dmitry came from. Of course, this is just a legend, but who knows - what if something like this actually happened? It’s not for nothing that people say that there is no smoke without fire.
And another interesting fact. It turns out that in the place where the Tsar Cannon majestically “poses” in front of visitors, there was previously an ordinary tavern where a wide variety of people liked to have a glass or two.
Tsar Cannon and its copies
One of the most famous copies of the legendary weapon is located in Donetsk. For the capital of Donbass, it was cast specifically by order of the Moscow government at the Izhstal OJSC enterprise (Udmurtia). The “clone” even exceeds the original in terms of weight; it weighs 42 tons, of which a total of 3 tons are on both wheels. The weight of the kernel is 1.2 tons, and the diameter of the trunk is 89 cm.
The Donetsk Tsar Cannon, cast, unlike the Moscow one, from cast iron, was installed in front of the city hall in May 2001. In order to bring the appearance closer to the original, the barrel was covered with a special paint that imitates medieval bronze. The production of the duplicate took almost three months, being divided into two stages. First, a mold was made for the casting, and then it was filled with cast iron. All artistic elements, and there are 24 of them (the head of a lion, patterns on the trunk, the image of Tsar Feodor and many others) were made by Donetsk cabinetmakers Vitaly Antonenko and Mikhail Berezovsky.
Another famous copy of the Tsar Cannon is located in the capital of the Republic of Mari El, Yoshkar-Ola. It is installed at the entrance to the National Art Gallery on Obolensky-Nogotkov Square. The Mari copy was specially cast at the shipbuilding and ship repair plant named after S. N. Butyakov.
The Perm model of the Tsar Cannon is no less famous. She is the youngest of all, she was made at the Motovilikha Iron Cannon Factory back in 1868, and in life-size. Unlike the “big sister” in Moscow, the Perm 20-inch model successfully passed what is called the test by combat. During testing, 314 shots were fired from it, and not only with conventional nuclei, but also with bombs of various systems.
During the 1873 World Exhibition in Vienna, the Permian cannon was installed in front of the Russian pavilion. After the exhibition, it was to be transported to Kronstadt; a special carriage was even made for it. It was planned that the gun would serve to defend St. Petersburg from the sea. However, this giant was returned back to Perm. The fact is that by that time it was technically outdated. It was replaced by lighter guns made of high-strength cannon steel, the production technology of which was developed by the Zlatoust engineer-inventor Pavel Matveyevich Obukhov, who opened a plant in the city on the Neva. The Perm Tsar Cannon, like the Moscow one, was preserved as a monument.
How to get there
The Tsar Cannon is one of the most famous sights of Moscow, located in the heart of the city, so it is very easy to find.
Using the metro, you get to the Aleksandrovsky Sad station and go directly to this park, located on the northwest side of the Kremlin walls. Here, at the subway station, there are ticket offices for the Kremlin. Having purchased a ticket, go up to the Kutafya Tower and, after crossing the bridge and passing the Trinity Tower, you will find yourself directly on the territory of the Kremlin.
Then you go in the direction of Senate Square and turn right, after which you reach the Ivan the Great Bell Tower, next to which there is a unique ancient weapon, silent in its grandeur - Her Majesty the Tsar Cannon.
The Tsar Cannon has long become one of the symbols of Russia. And it was also included in dozens of jokes that feature the Tsar Cannon that never fired, the Tsar Bell that never rang, and some other non-working Russian miracle. In the second half of the 19th century, a number of works appeared that proved that the Tsar Cannon was as fake as its carriage. She never fired and was intended only to intimidate the Crimean Tatars. One of the proofs of the fake function of the cannon is an elementary mathematical calculation, showing that when firing cast-iron cannonballs, it will be blown to pieces.
But many historians doubted that 2,400 pounds of copper were spent on creating a fake weapon. And in the middle of the twentieth century, the historian A. Pozdneev wrote: “In 1591, when the Tatar hordes of Kazy-Girey approached Moscow, all Moscow artillery, including Chokhov’s Tsar Cannon, was put on alert. It was installed in Kitay-Gorod to protect the main Kremlin gates and the crossing of the Moscow River.”
