Kartouwe
Encyclopedia
A kartouwe is a siege gun
used in Europe
an warfare during the 16th and 17th centuries. The name is a corruption of Latin quartana (quarter cannon). Kartouwe is of Dutch
origin, in the Holy Roman Empire
the gun was called Kartaune in German
or cartouwe in contemporary Latin
, in the Swedish Empire
Kartow, spelling variants include kartouw, kartouve, cartow, cartaun, courtaun and others.
. A kartouwe has a caliber
of 8 inches (203.2 mm), weighs about 8000 pounds (3,628.7 kg), and is designed to fire cannon balls weighing up to 52 pounds (23.6 kg). As a minimum, twenty horses or oxen were needed to move a kartouwe.
In addition to "whole" ("hele") kartouwen, there were also double, half ("halve") and quarter kartouwen. The barrel of a whole kartouwen has a length of 18 to 19 times the caliber, weighs 300 kilograms (661.4 lb) to 350 kilograms (771.6 lb) and was transported on a special wagon by 20 to 24 horses, another four to eight horses were needed to transport the mount (lafette). The barrel length of a half-kartouwen is 32 to 34 times the caliber, which ranges between 105 millimetres (4.1 in) and 115 millimetres (4.5 in). Its barrel weighs 110 kilograms (242.5 lb) to 150 kilograms (330.7 lb), the whole gun 170 kilograms (374.8 lb) to 240 kilograms (529.1 lb). Half-kartouwen fired cannon balls weighing between 8 pounds (3.6 kg) and 10 pounds (4.5 kg), and for the transport of its barrel, 10 to 16 horses were needed.
by the Russian
and Swedish
forces. During the Battle of Narva (1581), the besieging Swedish forces destroyed the walls of Narva
, 5.5 metres (18 ft) strong, within two days using twenty-four double and half-kartouwen.
Kartouwen were also the characteristic of the Thirty Years' War
. As such, they were featured in contemporary poems, e.g. in Am liebsten bey der Liebsten by Sibylla Schwarz
("grausame Kartaune", "gruesome kartouwe"). In his 1844 poem Die Tendenz, Heinrich Heine
used kartouwen to symbolize loudness.
Siege engine
A siege engine is a device that is designed to break or circumvent city walls and other fortifications in siege warfare. Some have been operated close to the fortifications, while others have been used to attack from a distance. From antiquity, siege engines were constructed largely of wood and...
used in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an warfare during the 16th and 17th centuries. The name is a corruption of Latin quartana (quarter cannon). Kartouwe is of Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
origin, in the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
the gun was called Kartaune in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
or cartouwe in contemporary Latin
New Latin
The term New Latin, or Neo-Latin, is used to describe the Latin language used in original works created between c. 1500 and c. 1900. Among other uses, Latin during this period was employed in scholarly and scientific publications...
, in the Swedish Empire
Swedish Empire
The Swedish Empire refers to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721 . During this time, Sweden was one of the great European powers. In Swedish, the period is called Stormaktstiden, literally meaning "the Great Power Era"...
Kartow, spelling variants include kartouw, kartouve, cartow, cartaun, courtaun and others.
Characteristics
Kartouwen were developed from bombardsBombard (weapon)
A bombard is a large-caliber, muzzle-loading medieval cannon or mortar, used chiefly in sieges for throwing heavy stone balls. The name bombarde was first noted and sketched in a French historical text around 1380. The modern term bombardment derives from this.Bombards were usually used during...
. A kartouwe has a caliber
Caliber
In guns including firearms, caliber or calibre is the approximate internal diameter of the barrel in relation to the diameter of the projectile used in it....
of 8 inches (203.2 mm), weighs about 8000 pounds (3,628.7 kg), and is designed to fire cannon balls weighing up to 52 pounds (23.6 kg). As a minimum, twenty horses or oxen were needed to move a kartouwe.
In addition to "whole" ("hele") kartouwen, there were also double, half ("halve") and quarter kartouwen. The barrel of a whole kartouwen has a length of 18 to 19 times the caliber, weighs 300 kilograms (661.4 lb) to 350 kilograms (771.6 lb) and was transported on a special wagon by 20 to 24 horses, another four to eight horses were needed to transport the mount (lafette). The barrel length of a half-kartouwen is 32 to 34 times the caliber, which ranges between 105 millimetres (4.1 in) and 115 millimetres (4.5 in). Its barrel weighs 110 kilograms (242.5 lb) to 150 kilograms (330.7 lb), the whole gun 170 kilograms (374.8 lb) to 240 kilograms (529.1 lb). Half-kartouwen fired cannon balls weighing between 8 pounds (3.6 kg) and 10 pounds (4.5 kg), and for the transport of its barrel, 10 to 16 horses were needed.
Use and perception
Kartouwen were used for example in the Livonian WarLivonian War
The Livonian War was fought for control of Old Livonia in the territory of present-day Estonia and Latvia when the Tsardom of Russia faced a varying coalition of Denmark–Norway, the Kingdom of Sweden, the Union of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland.During the period 1558–1578,...
by the Russian
Tsardom of Russia
The Tsardom of Russia was the name of the centralized Russian state from Ivan IV's assumption of the title of Tsar in 1547 till Peter the Great's foundation of the Russian Empire in 1721.From 1550 to 1700, Russia grew 35,000 km2 a year...
and Swedish
Swedish Empire
The Swedish Empire refers to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721 . During this time, Sweden was one of the great European powers. In Swedish, the period is called Stormaktstiden, literally meaning "the Great Power Era"...
forces. During the Battle of Narva (1581), the besieging Swedish forces destroyed the walls of Narva
Narva
Narva is the third largest city in Estonia. It is located at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, by the Russian border, on the Narva River which drains Lake Peipus.-Early history:...
, 5.5 metres (18 ft) strong, within two days using twenty-four double and half-kartouwen.
Kartouwen were also the characteristic of the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
. As such, they were featured in contemporary poems, e.g. in Am liebsten bey der Liebsten by Sibylla Schwarz
Sibylla Schwarz
Sibylla Schwarz, also known as Sibylle Schwartz was a German poet of the Baroque era.-Life :Sibylla Schwarz was the daughter of Christian Schwarz, mayor of Greifswald, and Regina Schwarz....
("grausame Kartaune", "gruesome kartouwe"). In his 1844 poem Die Tendenz, Heinrich Heine
Heinrich Heine
Christian Johann Heinrich Heine was one of the most significant German poets of the 19th century. He was also a journalist, essayist, and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of Lieder by composers such as Robert Schumann...
used kartouwen to symbolize loudness.