On August 23, 1982, we solemnly celebrated a significant date — the 600th anniversary of Russian artillery. However, readers may wonder: why did historians focus on this particular date?
To answer this question, we need to look back at history. On that August day in 1382, Russian warriors successfully introduced artillery in battle for the first time. Defending against the besieging Horde forces, the Muscovites, as stated in the chronicles, "launched guns at them, some fired crossbows, and others launched large cannons." The appearance of this new weapon in Russia was entirely logical and historically determined. As early as the 10th century, the warriors of Princes Igor and Svyatoslav, along with Novgorod soldiers, widely used siege engines in battles. Cold weapons and metal armor crafted by blacksmiths and armorers were in great demand in the feudal countries of the East and West. By the mid-14th century, gunpowder production had been established in the capital of the Moscow principality. As you can see, by this time, the material foundation for artillery development was in place in Russia. Additionally, nearly all Russian principalities had to wage continuous defensive wars against invaders seeking foreign lands, attacking from various directions. Only well-trained troops equipped with the latest weaponry of their time could reliably defend the principalities, which by the 14th century had begun to unite around Moscow. This weapon was artillery.
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| 1. Chambered gun and its ammunition. 2. Hand cannon from the late 14th to early 15th century. 3. Arquebus. 4. Bronze arquebus cast by Master Yakov in 1485 (caliber — 63 mm, weight — 65 kg, length — 38 cm). |
The chronicler of the Voskresensky Monastery noted that “in the year 6863” (1355), Prince Andrey Fedorovich strengthened this fortress with troops, that is, a garrison and “fire combat.” Grand Prince Dmitry Ivanovich, known as Donskoy, repelled the Horde of Khan Mamai in battles at Vozha and Kulikovo Field. His son, Vasily Dmitrievich, armed the Moscow Kremlin with many cannons. These cannons caused significant damage to Khan Edigu’s Horde forces in 1408. At that time, artillerymen reinforced the troops stationed in the fortresses of Novgorod, Pskov, Smolensk, and Tver. These cities, followed by Serpukhov, Kashira, Ustyuzhna Zheleznopolskaya, and Kargopol, soon became major suppliers of artillery weapons. It was time to organize the artillery craft. And in 1475, Grand Prince Ivan III established the Cannon Chamber in Moscow, which was soon transformed into the Cannon Yard — the first state enterprise in history engaged in weapon production. Recall that in the West, artillery began to be widely used only in 1494, after French King Charles VIII’s defeat of the Italian knightly army.
...To a contemporary observer, the first "artillery systems" would certainly seem very primitive. They were iron-forged tubes, bound with hoops and placed in wooden stocks. At the breech (rear) of the cannon, there was a chamber with the charge, held in place by a wedge. Due to the loose connection between the chamber and the barrel, some of the gunpowder gases escaped through the gaps, affecting firing range.
According to their purpose, the cannons were divided into several types. Long-barreled (up to 1.7 m) arquebuses with a caliber of 30–40 mm struck open targets with direct fire. Cannons with a caliber of up to 60 mm and barrel length not exceeding a meter fired aimed or plunging shots with stone or iron cannonballs at sheltered targets. Artillerymen fired grape shots (buckshot) from short-barreled but large-caliber (up to 75 mm) hand cannons to target enemy infantry.
The rapid development of artillery in the Moscow principality was ensured by the far-sighted policy of state figures and the ingenuity of the “masters of fire combat” — gunners, casters, and blacksmiths. Notable among them was the famous master Yakov, who cast a remarkable bronze arquebus in 1491, and gunsmith Pavel Debosis, who crafted the first Tsar Cannon in 1488.
“In Russia, such large cast-iron cannons are cast,” wrote the ambassador of Emperor Maximilian of Austria in 1576, “that a fully armored warrior standing at its bottom could not reach the edge with his hand.” In the “Description of Klein's Embassy,” it was noted that “each regiment had a field gun, very carefully cast and skillfully crafted or expertly forged from iron with a hammer.”
Russian gunsmiths achieved particular success in the second half of the 16th century when the masters of Pskov, Novgorod, Vologda, and Veliky Ustyug transitioned from labor-intensive iron barrel forging to casting them from bronze and cast iron. The new technology not only simplified and reduced production costs but also improved weapon reliability, allowing for mass production.
Ivan the Terrible did much for artillery development. Under him, the Moscow army’s artillery park included 2,000 cannons. In 1547, artillerymen were separated from the streltsy force into an independent “Battery,” and the Artillery Office (a kind of artillery ministry) was established to oversee it. Later, the Battery was tactically divided into city (fortress), large (siege), and small (regimental) batteries.
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| 5. The howitzer by Master Ignatius was cast from bronze and decorated with ornaments (caliber — 131 mm, weight — 87 kg, length — 98 cm. 1542). 6. 7. Examples of artillery pieces on wheeled carriages with vertical aiming mechanisms. 8. Artillery badge of the Russian army. |
In addition to "serial" production, many unique cannons were created during this time. For example, in 1542, Master Ignatius cast a beautifully crafted howitzer. Two years later, an iron cannon weighing 1,200 poods (about 19,600 kg) was made in Moscow — something unparalleled abroad. During this period, Russia developed a remarkable group of gunsmiths. Particularly famous were the already known Ignatius, Stepan Petrov, Timofey Konstantinov, Nestor Ivanov, Timofey Oskarev, and Bogdan. Unfortunately, the names of many artillery masters are not fully known — those who armed the Russian army can often only be identified by personal marks on the barrels or by rare mentions in documents.
The intensive production of high-quality weapons allowed the Grand Duchy of Moscow, which had united the Russian lands, to conduct a series of successful military campaigns.
In 1552, the Russian army laid siege to Kazan, the capital of a khanate that had long threatened Moscow and blocked its trade routes to the east. As he undertook this campaign, Ivan the Terrible strengthened the 150,000-strong army with powerful artillery. To give an idea, there were more than 150 siege guns alone. Additionally, craftsmen built a thirteen-meter-high mobile tower, from whose loopholes 50 light and 10 heavy cannons ominously pointed. By breaking through the walls of the fortress with siege guns, the artillerymen ensured the success of the streltsy regiments that charged through the breaches in the walls, overwhelming the defenders.
Featured image: artillerymen defending Moscow against the Horde forces of Khan Tokhtamysh in August 1382 (according to the Nikon Chronicle).