The dispute over whether the Tsar Cannon fired was settled in 1980 by experts from the Academy. Dzerzhinsky. They examined the bore of the gun and, based on a number of signs, including the presence of particles of burnt gunpowder, concluded that the Tsar Cannon had been fired at least once.
STORY
In 1586, alarming news arrived in Moscow: the Crimean Khan and his horde were moving towards the city. In this regard, the Russian master Andrei Chokhov, by order of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich, cast a huge weapon that was intended to protect the Kremlin.
A giant cannon weighing 2,400 pounds (39,312 kg) was cast in 1586 at the Moscow Cannon Yard. The length of the Tsar Cannon is 5345 mm, the outer diameter of the barrel is 1210 mm, and the diameter of the thickening at the muzzle is 1350 mm. After the Tsar Cannon was cast and finished at the Cannon Yard, it was dragged and installed on a hill to protect the bridge over the Moscow River and the defense of the Spassky Gate and laid on the ground next to the Peacock cannon. To move the gun, ropes were tied to eight brackets on its barrel; 200 horses were harnessed to these ropes at the same time, and they rolled the cannon, which lay on huge logs - rollers.
In 1626, both cannons were lifted from the ground and installed on log frames tightly packed with earth. These platforms were called roskats. One of them, with the Tsar Cannon and the Peacock, was placed at the Execution Ground, the other, with the Kashpirova cannon, at the Nikolsky Gate. In 1636, the wooden rolls were replaced with stone ones, inside which warehouses and shops selling wine were built.
Currently, the Tsar Cannon is on a decorative cast-iron carriage, and next to it lie decorative cast-iron cannonballs, which were cast in 1834 in St. Petersburg at the Berda iron foundry. It is clear that it is physically impossible to shoot from this cast-iron carriage, nor to use cast-iron cannonballs (only lighter stone ones) - the Tsar Cannon will be smashed to smithereens! It’s worth saying right away that 4 cast-iron cannonballs, stacked in a pyramid near the foot of the cannon, serve a purely decorative function. They are hollow inside.
Documents about the testing of the Tsar Cannon or its use in combat conditions have not been preserved, which gave rise to lengthy disputes about its purpose. Most historians and military men in the 19th and early 20th centuries believed that the Tsar Cannon was a shotgun, that is, a weapon designed to fire shot, which in the 16th-17th centuries consisted of small stones. A minority of experts generally exclude the possibility of combat use of the gun, believing that it was made specifically to frighten foreigners, especially the ambassadors of the Crimean Tatars. Let us remember that in 1571 Khan Devlet Giray burned Moscow.
In the 18th - early 20th centuries, the Tsar Cannon was called a shotgun in all official documents. And only the Bolsheviks in the 1930s decided to increase its rank for propaganda purposes and began to call it a cannon.
In fact, this is not a cannon or a shotgun, but a classic bombard. A cannon is usually called a gun whose barrel length is more than 40 calibers. And this gun is only four calibers long, the same as the bombard. Bombards are large-sized battering guns that destroy a fortress wall. The carriage was not used for them, since the barrel was simply buried in the ground, and two trenches were dug nearby for the artillery crew, since such guns often exploded. Please note that the Tsar Cannon does not have trunnions, with the help of which the gun is given an elevation angle. In addition, it has an absolutely smooth rear section of the breech, with which it, like other bombards, rested against a stone wall or frame. The first bombard shells were round stones wrapped in ropes to smooth out irregularities in their shape.
So, the Tsar Cannon is a bombard designed to fire stone cannonballs. The weight of the stone core of the Tsar Cannon was about 50 pounds (819 kg), and a cast iron core of this caliber weighs 120 pounds (1.97 tons). As a shotgun, the Tsar Cannon was extremely ineffective. At the cost of the cost, instead, it was possible to produce 20 small shotguns, which would take much less time to load - not a day, but only 1-2 minutes.
