The Basilica , or Ottoman Cannon, is a huge bombardment cast in bronze in three months by the Hungarian engineer Urban in the middle of the 15th century .
Content
History
Urban built the Basilica for the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II , when in April 1453 the Turks besieged Constantinople , then the capital of the Byzantine Empire . This bombardment had many shortcomings, but possessed great penetrative power, which allowed the Turkish artillery to destroy the strong walls of Constantinople. On May 29, 1453, a successful shot from the Basilica made a huge gap in the city wall, which helped the Turks win.
On the second day of operation, cracks appeared on the Basilica, and after six weeks it completely collapsed from its own recoil.
Key Options
Accurate data, like images, about the “Basilica” has not been preserved, therefore, its approximate characteristics are given below according to descriptions of various sources:
- Length: ~ 8-12 m;
- Weight: ~ 32 t;
- Barrel diameter: ~ 75–93 cm;
- Core: weight ~ 540-590 kg, diameter ~ 73-91 cm;
- Shot range: ~ 2 km;
- Calculation: 30 pairs of bulls ; it also included 50 carpenters and 200 workers to create wooden walkways; in total, about 700 people were required for maintenance and bombardment [1] ;
- Recharge time: ~ 1 hour.
Dardanelles gun
Following the model of the Basilica in 1464, the Ottomans cast another huge cannon. This cannon weighing 18.6 tons, 5.18 meters long, firing stone cores with a diameter of 63 cm, was used by the Turks in 1807 against the British fleet breaking through the Dardanelles to Istanbul . In 1866, on the occasion of a state visit, the Turkish sultan Abdul-Aziz presented the “Dardanelles Cannon” to Queen Victoria . At present, the gun is exhibited at Fort Nelson .
Notes
- ↑ Gevorg Mirzayan. “Flash, flame and terrible sound” . Expert Magazine (February 17, 2014). Date of treatment February 17, 2014. Archived February 5, 2012.
Links
See also
- List of the largest artillery pieces