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The famous Tsar Cannon in the Kremlin, one of the most visited sights of the Moscow Kremlin, can be seen today on the western side of Ivanovskaya Square. Each of the tourists who arrived in Moscow necessarily includes an inspection of the grandiose weapon of the 16th century in the program of their visit. A brief history of the Tsar Cannon for both children and adults is given in our article.
Cast in gigantic sizes from high-quality bronze, the cannon is even listed in the Guinness World Book of Records. And this is no accident. 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. Tsar Cannon - 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 was marching on the capital with his large army. To repel the invasion, by order of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, who was ruling at that time, at the Cannon Yard of Moscow, a Russian foundry worker Andrei Chokhov cast a huge artillery gun, which was intended for firing with stone buckshot.
Since the gun was originally intended for the defense of the Kremlin, it was installed on a hill above the banks of the Moskva River - on Red Square, not far from the famous Execution Ground and the Spasskaya Tower.
However, the Crimean Khan never approached the walls of the Mother See of the capital, and therefore the Muscovites were never able to find out how powerfully this gun, nicknamed the Tsar Cannon for its dimensions, shoots.
Later, during the reign of Peter I, the gun was moved to the territory of the Kremlin 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 Berd shipyard in St. Petersburg, according to the drawings of the military engineer Witte (in some sources, academician Alexander Pavlovich Bryulov is mentioned as the author of the sketch), a more durable, cast-iron carriage for a grandiose gun was made.
In 1843, the Tsar Cannon was removed from the gates of the Arsenal, where it had been all this time, and installed next to the old building of the Armory. She stood there until 1960, when, as part of the construction of the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, the gun was again transferred, this time to Ivanovskaya Square, where it remains to this day.
So, we briefly described the history of the gun, and now for the more inquisitive children and adults we will continue our story.
Description of the legendary Tsar Cannon
As mentioned above, the gun carriage is made using the iron casting method and performs purely decorative functions. The body of the gun itself is cast in bronze. Next to the carriage are cast-iron cannon balls, 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 head of the prince is crowned with a royal crown, and in his hands is one of the symbols of Russian power - a scepter. There is an inscription explaining the image next to it.
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 gun, which is immortalized on the plane of the cannon. True, there is another name that occurs in Russian documents of different eras - this is the “Russian shotgun”. The fact is that this is how the guns intended for firing shots (in a different way - buckshot) were designated.
The left side of the gun is decorated with an inscription commemorating its creator and which reads "Ondrey Chokhov".
The very plane of the trunk, 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 high status artillery gun. Its main component is the image of a lion - a formidable and strong king of beasts. The symbolic depiction of a lion fighting a mythical serpent can also be seen in the intricacies of ornamental plants on the plane of the gun carriage.
I would like to add that to move the cannon located in the Moscow Kremlin, 200 draft horses were harnessed at the same time.
Despite the impressiveness of the weapon, some experts agree that it was still made not for shooting, but solely to intimidate the enemy, in a 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 this is a props or a really formidable artillery gun.
We note right away that the cast-iron cores placed in a pyramid near the carriage are only a decoration, hollow inside. If they are made real, then the stone core will weigh about 819 kilograms, and the cast-iron core will weigh under 2 tons.
Further, according to experts, the carriage itself is not technically adapted for firing from such a powerful gun, and the heavy cast-iron cores themselves would not physically fit - the barrel of the Tsar Cannon would simply break during the shot. His combat use of facts in history is not attested.
But it cannot be that in those distant times, before the threat of an attack on Moscow, an artillery gun would be created only in order to “splurge”. 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. intended for shooting with buckshot, which was replaced in those days by ordinary small stones. The current name has been fixed only since 1930, when the authorities decided to raise the status of the weapon for propaganda purposes. What? Probably, based on the fact that in a great country, there should be everything grandiose in the world. It's like a joke from Soviet times that the USSR has "the largest radio components in the world."
