Tsar Cannon: history of creation, description, legends. The Tsar Cannon is not a cannon at all: What is standing in the Kremlin? Who created the Tsar Cannon?

Officially, the Tsar Cannon is a medieval artillery piece, a monument to Russian artillery and foundry art, cast in bronze in 1586 by a Russian master Andrey Chokhov at the Cannon Yard. The length of the gun is 5.34 m, the outer diameter of the barrel is 120 cm, the diameter of the patterned belt at the muzzle is 134 cm, the caliber is 890 mm (35 inches), weight is 39.31 tons (2400 pounds).

From the first professional glance at the Tsar Cannon, it becomes clear that you can’t shoot with this one. Actually, at the very least you can shoot from almost anything - from a piece of water pipe, from a ski pole, etc. But this one artillery complex, on display in the Kremlin - real props. Or not?

Let's take a closer look...

There are many misconceptions about her among people. For example: “Russia had the most powerful and advanced production and technological base for the production of cast iron in the world, the monuments of which are these unique artifacts (this is about the Tsar Bell and the Tsar Cannon, - auto.)… it has long been proven, and there is documentary evidence that the Tsar Cannon actually fired.”

It’s clear from the bell. They are made exclusively from bronze, and not just any bronze, but a special composition. Well, guns, of course, are different. For this purpose in Hard times our wonderful people even used birch burl. They took a thick, stocky one birch log, they made a hole in it, bound it with iron strips, burned a small hole in the breech for a fuse, and now the cannon is ready. In the 17th…19th centuries, they were mainly cast from cast iron. But the Tsar Cannon is still bronze.

An important note about documentary evidence that the cannon fired. Indeed, people are circulating information that certain experts have precisely established... discovered... etc. This rumor was started by journalists. Who and what actually established will be discussed in detail below. Let us also consider the question of another misconception that haunts the minds of scientists. Many of them believe that the Tsar Cannon is a huge shotgun. A very convenient opinion that allows historians to explain many of the mysteries associated with it. In fact, this is not the case, as will be convincingly shown.

There is another persistent misconception that makes one doubt the rationality of human nature. They say that the Tsar Cannon was made to frighten foreigners, especially the ambassadors of the Crimean Tatars. The absurdity of this statement will also become obvious as you read the article.

What arguments can be made:

Firstly, cast iron cannonballs are striking, which in the 19th century became the source of those very conversations about the decorative purpose of the cannon. In the 16th century they used stone cores, and they were 2.5 times lighter than the cast iron ones. It can be said 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.

Secondly, a fake carriage, cast in the same place. You can't shoot from it. When fired with a standard 800 kg stone cannonball from a 40 ton Tsar Cannon, even with a small initial speed 100 meters per second, the following will happen:

• expanding powder gases, creating high blood pressure, will seem to expand the space between the core 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 gun is only 50 times more mass cannonballs (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 gun 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. I assure you, this is still quite an impressive device today, but then this simply did not exist. And all this is not just my opinion: “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 either shoot from this cast-iron carriage or use cast-iron cannonballs - the Tsar Cannon will be smashed to smithereens!”

Therefore, the artillery complex that they show us in the Kremlin called Tsar Cannon, This giant prop.


Classic bombard

Today, hypotheses about the use of the Tsar Cannon as a shotgun are persistently discussed. The opinion is very convenient for historians. If it's a shotgun, then you don't need to carry it anywhere. I put it at the loophole and that’s it, wait for the enemy.

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 classic bombard(Fig. 1). 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, as battering gun. 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 (Fig. 2). Nearby they dug 2 more trenches for the artillery crew, since such guns were often 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, avoid 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, intended for the siege of enemy fortresses, and not at all a shotgun, as some are inclined to believe.

Here is the expert's opinion on this issue: “...As a shotgun, the Tsar Cannon was extremely ineffective. At the cost of the cost, instead of it, it was possible to produce 20 small shotguns, the loading of which would take not a day, but only 1-2 minutes. I note that in the official inventory “At the Moscow Arsenal of Artillery” in 1730 there were 40 copper and 15 cast iron shotguns. Let's pay attention to their calibers: 1500 pounds - 1 (this is the Tsar Cannon), followed by calibers: 25 pounds - 2, 22 pounds - 1, 21 pounds - 3, etc. The largest number of shotguns, 11, are in the 2-pound gauge. Rhetorical question: what place were our military thinking when they recorded the Tsar Cannon as shotguns?..”(Alexander Shirokorad “Miracle Weapon” Russian Empire»).