Did 350-890mm bombards fire buckshot or crushed stone? Theoretically this is possible, but in practice it is very expensive and ineffective. Loading with a stone core lasted one and a half to two hours, and with crushed stone - several times longer. It was much more profitable to use buckshot from small and medium caliber guns.
Large bombards were intended to break through the walls of enemy fortresses. But at the end of the 16th century in Rus' there were dozens of battering guns that were much more effective, and most importantly, more mobile than the Tsar Cannon. Therefore, Chokhov's monster never left the walls of the Kremlin.
Instead of giant bombards, the functions of battering guns began to be performed by cannons. The invention of grained gunpowder, which was almost twice as effective as powder pulp, and the beginning of the production of cast iron cannonballs (first in France in 1493) made it feasible to manufacture long (20 calibers or more) guns. Such weapons had many names, of which one soon remained - cannon.
Who and why wrote the Tsar Cannon into shotguns? The fact is that in Russia, all the old guns located in the fortresses, with the exception of mortars, over time were automatically transferred to shotguns, that is, in the event of a siege of the fortress, they had to shoot shot (stone), and later - cast iron grapeshot at the infantry marching for the assault.
The fact is that a certificate about the state of artillery at the Moscow Arsenal in the early 1730s. provided by clerks who were not very literate in history and artillery.
Those guns that they wrote down as cannons could fire cast iron balls; howitzers and mortars - bombs, that is, hollow cannonballs filled with gunpowder. But the old guns could not fire either cast iron cannonballs or bombs, and stone cannonballs had long since been phased out. According to the clerks, these old artillery systems could only fire “shot,” so they were designated shotguns. It was inappropriate to use old guns to fire cannonballs or bombs: what if the barrel would blow apart, and the new guns had much better ballistic data. So the Tsar Cannon was recorded in shotguns.
FIRST SHOT
But the Tsar Cannon fired anyway. This happened once. According to LEGEND, after the impostor False Dmitry was exposed, he tried to escape from Moscow. But on the way he was brutally killed by an armed detachment.
The desecration of the body of False Dmitry showed how fickle the people are in their sympathies: a carnival mask was put on the dead face, a pipe was inserted into the mouth, and for another three days the corpse was smeared with tar, sprinkled with sand and spat on. This was a “trade execution”, to which only persons of “vile” origin were subjected.
On the day of his election, Tsar Vasily ordered the removal of False Dmitry from the square. The corpse was tied to a horse, dragged into a field and buried there by the side of the road. When the corpse of “Dmitry” was being transported through the fortress gates, a storm blew off the top of them.
Near the pit, which became the king’s last refuge, people saw blue lights rising straight from the ground.
The day after the burial, the corpse was found near the almshouse. They buried him even deeper, but after a while, the body appeared again, but in a different cemetery. People said that the land did not accept him.
Then the cold weather hit, and all the greenery in the city withered.
The clergy were alarmed by these events and the rumors accompanying them and deliberated for a long time on how best to put an end to the dead sorcerer and sorcerer.
On the advice of the monks, the corpse of False Dmitry was dug out of the hole, dragged through the streets of the city for the last time, after which it was taken to the village of Kotly, south of Moscow, and burned there. After this, the ashes were mixed with gunpowder and fired from the Tsar Cannon towards Poland - where False Dmitry came from.
Another refutation of the use of the weapon specifically for combat purposes is the absence of any traces in the barrel, including longitudinal scratches left by stone cannonballs.
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7.1. The Tsar Cannon and other old cannons in the Moscow Kremlin
Let us now turn to the famous Tsar Cannon, standing in the Moscow Kremlin, fig. 7.1–7.3. The 40-ton cannon was made by Russian craftsman Andrei Mokhov during the reign of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich. This is indicated by the inscription on the top of its vent, Fig. 7.4. Caliber of the Tsar Cannon - 890, fig. 7.5.
Rice. 7.1. Tsar cannon, cast by Andrei Chokhov in the 16th century. Today it stands in the Moscow Kremlin. Taken from, p. 33.
Rice. 7.2. Tsar Cannon. Photo from 2003.
Rice. 7.3. Tsar Cannon. Photo from 2003.
