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Mons Meg
Mons Meg is a medieval bombard in the collection of the Royal Armouries, on loan to Historic Environment Scotland and located at Edinburgh Castle in Scotland. It has a barrel diameter of 20 inches (510 mm), making it one of the largest cannons in the world by calibre.
Mons Meg was built in 1449 on the orders of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, and sent by him as a gift to James II, King of Scots, in 1454. The bombard was employed in sieges until the middle of the 16th century, after which it was only fired on ceremonial occasions. In 1680 the barrel burst, rendering Mons Meg unusable. The gun remained in Edinburgh Castle until 1754 when, along with other unused weapons in Scotland, it was taken to the Tower of London. Sir Walter Scott and others campaigned for its return, which was effected in 1829. Mons Meg has since been restored and is now on display within the castle.
The bombard was manufactured from 25 longitudinal staves of iron, held together with iron hoops shrunk into place, to form one piece. A separate breech for loading is screw-fitted into the rear of the barrel. The barrel is attached to the powder chamber by means of a groove on the powder chamber into which lugs on the end of the barrel staves fit, and then bound permanently together by the hoops. The powder chamber itself is made from small pieces of iron hammer-welded together to make a solid wrought-iron forging. Mons Meg has a diameter of 19 inches (480 mm), one of the largest ever built, weighs 15,366 pounds (6,970 kg) and is 13 feet (4.0 m) in length.
Mons Meg was constructed by Jehan Cambier, artillery maker to the Duke of Burgundy. It was tested at Mons in the County of Hainault in what is now Belgium, in June 1449; the duke did not take delivery of the Mons Meg until 1453. He gave the bombard to Scotland's King James II in 1457 as a sign of his support for the Scottish king, whose marriage he had helped negotiate.
An alternative legend about its manufacture is that it was built by a local blacksmith for the siege of Threave Castle in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright. According to this tale, which was lent credence by Sir Walter Scott, when King James arrived at Threave to besiege the Earl of Douglas, the Clan MacLellan presented him with this bombard. The first shot fired is said to have passed clean through the castle, severing the hand of Margaret, Countess of Douglas, on the way. The gun was subsequently named after "Mollance", the lands given to the blacksmith for his service and "Meg", the name of his wife. Later historians have not taken this legend particularly seriously, not least because of the improbability that such a weapon could be forged by a village smith, as well as there being ample provenance showing its history.
The 20-inch-diameter (510 mm) cannon accepted stone balls that weighed 175 kilograms (386 lb). In April 1497, John Mawer elder, one of the castle gunners, made new wheels for Mons Meg and the bombards. The cannon was drawn down the Royal Mile to the sound of minstrels playing, placed on a new carriage or "cradle" and taken to assault Norham Castle in August 1497. Regent Albany brought Mons Meg to Stirling Castle in August 1515 to threaten Margaret Tudor, who kept her son James V of Scotland in the castle.
In early years the gun, like the other royal cannon, was painted with red lead to keep it from rusting, which cost 30 shillings in June 1539. From the 1540s Meg was retired from service and was fired only on ceremonial occasions from Edinburgh Castle. When it was fired on 3 July 1558, soldiers were paid to find and retrieve the shot from Wardie Muir, near the Firth of Forth, a distance of two miles. The salute marked the solemnisation of the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots, to the French Dauphin.
The gun was fired on 30 October 1680 to celebrate a visit by James, Duke of Albany and York (later King James VII), but the barrel burst. An English cannoneer had loaded the charge and many Scots believed that the damage was done on purpose out of jealousy, because the English had no cannon as big as this. The incident was also seen as a bad omen for the future King.
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Mons Meg AI simulator
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Mons Meg
Mons Meg is a medieval bombard in the collection of the Royal Armouries, on loan to Historic Environment Scotland and located at Edinburgh Castle in Scotland. It has a barrel diameter of 20 inches (510 mm), making it one of the largest cannons in the world by calibre.
Mons Meg was built in 1449 on the orders of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, and sent by him as a gift to James II, King of Scots, in 1454. The bombard was employed in sieges until the middle of the 16th century, after which it was only fired on ceremonial occasions. In 1680 the barrel burst, rendering Mons Meg unusable. The gun remained in Edinburgh Castle until 1754 when, along with other unused weapons in Scotland, it was taken to the Tower of London. Sir Walter Scott and others campaigned for its return, which was effected in 1829. Mons Meg has since been restored and is now on display within the castle.
The bombard was manufactured from 25 longitudinal staves of iron, held together with iron hoops shrunk into place, to form one piece. A separate breech for loading is screw-fitted into the rear of the barrel. The barrel is attached to the powder chamber by means of a groove on the powder chamber into which lugs on the end of the barrel staves fit, and then bound permanently together by the hoops. The powder chamber itself is made from small pieces of iron hammer-welded together to make a solid wrought-iron forging. Mons Meg has a diameter of 19 inches (480 mm), one of the largest ever built, weighs 15,366 pounds (6,970 kg) and is 13 feet (4.0 m) in length.
Mons Meg was constructed by Jehan Cambier, artillery maker to the Duke of Burgundy. It was tested at Mons in the County of Hainault in what is now Belgium, in June 1449; the duke did not take delivery of the Mons Meg until 1453. He gave the bombard to Scotland's King James II in 1457 as a sign of his support for the Scottish king, whose marriage he had helped negotiate.
An alternative legend about its manufacture is that it was built by a local blacksmith for the siege of Threave Castle in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright. According to this tale, which was lent credence by Sir Walter Scott, when King James arrived at Threave to besiege the Earl of Douglas, the Clan MacLellan presented him with this bombard. The first shot fired is said to have passed clean through the castle, severing the hand of Margaret, Countess of Douglas, on the way. The gun was subsequently named after "Mollance", the lands given to the blacksmith for his service and "Meg", the name of his wife. Later historians have not taken this legend particularly seriously, not least because of the improbability that such a weapon could be forged by a village smith, as well as there being ample provenance showing its history.
The 20-inch-diameter (510 mm) cannon accepted stone balls that weighed 175 kilograms (386 lb). In April 1497, John Mawer elder, one of the castle gunners, made new wheels for Mons Meg and the bombards. The cannon was drawn down the Royal Mile to the sound of minstrels playing, placed on a new carriage or "cradle" and taken to assault Norham Castle in August 1497. Regent Albany brought Mons Meg to Stirling Castle in August 1515 to threaten Margaret Tudor, who kept her son James V of Scotland in the castle.
In early years the gun, like the other royal cannon, was painted with red lead to keep it from rusting, which cost 30 shillings in June 1539. From the 1540s Meg was retired from service and was fired only on ceremonial occasions from Edinburgh Castle. When it was fired on 3 July 1558, soldiers were paid to find and retrieve the shot from Wardie Muir, near the Firth of Forth, a distance of two miles. The salute marked the solemnisation of the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots, to the French Dauphin.
The gun was fired on 30 October 1680 to celebrate a visit by James, Duke of Albany and York (later King James VII), but the barrel burst. An English cannoneer had loaded the charge and many Scots believed that the damage was done on purpose out of jealousy, because the English had no cannon as big as this. The incident was also seen as a bad omen for the future King.