The Tsar Cannon was never used for its intended purpose

As was said at the beginning of the article, there are rumors about some “documentary evidence” that the Tsar Cannon fired. Actually, it has great importance not only the fact of the shot, but also what she shot with, and under what circumstances. The cannonballs with which the cannon was loaded could be of different weights, and the weight of gunpowder could be different. The pressure in the barrel bore and the power of the shot depend on this. All this cannot be determined now. In addition, if trial test shots were fired from a gun, then this is one thing, but if it was used in battle, it is completely different. Let me give you a quote about this:

“Documents about the testing of the Tsar Cannon or its use in combat conditions have not been preserved, which gave later historians the basis for long-term disputes about its purpose... A minority of specialists generally exclude the possibility of combat use of the cannon, and it was made to frighten foreigners, especially Crimean ambassadors Tatars... An interesting detail: in 1980, specialists from the Academy named after Dzerzhinsky concluded that the Tsar Cannon was fired at least once..."(Alexander Shirokorad “Miracle Weapons of the Russian Empire”).

By the way, 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 was located near the Zemsky Prikaz, located where it is now Historical Museum. In 1626, they were lifted from the ground and installed on log buildings densely packed with earth. These platforms were called roskats..."(Alexander Shirokorad “Miracle Weapons of the Russian Empire”).

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. They were probably expecting Godzilla to appear. 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?

Transportation

Modern historians rarely ask themselves the question: "For what?". 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 bluffing? 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 really very heavy. A KAMAZ truck cannot handle such a weight. It is designed for only 10 tons of cargo. When you try to load a cannon onto it, first the suspension will collapse, then the frame will bend. To do this, you need a tractor 4 times more durable and powerful. And everything that could be made of wood, for the purpose of conveniently transporting a cannon on wheels, would have truly cyclopean dimensions. The axle of such a wheeled device would be at least 80 cm thick. There is no point in imagining it further; anyway, there is no evidence of anything like that. Everywhere it is written that the Tsar Cannon was dragged, not transported.

Look at the picture of loading heavy weapon. Unfortunately, here we only see the bombard being pushed off the flooring, and not the moving process itself. But in the background you can see a transport platform. 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. Rollers can only be used on a flat and hard surface. Where can you find one like this? 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. But is it possible to do the same with a 40-ton gun? Usually such studies end with expressions like “historical incident.” It’s as if the idiots decided to surprise everyone by casting something record-breakingly gigantic, but didn’t think about how to carry it. Here, they say, is how it is in Russian - the Tsar Bell, which does not ring, and the Tsar Cannon, which does not shoot.

But we will not continue in this spirit. 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 design of the barrels of ancient mortars by A Chokhov: a - Mortar “Impostor”, 1605; b - “Tsar Cannon”, 1585

By the way, the excuse “first they did it, and then they thought about how to drag it” is quite common in historical research. It became a habit. Not long ago, the Culture channel told viewers about Chinese traditional architecture. They showed a slab weighing 86,000 tons carved into the rock. The explanation in general terms is: “The Chinese emperor allegedly had mental deviations due to gigantic pride and ordered a tomb of unimaginable dimensions for himself. He himself, the architects, thousands of stonemasons, allegedly were mentally deficient in terms of logic. For decades, they all carried out a megaproject. They finally cut down the slab and only then realized that they couldn’t even move it. Well, they abandoned this matter...” Similar to our case.

Huge gun Malik-e-Maidan

The fact that the Tsar Cannon is not just a surge of enthusiasm among Moscow foundry workers is proven by the existence even more huge weapon Malik-e-Maidan(Fig. 4, Fig. 5). It was cast in Ahman-dagar in India in 1548, and weighs as much as 57 tons. There, historians also sing songs about the 10 elephants and 400 buffaloes that dragged this cannon. This is a siege weapon with the same purpose as the Tsar Cannon, only 17 tons heavier. What is this, a second historical incident at the same historical time? 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? If we don't understand today, how it happened, it means this is our knowledge.