But let's not slander and continue, especially since the veil of secrecy over the cannon 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 it was restored. Together with the usual work in this case, the forces of military specialists from the Moscow Artillery Academy measured 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 bore, from which the cannon is loaded with nuclei, is 90 centimeters, and by the very end of the warhead it decreases to 82. The depth of this cone is about 32 centimeters. Next comes the charging chamber with a flat bottom 173 centimeters deep, with a diameter of 44.7 centimeters at the beginning, increasing to 46.7 centimeters towards the end.
These data make it possible to attribute the gun to the bombard class, which means that it was quite possible to shoot stone cannonballs from it. Name this one artillery mount you can’t use a gun, because one of the main conditions is not met: the length of the barrel must be at least 40 calibers. Right here we are talking only about four. As for using the weapon as a buckshot-shooting shotgun, then, based on the available characteristics, this would be very ineffective.
The bombards themselves belong to the class of battering rams designed to destroy fortress walls. In most cases, they did not even make a gun carriage for them, because. part of the trunk was simply buried in the ground. The calculation of the gun was located in the trenches arranged next to the bombard, because. the barrels were often torn 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 channel. The only question is, was it a test shot or did they manage to use the gun against the enemy? The latter is most likely impossible. It can also be confirmed by the fact that no longitudinal scratches were found on the walls of the barrel, which should have remained either from the core or from stone shrapnel.
The myth of the gun and the impostor tsar False Dmitry
And yet she shot!? The myth that has come down to our time says that the only shot was fired by the ashes of the temporary Russian Tsar False Dmitry.
After being exposed, he tried to escape from Moscow, but came across a combat patrol and was brutally killed. The body was buried twice, and twice it again appeared on the surface: either at the almshouse, or at the churchyard. Rumors spread that even the earth did not want to accept him, after which it was decided to cremate the body, and fire a cannon with the ashes, turning the gun in the direction of the Commonwealth (now Poland), where he was from.
Such is the history of the Tsar Cannon in brief - the largest weapon of its era.
Today, smaller copies of the Kremlin guns are installed in Donetsk, Perm and Yoshkar-Ola. However, neither in terms of parameters nor characteristics, they even come close to the Moscow giant.
There are two unique monuments of Russian foundry art on Ivanovskaya Square of the Moscow Kremlin. One of them - the world's largest bell is told. But besides the huge bell that never rang, we also have the world's largest medieval (I emphasize - MEDIEVAL) cannon that never fired.
It is called the Tsar Cannon not at all for its size, but for the image on the trunk of the sovereign Fyodor Ivanovich, at whose command it was created. 
Tsar Fyodor is depicted as a horseman with a scepter in his hand on the right (facing the Tsar Bell) side of the barrel near the muzzle of the cannon. In addition, the following inscriptions are cast on both sides of the barrel - on the current north side trunk, facing the building of the residence of the President of Russia: “By the command of the faithful and Christ-loving Tsar and Grand Duke Fyodor Ivanovich, Sovereign Autocrat of All Great Russia under his pious and Christ-loving Empress Grand Duchess Irina". 
The inscription on the opposite side of the barrel, facing the Tsar Bell, reads: “This cannon was merged in the most famous royal city of Moscow in the summer of 7094, the third year of his state. The cannon was made by the cannon man Ondrey Chokhov.”
The year 7094 is surprising to many. The fact is that in the 16th century the reckoning in Russia was conducted from the “Creation of the World”. The chronology from the Nativity of Christ, which is more familiar to us, was introduced by Peter I only at the end of the 17th century.
The famous master Andrey Chokhov cast the Tsar Bell. Seven of his works have survived - four artillery pieces and three bells. Two guns are in Sweden, one is in St. Petersburg.