Rice. 7.4. The 40-ton Tsar cannon was cast by master Andrei Chokhov during the reign of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich. This is indicated by the inscription on the top of its vent. Photo from 2003.
Rice. 7.5. Caliber Tsar Cannon - 890. Photo from 2003.
N.V. Gordeev, the author of the interesting book “Tsar Cannon,” reports: “In Russia, the first guns appeared in the 14th century,” p. 7. The compiler and author of the book “The Moscow Kremlin in Antiquity and Now,” S. Bartenev, wrote: “The walls and archers of the Kremlin in the 16th century... were furnished with fortress artillery of the most diverse composition, among which were cast iron, iron and copper guns, ranging from the most small, firing small bullets... and ending with guns of 6 - 8-pound caliber (2400 g and 3200 g), placed one on each floor of the tower. In addition, on the ground below lay HUGE MONSTERS, GIANT BOMBARDS,” vol. 1, p. 40. Quote. by , p. 8.
Some preserved ancient Russian cannons of the 16th–18th centuries can be seen today near the building of the Kremlin Arsenal, fig. 7.6. It turns out that the Russian army of the 16th–17th centuries was armed with large TROJAN GUN. That is, the cannons on which the kings of “ancient” TROY were depicted. One of these large cannons, made by the famous 16th century master Andrei Chokhov, is very interesting. N.V. Gordeev reports: “In 1590, a cannon called “TROILUS” was made, i.e. “TROJAN KING”. The cannon barrel is cast from bronze... On the breech of the barrel there is an inscription: “By the grace of God, by the command of the Tsar and Grand Duke Fyodor Ivanovich of All Russia, this arquebus “TROIL” was made in the summer of 7098 (1590). Made by Andrey Chokhov." In the center of the tower is a figure of the TROJAN KING with a banner in his left hand and a sword in his right... The barrel caliber is 195 mm, the weight of the gun is 7 thousand kg. The total length of the barrel is 4350 mm", p. 22. In Fig. 7.7 shows a detail of this cannon “with the image of the TROJAN KING”, p. 21. Let us recall that Troilus is the name of one of the most famous Trojan kings, p. 230. He was the son of the no less famous Trojan king Priam, who ruled the “most ancient” Troy during the era of the Trojan War.
Rice. 7.6. The Arsenal building in Moscow Krem, near the Trinity Tower. Ancient cannons - Russian and foreign - are displayed along its wall. Moreover, for some reason Russian guns are placed in places where access to outsiders is prohibited. You can freely consider only foreign guns located closer to the Trinity Tower. An ignorant visitor may even get the impression that the “best” guns worthy of being displayed in the Kremlin are foreign-made. Perhaps this was done on purpose. Photo from 2003.
Rice. 7.7. Large Moscow cannon "Troilus", cast in the 16th century. “Detail with the image of the TROJAN KING. Gun "Troilus". Master Andrei Chokhov”, p. 21. Taken from, p. 21.
There are several such TROJAN cannons preserved in Moscow. Here is another similar large cannon from the 17th century, also called “TROILUS”. N.V. Gordeev writes: “The “Troilus” cannon was cast from copper in 1685. The barrel bore is smooth... On the breech of the barrel there is a cast inscription: “By the grace of God, by the command of the great sovereigns of the tsars and grand dukes Ivan Alekseevich, Peter Alekseevich, all great and small and white Russia of the autocrats was cast this squeal is called TROILUS, ON WHICH THE squeal at the treasury is depicted the TROJAN KING...” The torel is flat, with a cast relief image of a figure sitting on a throne. On the sides of the figure there is an inscription: “TROILUS arquebus.” Caliber 187 mm, weight 6438 kg, total length 3500 mm. The cannon stands on a decorative cast-iron carriage at the southern façade of the Arsenal, on the left side of the entrance arch,” p. 29. A detail of this large Troilus cannon, cast by master Yakov Dubina, is shown in Fig. 7.8.
Rice. 7.8. Another large Moscow cannon "Troilus", cast in the 17th century. “Detail with the image of the TROJAN KING. Gun "Troilus". Master Yakov Dubina. 1685" , With. 28. Taken from, p. 28.