Here we are again faced with residually low level our current technical culture. This is due to a distorted scientific worldview. From a modern perspective, we do not see the solution that was obvious at that time. It remains to conclude that back in the 16th century in Rus' and India knew something like that, which made it possible to move such cargo.

Decline of Artillery Technology in the Middle Ages

Using bombards as an example, one can see the obvious degradation of artillery art over the centuries of the Middle Ages. The first samples were made of two-layer iron. The inner layer was welded from longitudinal strips, and thick transverse rings strengthened it on the outside. After some time, they began to make cast bronze tools. This definitely reduced their reliability and, accordingly, increased their weight. Any engineer will tell you that wrought iron is an order of magnitude stronger than cast bronze. Moreover, if it is assembled as described above - in a two-layer package with the direction of the fibers corresponding to the current loads. Probably the reason is the desire to reduce the cost of the manufacturing process.

The design of the first bombards was also surprisingly progressive. For example, today you will not find modern examples small arms, which would be loaded from the side of the muzzle opening. It's very primitive. For a century and a half, loading from the breech has been in use. This method has a lot of advantages - the rate of fire is higher and the maintenance of the gun is more convenient. One drawback - more complex design with locking the breech of the barrel at the time of the shot.

How interesting that the very first guns (bombards) in history immediately had a progressive loading method from the breech. The breech was often attached to the barrel using a thread, that is, it was screwed in. This design was retained for some time in cast guns. Look at Fig. 6. Here the Turkish bombard is compared with the Tsar Cannon. In terms of geometric parameters, they are very similar, but the Tsar Cannon, cast a hundred years later, was already made one-piece. This means that in the 15th...16th centuries they switched to a more primitive muzzle loading.

There can be only one conclusion here - the first bombards were carried out with residual knowledge progressive design solutions for artillery weapons, and perhaps were copied from some older and more advanced models. However, the technological base was already quite backward for these design solutions, and could only reproduce what we see in medieval tools. At this level of manufacturing, the advantages of breech loading are practically no longer evident, but they stubbornly continued to be made breech-loading, because they did not yet know how to do it differently. Over time, technical culture continued to degrade, and accordingly, the guns began to be made one-piece, according to a more simplified and primitive loading scheme from the muzzle.

1894

Conclusion

So a logical picture has lined up. In the 16th century, the Moscow principality led numerous fighting, 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. Kazan had already been taken by this time. WITH Western countries a shaky truce was established, 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. Ivan the Terrible died in 1584, 2 years before the cannon was cast. But it was he who identified the state’s need for such weapons, and the process of their manufacture was launched. Here's how events unfolded:

“From 1550 to 1565, work at the Moscow Cannon Yard was supervised by Kishpir Ganusov (Ganus), apparently a German by nationality. In the chronicles there are references to eleven guns cast by him, but not a single one has reached us. The largest copper cannon, cast by Ganusov in 1555, was called the Kashpirova cannon. Its weight was 19.65 tons. In the same 1555, Moscow master Stepan Petrov cast the Peacock cannon weighing 16.7 tons... It is curious that Ivan the Terrible ordered both huge cannons to be delivered to Polotsk, besieged by the Russians. On February 13, 1563, the tsar ordered the governor, Prince Mikhail Petrovich Repnin, to “place the large cannons of Kashpirov and Stepanov, the Peacock, the Eagle, and the Bear and the entire outfit of the wall and top close to the city gates” and shoot “without resting, day and night.” The ground trembled from this shooting - “the large cannons have twenty pounds of cannonballs, and some cannons have a little lighter.” The next day the gate was destroyed and several breaks were made in the wall. On February 15, Polotsk surrendered to the mercy of the victors. In 1568, Kashpir’s young student Andrei Chokhov (until 1917 he was written as Chekhov) cast his first gun... Andrei Chokhov’s most famous weapon was the Tsar Cannon (1586).”(Alexander Shirokorad “Miracle Weapons of the Russian Empire”).

