Tsar Cannon, Siege artillery in the Moscow Kremlin, Moscow, Russia
The Tsar Cannon is a bronze bombard cast by Andrey Chokhov in 1586, with a barrel 5.34 m long, a bore of 890 mm and a weight of 39,312 kg. Its muzzle and breech carry relief bands and an equestrian image of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich; the decorative cast-iron carriage with spoked wheels was added in 1835. Four cast-iron balls of about one tonne each lie in front of it.
Andrey Chokhov cast this weapon in 1586 during the reign of Fyodor Ivanovich at the Moscow Kremlin. The piece was created at a time of constant threats from invaders to the east and south, when defending the capital was a top priority.
The name likely comes from the cannon's size, though some link it to Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, whose equestrian image is cast on the barrel. The barrel also bears inscriptions naming Fyodor and Andrey Chokhov, and the gun was once called the "Russian Shotgun" for its intended stone grapeshot.
The weapon stands in the open air on a stone platform in the western part of Cathedral Square inside the Kremlin. Visitors can view the exhibit up close, with barriers maintaining a respectful distance.
A 1980 examination found gunpowder residue inside the barrel, disproving the widespread assumption that the weapon was never fired. The enormous caliber made transport and handling extremely difficult, so actual battlefield use would have been hardly practical.
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