The Tsar Cannon itself is a bronze trunk covered with the patina of time. Its dimensions are colossal: the mass of the gun is 40 tons (2400 pounds), the barrel length is 5 m 34 cm, the caliber is 890 mm. The cannon was mounted on a late decorative gun carriage, cast from iron in 1835 at the Byrd factory in St. Petersburg. 
At the same time, 4 decorative cores were also cast. The decorative carriage was made according to the drawings of the architect Alexander Pavlovich Bryullov, brother of the famous painter Karl Bryullov. 
The carriage was also cast using the drawings of Peter Jan de Witte. The mass of the carriage is 15 tons, each of the 4 decorative cores weighs 1 ton. 
This information is taken from a book about the Moscow Kremlin, written by the staff of the museum-reserve. Yes, and at the gun carriage, on the south side, there is a sign about this. 
I mention this in connection with the fact that for some reason the Internet sources contain the figure of 1.97 tons taken from nowhere.
Of course, the Tsar Cannon cannot and should not have fired such heavy cannonballs. In ancient charters, the cannon is often referred to as the “Russian Shotgun”. The Tsar Cannon was designed to fire “shot”, in other words, buckshot. 
The Moscow Tsar Cannon is indeed the largest medieval cannon in the world. The famous “Mad Greta” or “Big Red Devil” from Ghent, created at the beginning of the 15th century, weighs only 16.4 tons, its caliber is almost half that of the Tsar Cannon and is 640 mm, but the barrel is slightly longer: 5 m 50 cm . 
The name "Mad Greta" comes from Flemish folklore. The heroine of the same name led the female army to rob ... hell! The second name is associated with the historical red color of the gun.
No less famous is the Scottish cannon, nicknamed “Mons Meg”. Its dimensions are much smaller than our Tsar Cannon. "Mons Meg" weighs only 6.6 tons, its length is 4 m 60 cm, and the caliber is 520 mm. "Mons Meg" was made in 1449 in Mons in what is now Belgium, and then presented as a gift to the King of Scotland. The cannon is installed in Edinburgh Castle and serves as one of the symbols of Scotland. 
Many mysteries are connected with the Moscow Tsar Cannon. It is well known that initially the gun did not have a carriage and stood on a special wooden machine opposite the Spassky Gates of the Kremlin near the Execution Ground. It is believed that the Tsar Cannon never fired. During the restoration of XIX, the remains of a casting mold were found in its trunk, which was made from special sifted earth. At the first shot, these remnants were bound to burn out. However, the specialists of the Military Engineering Academy. Dzerzhinsky, who examined the cannon during the restoration of 1977-80, claimed that at least one shot from the Tsar Cannon was nevertheless fired.
It is not known for sure, but is it a cannon? The fact is that, according to the device of the bore, it can be attributed to mortars - mounted combat weapons. Some call the Tsar Cannon a bombard, like Mad Greta and Mons Meg. But to the term "bombard", i.e. a medieval tool should generally be treated with great care.
Despite its colossal size, the Tsar Cannon changed its location several times. In the 18th century, it was moved to the courtyard of the Arsenal, then placed at its main gate. In 1835, the Tsar Cannon was installed on a decorative gun carriage already familiar to us, fake cannonballs were placed and placed in front of the Arsenal near the old building of the Armory. (not preserved). In 1958, on the initiative of N. Khrushchev, the construction of the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, the current State Kremlin Palace, began in the Kremlin. The old Armory was demolished, and the Tsar Cannon was transferred to it current location on Ivanovskaya Square.
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On January 7, 1598, the servant of God Fedor Ioanovich, Grand Duke of Moscow and Tsar of All Russia, died in the Moscow Kremlin. During the reign of the last of the direct Ruriks, significant events happened quite a few. Cities were founded: Samara, Saratov, Tsaritsyn (Volgograd), Voronezh, Arkhangelsk, Tobolsk, Surgut - new frontiers of the actively growing Russian State were fixed.