Under Ivan the Terrible, the production of such weapons was established and their use, including transportation, was mastered. However, his strong-willed state acumen disappeared after his death and the accession of a successor to the throne. Fyodor 1 Ioannovich was a man of a completely different type. People called him sinless and blessed. Probably, through the efforts of the followers of Ivan the Terrible, the order for the production of the Tsar Cannon was nevertheless formed. However, the greatness of Andrei Chokhov’s creation still exceeded the demands of the new king. Therefore, the Tsar Cannon remained unclaimed, although military operations using siege artillery were carried out 4 years later (Russian-Swedish war of 1590-1595).

Conclusion

The Tsar Cannon is real. The surroundings around her - props. Formed public opinion about her - false. The Tsar Cannon should surprise us, much more than the ancient megaliths. After all, they are amazing in that huge stones weighing several tons are delivered... lifted... placed... etc. In the 16th century, nothing fundamentally new, different from the Neolithic, was used in transportation and loading (according to the official point of view), but The 40-ton gun was transported. In addition, the stones were placed once and for centuries, and an equally heavy cannon was supposed to be moved repeatedly over vast distances.

It is all the more amazing because it was made relatively recently, back in the 16th century. After all, scientists are free to fantasize about the time of the megaliths as they please - hundreds of thousands of slaves, centuries of construction, etc., but a lot is known about the 16th century. You can't run wild with your fantasies here.

Exhibited in the Kremlin for review a real miracle, disguised as absurdity, but we don’t notice it because we are zombified by propaganda, false hypotheses and the opinions of authorities.

The famous Tsar Cannon in the Kremlin, one of the most visited attractions in the Moscow Kremlin, can be seen today on the western side of Ivanovskaya Square. Each of the tourists arriving in Moscow must include in their visit an inspection of the grandiose weapon of the 16th century. A brief history of the Tsar Cannon for both children and adults is given in our article.

Cast in gigantic sizes made of high-quality bronze, the gun is even listed in the Guinness World Records. And this is not without reason. Here are just its most basic parameters:

• length - more than 5 m.,
• the outer diameter of the trunk reaches 134 cm,
• caliber - 890 mm,
• the product weighs about 40 tons.

When and why was it created?

Photo 1. The Tsar Cannon is one of the main attractions of the Kremlin

History and little-known facts about the Tsar Cannon in the Kremlin

In 1586, an alarming message was brought to the city of Moscow: the Crimean Khan with his large army was marching on the capital. To repel the invasion, by decree of the then reigning Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, in the Moscow Cannon Yard, Russian foundry worker Andrei Chokhov cast a huge artillery gun, which was intended to fire stone grapeshot.

Since the gun was originally intended for the defense of the Kremlin, it was installed on a hill above the bank of the Moscow River - on Red Square, not far from the famous Lobnoye Mesto and the Spasskaya Tower.

However, the Crimean Khan never approached the walls of the Mother See of the Capital, and therefore Muscovites were never able to find out how powerfully this weapon, nicknamed the Tsar Cannon for its size, fired.

Later, during the reign of Peter I, the gun was moved to the Kremlin territory with the help of special rollers: first to the courtyard of the Arsenal under construction, and then to its main gate. There it was mounted on a wooden carriage, which, along with the carriages of other guns, burned down in a fire in 1812.

In 1835, at the Berda shipyard in St. Petersburg, according to the drawings of the military engineer Witte (some sources mention Academician Alexander Pavlovich Bryulov as the author of the sketch), a more durable cast-iron carriage for the grandiose gun was made.

In 1843, the Tsar Cannon was removed from the Arsenal gates, where it had been located all this time, and installed next to the old building of the Armory Chamber. There it stood until 1960, when, as part of the construction of the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, the gun was again moved, this time to Ivanovskaya Square, where it remains to this day.

So, we have briefly described the history of the cannon, and now we will continue our story for more curious children and adults.

Description of the legendary Tsar Cannon

As mentioned above, the gun carriage is made using cast iron and performs purely decorative functions. The body of the gun itself is cast from bronze. Next to the carriage there are cast iron cores, which are also a decorative element.

