The ammunition for Mons Meg at Edinburgh Castle, large heavy stone balls that could be hurled upto 2 miles distant.
The ammunition for Mons Meg at Edinburgh Castle, large heavy stone balls that could be hurled upto 2 miles distant. The Mons Meg is a huge artillery piece, having been constructed in the 15th century, although there is some doubt who got it constructed, but the belief is that it was commissioned by the Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Good, in the year 1449, meant for gifting to King James II of Scotland. The actual maker of the gun was Jehan Cambier, and it was constructed in 1449, but was picked up by the Duke in 1553. Mons Meg weighs around 7000 kg, is 15 feet in length. The gun fires stone balls that weigh around 400 punds, but the firing generates so much heat that it can only be fired only 9-10 times per day. However, in another 90 years, the gun was decommissioned, only being used for ceremonial purposes. It was at one such occasion, in 1680 when the gun was fired from Edinburgh Castle to celebrate the arrival of the future king James II of England, the barrel burst. Many years later it was taken to the Tower of London and was then returned in 1829 to Edinburgh Castle. The carriage on which the gun is currently placed was built after this event, since the original carriage had rotted away.
Size: 5184px × 3456px
Location: Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland, Great Britain, Europe
Photo credit: © Ashish Agarwal / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ammunition, artillery, cannon, display, exhibit, history, kingdom, meg, mons, scotland, united, wheel, wheels