The next Russian-Swedish war was completed and Russia, as a result of which access to the Baltic Sea was returned along the Koporye-Yam line ... Not a few worthy deeds are obtained, but Tsar Fedor is not remembered for this ... The main memory of him still stands on the Ivanovskaya Square of the Moscow Kremlin, and the name her - Tsar Cannon!
Story
Not much time has passed since the death of Ivan the Terrible, the dust raised by the hooves of the guardsmen's horses has not yet settled, and in Moscow the world's largest artillery gun was created, which remains so until today. Let not in size, but in terms of the caliber of the barrel - for sure.
In 1586, on the royal command, work began on the creation of a grandiose cannon. Historians are still struggling with the reason for such an unusual move, but most are inclined to believe that the weapon was created to produce an external effect on foreign ambassadors. Like, look what we can do. Let's eat so much that it won't seem enough!
More seriously, the cannon was intended to testify to the growth of the power of the Russian State, both industrial and military. And, of course, she exalted the ruling Sovereign! (and Fyodor Ioanovich, according to contemporaries, was very unsightly physically and meek in character).
The production was led by foundry master Andrey Chokhov.
Andrey Chokhov (1545 - 1629) - the famous Russian caster, the creator of a large number of cannons and church bells. One of the surviving examples of the uniqueness of creativity is Chokhov's siege squeakers. The students continued and developed the traditions of the master (in particular Alexey Nikiforov).
Casting work was carried out at the Moscow Cannon Yard (now the area of Lubyanskaya Square) for several months. The main material for production was bronze. According to the production technology, the gun fully corresponded to the standards adopted at that time. Only more…much more!
With the help of two hundred horses, the finished superweapon was dragged to the Red Square of the Kremlin for demonstration to the sovereign. The barrel of the cannon was skillfully decorated with the image of Fyodor Ivanovich with all the royal regalia and on horseback. In addition, the patterns go around the entire circumference of the trunk in the form of a ligature. Whether the giant cannon was fired during the demonstration - no evidence has been preserved, and, given the meek disposition of Tsar Fedor, most likely not.
On the trunk there is also a dedication to Tsarina Irina Fedorovna Godunova (wife of Tsar Fyodor) and a mention of what the “Litez Chokhov” made the monster.
According to one version, in connection with the presence of the image of the king, the cannon was called “Tsar Cannon”.
According to the second version, the name is associated primarily with the size of the work of cannon makers and casters of medieval Russia.
Another name for the gun was "Shotgun", as it was intended for firing small shells - "shot" (stone or metal uncalibrated buckshot).
Having admired enough, the gun was hoisted onto a wooden peal (carriage) and placed on combat duty near the walls of the Kremlin (opposite the modern GUM). There she stood for almost a century! Once they tried to use a weapon against the Tatars of Khan Kazy Giray who had run up, but they did not dare to approach the distance of effective shooting and the shot fell off.
Subsequently, already under Pyotr Alekeseevich Romanov in 1706, having gathered their strength, the cannon was dragged to the courtyard of the Kremlin Arsenal. And for a long time the whole country admired the skill of gunsmiths and were amazed at the size, and also showed it to overseas guests.
In 1835, a new cast-iron carriage was cast for the cannon (designed by Academician A.P. Bryullov) and decorative cannon balls weighing approximately 2 tons each. Then they rolled it to the Armory, where other models of guns were put on display.
In the 60s of the twentieth century, the Tsar Cannon was finally hoisted to the place where it still stands, at the bell tower of Ivan the Great. Or not quite right, since already in the 70s the gun was sent for restoration to Serpukhov, where it was equipped with a new decorative carriage and returned to its place in 1980.
Features of the device and application
If we talk about the Tsar Cannon in the language of gunsmiths, then this is, first of all, combat weapon, a type of bombard, intended for firing at a flat or hinged trajectory. The charge was a small "shot" with a total weight of up to 800 kilograms. It does not have an ignition hole, although there is a platform for it. The shot could only be fired from the side of the barrel; for this, an ignition cord was inserted into the powder chamber from the side of the muzzle.