On the right side of the gun there is an image of the autocrat Fyodor Ivanovich sitting on a war horse. The prince's head is crowned with a royal crown, and in his hands is one of the symbols Russian authorities- scepter An inscription explaining the image is poured nearby.

One of the hypotheses for the appearance of the name “Tsar Cannon” is precisely the image of the king who ruled at the time of the creation of this formidable artillery weapon, who is immortalized on the plane of the cannon. True, there is another name found in Russian documents from different eras - this is “Russian shotgun”. The fact is that this was the designation for guns intended for firing shotguns (in other words, buckshot).

The left side of the gun is decorated with an inscription immortalizing its creator and which reads “litz Ondrej Czokhov.”

The plane of the barrel itself, among other things, is decorated with an original ornament.

Separately, I would like to highlight the carriage itself, which is decorated in such a way as to clearly highlight the high status of the artillery piece. Its main component is the image of a lion - a formidable and strong king of animals. The symbolic representation of a lion fighting a mythical serpent can also be seen in the intricacy of ornamental plants on the plane of the carriage.

I would like to add that to move the cannon located in the Moscow Kremlin, 200 draft horses were simultaneously harnessed.

Despite the impressiveness of the gun, some experts agree that it was not made for shooting, but solely to intimidate the enemy, in this particular case, the troops of the Crimean Khan advancing on the capital. The technical side of the gun will be discussed further, from which we will find out whether it is a prop or a truly formidable artillery weapon.

Let us immediately note that the cast iron cores placed in a pyramid near the gun carriage are just decoration, hollow inside. If they are made real, then the stone core will weigh about 819 kilograms, and the cast iron core will weigh about 2 tons.

Further, according to experts, the carriage itself is not technically suitable for firing from such a powerful weapon, and the heavy cast-iron cannonballs themselves would not be physically suitable - the barrel of the Tsar Cannon would simply be torn apart during the shot. About him combat use facts are not attested in history.

But it cannot be that in those distant times, before the threat of an attack on Moscow, an artillery gun would have been created just to “show off.” Let's try to figure this out!

Let's start with the fact that until the 20th century, military experts and historians still designated the current “Tsar Cannon” as a shotgun, i.e. designed for shooting buckshot, which was replaced in those distant times by ordinary small stones. The current name was established only in 1930, when the authorities decided to improve the status of the weapon for propaganda purposes. Which ones? Probably based on the fact that great country, must be all the grandest things in the world. It’s like the joke from Soviet times that the USSR had “the largest radio components in the world.”

But let’s not slander and continue, especially since the veil of secrecy over the gun was nevertheless lifted, and this happened during the planned restoration work carried out in 1980.

The gun was removed from the carriage and sent to one of the military factories in the city of Serpukhov, where its restoration was carried out. Along with the usual work in this case, military specialists from the Moscow Artillery Academy carried out measurements of the Tsar Cannon, although the main report has not yet been made public. True, draft drawings have been preserved, which emphasize that this gun is not a gun at all in its actual designation.

So, in order. The diameter of the barrel bore, from which the cannon is loaded with cannonballs, is 90 centimeters, and towards the very end of the warhead it decreases to 82 centimeters. The depth of this cone is about 32 centimeters. Next comes the flat-bottomed charging chamber, 173 centimeters deep, with a diameter of 44.7 centimeters at the beginning, increasing to 46.7 centimeters at the end.

These data allow us to classify the weapon as a bombard, which means that it was quite possible to fire stone cannonballs from it. Name this one artillery installation You can’t use a gun, because one of the main conditions is not met: the barrel length must be at least 40 calibers. Right we're talking about about four in total. As for using the weapon as a shotgun that fires buckshot, based on the existing characteristics, this would be very ineffective.

The bombards themselves belong to the class of battering guns designed to destroy fortress walls. In most cases, they didn’t even make a carriage for them, because... part of the trunk was simply buried in the ground. The gun crew was located in trenches built next to the bombardment, because barrels often burst when fired. The rate of fire left much to be desired and rarely reached 6 shots... per day.