Within the framework of Scaligerian-Romanov history, all this looks extremely strange. On the one hand, Russian foundry masters of the 16th–17th centuries, who cast large Russian cannons, naturally depicted the great Moscow tsars on the cannons. For example, on the famous Tsar Cannon, cast by Andrei Chokhov in 1586, “on the right side of the barrel there is a cast image of a galloping horseman. This is a portrait of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, in whose presence the cannon was cast. Above the image is the inscription: By the grace of God, Tsar and Grand Duke Fyodor Ivanovich, Sovereign and Autocrat of all great Russia,” p. 14.
On the other hand, other large Russian cannons depict, and DIRECTLY name, the supposedly “ancient” Trojan kings who reigned in distant Troy supposedly about THREE THOUSAND YEARS AGO. As historians assure us today.
In the 16th century, a large cannon called “ACHILLES” was cast in Rus', p. 20. Today she is in St. Petersburg. Once again we see a Russian cannon with an “antique” name. Let us note that according to our research, the presence of the name ACHILLES on old Russian cannons is quite understandable and natural.
We have given only three examples of Russian-“antique” cannons, which we took from a very small book. We do not know how many similar guns were cast and what percentage of them have survived.
Our reconstruction explains this picture well. Most likely, Russian cannon masters, even in the 17th century, not to mention the 16th century, knew well or remembered that Istanbul was ruled by an Ottoman-Ataman sultan, an ally of Rus'-Horde. Therefore, on some of the huge Russian-Horde guns we see images of the Russian Horde king-khans of the 16th century. And on others - their Ottoman allies - the Ataman Sultans. As we showed in the book “Empire,” the Russian-Horde and Ottoman-Ataman troops fought together in that era, side by side. Being the troops of two components of a single Great = “Mongol” Empire. Although in the 17th century, after the collapse of the Empire, Rus'-Horde and Ottomania = Atamania were no longer as closely connected as before, but the memory of the recent unity was, as we see, quite strong. In the 17th century, already under the first Romanovs, TROJAN cannons were still being cast in Rus'.
Let's give another example. In Fig. 7.9 and fig. 7.10 shows a large Russian cannon called "New PERS", p. 36. A “Persian” is depicted wearing a turban. On the smooth breech of the cannon there is an inscription cast: “By the permission of God, by the grace of the great sovereigns and kings and the great princes John Alekseevich Peter Alekseevich... this arquebus, called “NOVI PERS”, was cast in the reigning city of Moscow in the summer of 7194 (1686) ...”, p. 33. The caliber of the gun is 180 mm, weight 5800 kg, total length 4 meters 90 cm. Along the edge of the turret there is an inscription: “The arquech named PERS of the summer of 7194...”, p. 33. In 1969, the Persian gun stood at the southern façade of the Arsenal, to the left of the entrance arch, p. 33.
Rice. 7.9. A large Moscow cannon called the “New Persian”, cast in the 17th century. Master Martyan Osipov. 1685 Taken from, p. 36.
Rice. 7.10. General view of the New Persian gun. Taken from, p. 34.
As we have repeatedly written in our books on chronology, in old chronicles PERSIA (P-RUSSIA), apparently, was often called White Rus'. It is known that Russian Cossacks used to wear turbans. Therefore, “Persian in a turban” in that era could mean “White-Russian Cossack in a turban.” The image of which on a Russian cannon is more than natural. Let us note that previously White Russia was called not only Belarus in the modern sense, but much larger areas of Russia. In particular, the city of Moscow is located on the lands of old White Rus',,.
By the way, it is possible that before the “New Persian” there was another Russian cannon called simply “PERS”. The “new Persian” gun could have been named after the famous old gun with the same name. By adding the word "new".