The total weight of the artillery dinosaur is about 39 tons 312 kg, the barrel length is 5 meters 34 centimeters, the barrel caliber is 890 millimeters.
There are several opinions whether the Tsar Cannon fired during its centuries-old history. When carrying out restoration work in Serpukhov, experts from the Artillery Academy named after F.E. Dzerzhinsky concluded that the cannon was fired at least once.
The historian L.N. Gumilyov there is a mention that the ashes of False Dmitry I were scattered by a shot from legendary weapon.
However, there are supporters and versions that the cannon was never fired. As evidence, intact traces of the casting inside the barrel are indicated.
About records
Tsar Cannon takes pride of place among the world record holders in the Guinness Book as the largest caliber gun (890mm).
Family of Tsar Cannons
In 2001, in the city of gunsmiths Izhevsk, by order of the Government Russian Federation two copies of the symbol of artillery valor were made with almost exact observance of the main parameters. One copy was then solemnly presented to the Ukrainian city of Donetsk, where it was installed near the city hall.
The second replica adorns the territory of the OAO Izhstal plant in Izhevsk.
In Yoshkar-Ola, on Obolensky-Nogotkov Square, there is a relatively small copy (weight - 12 tons). Also, the design of the gun does not match the original, there is no number of patterns on the barrel, others have been changed, the decorative cores are also much smaller than the original ones. The gun was suitable for firing, so the barrel was caulked with a special core.
But the most interesting "Tsar Cannon" is located in the open-air museum "Motovilikha Plant" in the city of Perm. A real combat ship's mortar, created in 1868 for the defense of St. Petersburg from the forts of Kronstadt.
The weight of the gun with a carriage is 144 (!) tons, caliber 508 mm.
Having successfully passed artillery tests, the gun did not take up combat duty - during the tests and demonstrations in Vienna in 1873, it managed to become technically obsolete after Krupp created a shutter for loading guns from the breech. By decree of Tsar Alexander II, the cannon was preserved as a museum exhibit.
Conclusion
Why exactly the Tsar Cannon was created does not really matter in our time. The main thing is that it is an eloquent symbol of the centuries-old military and industrial power of Russia, a bronze embodiment of the fighting spirit of the Russian people!
Video
I think that each of us has heard about the Tsar Cannon, because this is the most famous and amazing artillery gun in the world!
The Tsar Cannon was cast during the reign of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich - in 1586. It happened at the Cannon Yard, and it was cast by the best Russian foundry master Andrey Chokhov. From under his hands, a real miracle of artillery appeared, 5.34 meters long and 890 millimeters in caliber. Just imagine, the outer diameter of the Tsar Cannon barrel is 1.2 meters, the diameter of the patterned belt at the muzzle is 1.34 meters, and this giant gun weighs 39.31 tons! The cannon is literally dotted with reliefs, and on the right side of the muzzle, Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich himself is depicted on horseback.
On each side of the barrel there are 4 brackets for attaching ropes, and above the front right bracket, right above the image of the king, there is an inscription "By the grace of God, the tsar and Grand Duke Fedor Ivanovich, sovereign and autocrat of all great Russia"
On the top of the barrel there are two more inscriptions: on the right - "By the command of the faithful and Christ-loving Tsar and Grand Duke Fyodor Ivanovich, Sovereign Autocrat of All Great Russia under his pious and Christ-loving Empress Grand Duchess Irina", and on the left - "This cannon was merged in the most famous city of Moscow of summer 7094, in the third year of his state. The cannon was made by the cannon man Ondrey Chokhov"
There are many versions of the appearance of such a majestic name, some, for example, believe that it was named after the king depicted on it, while others are sure that the cannon received such a name for its size (like the Tsar Bell), and at the very beginning the cannon generally bore the name "Russian Shotgun", as it was designed to fire buckshot
In 1834, to demonstrate the true caliber of guns in St. Petersburg, special decorative cannonballs were made, decorated with ornaments. Such cannonballs weigh almost two tons each, but the gun cannot fire them.