At research work Particles of gunpowder were found in the Tsar Cannon canal. The only question is, was it a test shot or did they manage to use the weapon against the enemy? The latter is most likely impossible. This can also be confirmed by the fact that no longitudinal scratches were found on the walls of the barrel, which should have been left either by the cannonball or by stone shrapnel.

The myth of the weapon and the impostor Tsar False Dmitry

And yet she shot!? A myth that has survived to this day says that the only shot was fired by the ashes of the temporary Russian Tsar False Dmitry.

After exposure, he tried to escape from Moscow, but stumbled upon a combat patrol and was brutally killed. The body was interred twice, and twice it again appeared on the surface: first at the almshouse, then in the graveyard. Rumors spread that even the earth did not want to accept him, after which it was decided to cremate the body and fire the ashes from a cannon, turning the gun towards the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (present-day Poland), where he was from.

This is the story of the Tsar Cannon in brief - the largest weapon of its era.

Today, smaller copies of the Kremlin gun are installed in Donetsk, Perm and Yoshkar-Ola. However, neither in parameters nor in characteristics do they even come close to the Moscow giant.

Perhaps only our Russian history, with all its tendency to contradictions and extremes, could give rise to two such paradoxical monuments: the Tsar Bell, which never rang, and the Tsar Cannon, which, as many believe, never fired (as far as this statement corresponds Actually, we'll figure it out later). However, the Tsar Bell is a topic for a separate discussion, but now we will talk specifically about the Tsar Cannon.

This miracle of arms production was made at the end of the 16th century, during the reign of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich, the son of Ivan the Terrible and the last tsar of the Rurik dynasty. Most historians believe that this happened in 1586, but some researchers also name another date - 1591, when Moscow faced the danger of raids by the Crimean Khan Kazy-Girey, and the Tsar Cannon was intended to protect against his troops. Yes, it was cast not as a “museum exhibit”, but as military weapon! The name of the master who did this is well known - it is immortalized in the inscription on the gun; it was the outstanding cannon and bell foundry master Andrei Chokhov, who worked at the Moscow cannon yard for more than 60 years and created more than 20 guns during this time. But the Tsar Cannon undoubtedly became the pinnacle of his creativity. Its dimensions are amazing: the weight of the gun is 39,312 kilograms, its length is 5,345 meters, and its barrel diameter is 1,210 meters!

Nowadays, few people remember that until later times this weapon was called a “cannon” only in colloquial speech Yes, in verse, and in official documents it is up to the 30s. XX century was listed as... a shotgun! Perhaps fuel to the fire was added to the decorative cannonballs cast in St. Petersburg in 1934, which can still be seen today next to the cannon, and which, of course, were not even supposed to be fired, and this is impossible: the cannon will immediately blow apart! The cast iron carriage, cast at the same time, is also unsuitable for use in combat conditions, and initially the gun was mounted on a wooden flooring made of logs (the so-called cannon roll).

The i's were dotted by the restoration of the gun in 1980, the results of which for some reason were not presented to the general public. Studies carried out at the same time showed that its channel has the shape of a cone with an initial diameter of 0.9 meters and a final diameter of 0.825 meters. The 1.73 meter long, flat-bottomed charging chamber has a reverse taper. This structure suggests that this is not a cannon or even a shotgun, but a bombard, from which it was supposed to fire stone cannonballs weighing about 100 kg, while a cast-iron cannonball of this caliber (and guns fired cast-iron cannonballs) was supposed to weigh about two tons True, using old guns for such shooting was risky; they could be blown apart when fired, so after a certain time they were classified as shotguns that fired “stone shot,” but in the 19th century such details were no longer obvious, so confusion arose with the types weapons.

Then, during restoration in 1980, researchers discovered another interesting detail: particles of burnt gunpowder in the channel. This means that the Tsar Cannon, contrary to popular belief, still fired! However, there were no scratches from the stone cannonballs on the walls of the canal, but they definitely should have remained. This suggests that the shot was a test shot, but the Tsar Cannon was not used in combat conditions. There is a legend that the ashes of False Dmitry were shot from it, but this is just a legend, there is no talk of any evidence.