Experts in the history of cannons note that the giant Russian cannons of the 16th century era clearly show the leading role of the Russian army at that time. The Tsar Cannon (16th century, caliber 890) that has survived to this day was perhaps one of the largest of its time, but it turns out there were other huge Russian cannons quite comparable in size. And there were a lot of them. Professor M.I. Falkovsky in his book “Moscow and the History of Technology” writes that “by its type, the Tsar Cannon is a mortar... In the 16th century, of course, there was no caliber 890 in ANY COUNTRY. BUT THE RELATIVE SIZES OF THE TSAR CANNON DO NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY FROM OTHER MORTARS EVEN OF THE 17th-18th CENTURIES.” Quote by , p. 14.
“A lot of large cannons were made by other masters of cannon casting... BEFORE CHOKHOV’S TSAR-CANNON, HUGE GUNS WERE KNOWN IN MOSCOW, WHICH ALSO BEARED THIS NAME... So, in 1488, master Pavel Debosis cast a cannon that was called the Tsar-Cannon. In 1554, a cast iron cannon with a caliber of 650 mm was cast in Moscow (recall that the caliber of the Tsar Cannon was 890 mm - Auto.) and weighing 1200 pounds, and in 1555 - a cast iron cannon with a caliber of 600 mm, weighing 1020 pounds. The fact that there were other huge guns in Moscow is evidenced not only by written sources, but also by plans and drawings of Moscow and the Moscow Kremlin, drawn up in the 16th–17th centuries, and sketches by travelers and members of foreign embassies. The plans of the Moscow Kremlin of the 16th century show that the cannons were located at the main passage gates of the Kremlin - Spassky and Nikolsky, as well as on Red Square. These guns have not survived,” p. 18.
So, it turns out, there were enough guns or mortars comparable in caliber to the Tsar Cannon in the Russian army of that era.
By the way, the Tsar Cannon was designed to FIRE WITH BAPPOINTS, NOT CALLS. This is a mortar. So the four huge cores lying in front of her in the Kremlin today, stacked in a pyramid, have nothing to do with her. According to N.V. Gordeev, “these are DECORATIVE cast iron garnets, hollow inside. The thickness of their walls is 9 cm.” , With. 17–18.
“In ancient times, the Tsar Cannon was also called the “Russian Shotgun”, since it was designed to fire “shot,” i.e., BAPshot. The Tsar Cannon did not have to participate in hostilities (as historians believe today - Auto.), however, there is no doubt that it was cast precisely as a military weapon, and not for purely decorative purposes... M.I. Falkovsky believes that, expecting the invasion of the Tatars and building NEW fortifications, Muscovites would hardly have started manufacturing a “fake” cannon weighing 2,400 pounds. A number of other authors adhere to the same conclusion,” p. 16. Isn’t the opinion instilled in us today by historians - that the Tsar Cannon was a “sham” and was cast only as a royal whim, to satisfy “Moscow vanity” - part of the propaganda campaign of the Romanov historical school? The purpose of which was and is to consign the history of the Great Empire to oblivion. After all, evidence of a completely different kind has been preserved about Russian cannons. For example, the following.
“Andrei Chokhov cast many guns. Thus, guns with his name took part in all the campaigns of Ivan the Terrible, and in particular to Livonia. Under Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, the famous master cast the Tsar Cannon and a WHOLE RANGE OF OTHER HUGE GUNS, including an interesting mortar with the name False Dmitry (!? - Auth.). ALL CHOKHOV’S GUNS ARE CHARACTERIZED BY COLOSSAL SIZES, EXCELLENT FINISH AND EXCELLENT WORK QUALITY,” p. 13.
“At this time (in the 16th century - Auto.) a number of guns were cast. So, for example, in 1588, Chokhov cast a 100-GUN ARM from copper, i.e., a weapon consisting of a HUNDRED TRUNKS. The caliber of each barrel is 50 mm. The casting of this arquebus was, of course, the second miracle of foundry art after the Tsar Cannon,” p. 18.
“In the 40s and 50s of our century, many round stone cores with a diameter of 15 to 30, and in some cases up to 60–70 cm were collected on the walls and towers of the Kremlin and on the site of old fortress moats. The colossal size of the cores...” , With. 5–6.