The Tsar Cannon was intended to become the main defensive weapon of the Kremlin, in connection with which it was installed on a special log flooring not far from the Execution Ground, but it was never destined to take part in a real battle ...
The cannon was moved to the Kremlin in the 18th century. Initially, she stood in the courtyard of the Arsenal, and then was transferred to its gates. In the 1960s, when the Kremlin Palace of Congresses was built, the gun was placed on Ivanovskaya Square, at the foot of the Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles
The Tsar Cannon is the largest howitzer in the world in terms of caliber, as evidenced by the corresponding entry in the Guinness Book of Records. The largest artillery piece ever created is the German "Dora" with a caliber of 800 mm and a weight in combat position of 1350 tons.
The Tsar Cannon was carefully examined in 1980 for the purpose of repair. During this examination, it turned out that the gun was designed to fire stone balls weighing about 800 kilograms and that it was fired at least once
In the spring of 2001, by order of the Moscow government, a copy of the Tsar Cannon weighing 42 tons was made.
In May 2001, the Moscow government donated this copy to Donetsk - since then, the "ghost" of the legendary weapon has flaunted in front of the local city hall
Photo Tsar Cannon (Moscow). Tsar Cannon address: Moscow, Ivanovskaya Square
The Tsar Cannon in Moscow was used in the Middle Ages as an artillery gun, it was called a bombard, in our time it is a monument to Russian artillery, as well as a monument to foundry art. The total length of the tsar cannon is 5.34 meters, the diameter of the gun barrel from the outside is 120 centimeters, the diameter of the patterned belt around the muzzle is 134 centimeters, the caliber of the gun is 890 millimeters (this is 35 inches), the total mass of the gun is 39.31 tons or 2400 pounds.
Master who cast the tsar cannon
The Tsar Cannon was cast in bronze in Moscow by the outstanding Russian cannon maker Andrei Chokhov in 1586 at the Cannon Yard (the center of cannon production in Moscow, almost everyone was cast in it). It was not easy to cast such dimensions, but the master who cast it had more than 60 years of experience and, according to the documents, cast about 20 heavy guns. The documentation says that the first work was done by master A. Chekhov in 1568, and the last in 1629.
cast painting
There are poured inscriptions on it above the front right bracket:
By the grace of God, Tsar and Grand Duke Fyodor Ivanovich Sovereign and Autocrat of All Great Russia
And also 2 more phrases are written on the top of the trunk:
By command of the pious and Christ-loving Tsar and Grand Duke Fyodor Ivanovich, Sovereign Autocrat of All Great Russia under his pious and Christ-loving Empress Grand Duchess Irina of the Right Side
This cannon was quickly merged in the most famous city of Moscow in the summer of 7094, in the third summer of his state. Andrey Chokhov made the cannon from the left side
There is a version that the name of the gun comes from the image of Tsar Fedor the first on it, but most likely it was named because of its solid size.
How many cores does the tsar cannon have
The Tsar Cannon in Moscow stands on a concrete platform and has four cannonballs cast to match its caliber. The cores are cast from cast iron and each weighs 120 pounds if counted in kilograms, then a stone core would weigh 819 kg, and a cast iron one 1970 kg, and the weight of gunpowder for one charge is 30 pounds.
The Tsar Bell and the Tsar Cannon are the most interesting monuments of Moscow and have been attracting the attention of tourists for many centuries.
Location of the attraction Tsar Cannon on Yandex map
Created using the Yandex People's Map service. Looking at the map, you can easily determine where the Tsar Cannon is located in the city of Moscow, as well as how to get to it, since all routes, streets and house numbers are indicated on the map.
On this page you can see some of the sights