It should be noted that one day this monument was under threat. When Peter I began intensively casting cannons, not only church bells were used, but also ancient guns of historical value. The Tsar Cannon was saved by its colossal size: the irresponsible Tsar did not dare to attempt such a miracle. Two more works by master A. Chokhov survived then, which can still be seen today in the St. Petersburg Artillery Museum.

The Tsar Cannon and the Tsar Bell are two symbols of Russian greatness that have adorned the Kremlin for several centuries. There are many fascinating urban legends associated with the Tsar Cannon, but the true history of this weapon, cast more than four hundred years ago, is extremely interesting.

Military weapon

In 1586, the Tsar Cannon was cast by Andrei Chokhov. By that time, he had been working at the Moscow foundry yard (Pushechny yard) for eighteen years. Chokhov became famous for his skill even during his reign, but Chokhov cast his most famous weapon by order of the son of the first Russian Tsar, Fyodor Ioannovich. The Tsar Cannon is decorated with a relief equestrian portrait of Tsar Fedor. The mass of the huge gun is 39,310 kilograms, its length is 5.4 meters, and its caliber is 890 mm.

Cannonballs weighing more than two tons are installed next to the Tsar Cannon. The cannonballs and carriage that are known today were produced much later than the gun itself. According to Chokhov's plan, the Tsar Cannon was intended to fire stone grapeshot, not cannonballs. Many believe that the Tsar Cannon is a kind of demonstration model that was supposed to show the power of Russian industry and was never used in combat.

Until the seventies, such opinions could be found even in specialized literature. In fact, the mortar, later called the Tsar Cannon, was made for mounted firing. It was intended for the defense of Moscow and was initially installed on one of the hills of Kitay-Gorod. In the event of an attack on the capital, the Tsar Cannon was supposed to defend with its fire the crossing of the Moscow River and the Spassky Gate of the Kremlin.

It was assumed that during the battle huge cannon will not change its location, but before the battle the gun could be moved using eight ropes, which were attached to eight special brackets located on the sides of the barrel. During the battle, mortars similar to the Tsar Cannon were not located on a carriage, but directly on the ground. An examination of the second half of the 20th century showed that fire was once fired from the Tsar Cannon, but the sources do not contain evidence of when and how many times the huge cannon fired.

The Tsar Cannon is a symbol of greatness

In 1702 he founded the Tseikhaus (now the Arsenal of the Moscow Kremlin) in Moscow. In 1706, the Tsar Cannon became part of the exhibition at the Zeckhaus-Arsenal. In the 19th century, the legendary mortar received modern look: in 1835, it was removed from the wooden carriage and installed on a metal machine made according to the sketches of Alexander Bryullov, a famous artist in those years and brother of Karl Bryullov.

At the same time, four decorative cannonballs were cast and installed in front of the Tsar Cannon. For four centuries, the Tsar Cannon never left Moscow, but moved around the capital several times. Here is a list of its locations:

• the heights of Kitai-Gorod (late 16th century - 1706);
• the gates of the old Arsenal in the Kremlin (1706–1843);
• the area in front of the façade of the old Armory building (1843–1960);
• Ivanovo Square of the Kremlin (since 1960)

Having lost its original role, the Tsar Cannon remained a symbol military power Russia. Fyodor Glinka in his poem “Moscow” mentioned the Tsar Cannon as one of the symbols of the White Stone along with the Tsar Bell, the Ivan the Great Bell Tower and the Kremlin Gates.

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 business card Belokamennaya among others historical monuments– very original. On the one hand, it represents an example of the largest medieval weapon, and on the other - the clearest example"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 lies huge gun so big” that soldiers of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth can hide “inside it” during 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 make 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 foundryman set himself, first of all, the goal of showing 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 big gun, they are 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.

It 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 continues on the knitting needles big wheels, which are made in the form of intertwined leaves.

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 further 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 mass of the “clone” even exceeds the original; it weighs 42 tons, of which total 3 tons falls 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.

Next you go in the direction Senate Square and turn right, after which you reach the bell tower of Ivan the Great, next to which there is a unique ancient weapon, silent in its grandeur - Her Majesty the Tsar Cannon.