In Fig. 7.11 we present an ancient miniature from a Russian chronicle of the supposedly 16th century, which depicts the defense of Moscow allegedly in 1451. On the city wall you can clearly see a large mortar cannon, comparable in size to the giant Tsar Cannon of the 16th century known to us today. In Fig. 7.12 shows an ancient miniature depicting a huge cannon cast in Moscow by Pavlin Fryazin in 1488, p. 64. So, as we see, even according to the Scaligerian-Miller history, the Russian artillery of the 15th century was very impressive. In Fig. 7.13 shows “a medium-sized artillery gun of the 16th century”, book. 2, p. 158. In Fig. Figure 7.14 shows an image of medium-sized Russian guns of the 17th century.
Rice. 7.11. Huge Russian-Horde cannons of the 15th century. A miniature of a chronicle, supposedly from the 16th century, depicting the defense of Moscow supposedly in 1451. Taken from, p. 73.
Rice. 7.12. “A gun cast in Moscow by Pavlin Fryazin. 1488. Miniature of the chronicle of the 16th century.” , With. 64.
Rice. 7.13. Ancient engraving. 16th century cannon. It is considered medium in size. Taken from, book. 2, p. 158.
Rice. 7.14. Engraving "Russian artillery before the parade in the 17th century." These guns are relatively small. Taken from, book. 2. p. 585.
In Fig. 7.15 shows images of ancient field guns and mortars that were in service with the Zaporozhye Cossacks. The large mortar is shown at the top right. So such large weapons for firing grapeshot were installed not only on the walls of cities, but were also used on the battlefields.
In Fig. 7.16 shows a plan of the Kremlin Cannon Yard. The plan was drawn up at the end of the 17th century, p. 144.
Rice. 7.15. “Zaporozhye guns and mortars”, insert between the villages. 240–241. On the right is a large field mortar for firing buckshot.
Rice. 7.16. Plan of the Cannon Yard in the Kremlin. End of the 17th century. Taken from, p. 144.
It turns out that the huge Tsar Cannon mortar standing in the Kremlin today is noticeably inferior in size to other combat mortars that were in service with the Russian army of the 16th century. Historians report: “The report of Juan of Persia to King Philip III about his stay in Russia in 1599-1600 states that the “large square” (Red Square) “is lined with cannons so huge that two people could enter each of them to clean it.” “. Two years later, the secretary of the Austrian embassy, Georg Tectander von der Jabel, wrote about these same guns in his report: “In the square, at the gates of the castle (Kremlin - O.I.), there are two huge cannons IN WHICH CAN EASILY FIT A MAN.” A Pole, Samuil Maskevich, who was in Moscow in 1610, says that in Kitai-Gorod he “saw a gun that was loaded with a hundred bullets and fired the same number of shots. It’s so high,” continues Maskevich, “that it would be up to my shoulder, and its bullets are the size of a goose egg.” This gun stands opposite the gate leading to the Living Bridge (this bridge led from Zamoskvorechye to the Frolovsky Gate of the Kremlin. - O.I.)“... Maskevich says that “in the middle of the market” (Red Square) he saw a mortar so large that THREE PEOPLE CAME INTO IT and played cards there... It is known that on Red Square since 1555 there were two huge guns: Kashpirova cannon, cast in 1554 by master Kashpir Ganusov, Chokhov’s teacher (weight 19,300 kg, length - 4.48 m, core weight - 320 kg), and “Peacock”, cast in 1555 by Stepan Petrov (weight - 16,320 kg). These guns were also aimed at the area of the Living Bridge leading to Zamoskvorechye... In 1627, three giant guns were placed on special wooden “stubs” or “rolls”, covered with earth,” p. 114–116. It is clear why these giant mortar guns were installed opposite the bridges leading to the Kremlin. In the event of an attack, guns that had been sighted in advance could sweep away with grapeshot enemies trying to break through the bridges. The large volume of grapeshot ejected when fired from guns of this size made it possible to hit not only bridges, but also cover huge areas around the Kremlin.
Today it is still difficult to reconstruct the true history of cannon making in Rus' before the 17th century. It must be assumed that after the Romanovs came to power and, as a result, the very fact of the existence of the Great = “Mongolian” Empire was forgotten, most of the Russian-Horde cannons were recast and melted down. They did the same with the huge Horde bells, see below. Something similar - a deliberate descent into oblivion - happened with the history of the Russian-Horde fleet. After all, they convince us today that before Peter I, Russia “virtually did not have a fleet.” But, apparently, THERE WERE SO MANY GUNS IN THE Rus'-HORDE that, despite all the Romanov meltdowns, some remained. And today we can still at least partially imagine what the Russian-Horde and Ottoman = Ataman army of the 15th–16th centuries was. The remains of its monstrous combat cannon park standing today in the Moscow Kremlin clearly show that this army was strong.
In Fig. 7.17 shows a miniature from the ancient French book “Les Quinze Joies de mariage” supposedly from 1485, ill. 207.
The miniature is not described in any way in words in the book itself. A modern historian reports that “the military scene... is not accompanied here by any specific textual commentary, it conveys only the atmosphere...”, p. 170. The picture shows a large army on the march, with heavy cannons. All warriors are clad in iron from head to toe. The coats of arms are clearly visible on the military equipment and on the banner - black double-headed imperial eagles on a red field. As we are now beginning to understand, these are most likely the troops of Rus'-Horde and Ottomania = Atamania, who entered Europe during the conquest of the “Promised Land”.
In Fig. 7.18 and fig. 7.19 we present photographs of a medieval cannon exhibited today at the German National Museum in Nuremberg (Germanisches Nationalmuseum). This is the largest of several antique cannons on display in this museum. Its internal thin metal trunk is enclosed inside a thick log, which, in turn, is covered on the outside with iron hoops for strength. Perhaps Ottoman and Horde craftsmen specifically used such technology TO LIGHTEN field guns in order to make them more convenient for quick transportation on the march and for maneuvering. Similar light guns were used previously in the Russian army. They were called squeaks.
Rice. 7.18. Medieval cannon exhibited at the German National Museum of Nuremberg. Photo taken by A.T. Fomenko in June 2000.
Rice. 7.19. Front view of a cannon from the German National Museum (Nuremberg). The wooden trunk surrounding the inner metal one is bound on the outside with hoops for strength. Probably, field guns were made lighter in this way. Photo from 2000.
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From the book Conspiracy of Dictators or Peaceful Respite? author Martirosyan Arsen BenikovichWhen signing a non-aggression pact with Germany in the Kremlin, Stalin created such an atmosphere that Ribbentrop “felt in the Kremlin as if among old party comrades” and even spoke of “friendship sealed
From the book Myths and Truths about Women author Pervushina Elena VladimirovnaOld, old tales Remnants of the primitive system are still preserved among some tribes of Oceania. As mentioned above, in some cultures, the functions of the father are essentially performed by the mother’s brother, while the biological father does not show himself in any way until the children reach adulthood.
From the book Book 2. Conquest of America by Russia-Horde [Biblical Rus'. The Beginning of American Civilizations. Biblical Noah and medieval Columbus. Revolt of the Reformation. Dilapidated author Nosovsky Gleb Vladimirovich4.18. “The House of the Brave” and the Rybaritsa inside the Jerusalem Wall are the Khobro Courtyard, the Armory Courtyard and the Timofeevskaya, that is, the Fish Tower in the Moscow Kremlin. Following the description of the Bible, we continue to move along the wall, inside the Jerusalem Fortress. After the Tombs of David book
From the book American Intelligence During World War author Johnson Thomas M"Long Bertha" - a gun inside a gun It was really a "gun inside a gun", although without the "projectile inside a projectile". The Bertha's barrel consisted of a 38-cm naval cannon, inside of which was a 21-cm cannon, extended as a smooth-walled barrel; both parts were connected
From the book Tsar Cannon and Tsar Bell author Portnov Mikhail Eliazarovich“Litec” Andrei Chokhov and his Tsar Cannon The famous Tsar Cannon, one of the rare monuments of Russian foundry art, is installed on Ivanovo Square of the Kremlin, next to the architectural monument of the 17th century - the Church of the Twelve Apostles. Images of the Tsar Cannon are familiar