Cannon

What was the bombard and why was it needed?

The bombard was a type of cannon that weighed around 20+ tons. The Ottoman Empire were the ones to invent this specific bombard. Many versions of the bombard exist, but this one is especially important. It shot stones that weighed up to 1,500 pounds. To say this piece of artillery is powerful would be an understatement. The achievements this bombard achieved were accomplishments that other civilizations have been trying to complete for many years. The Ottoman Empire wanted to expand rapidly, so Sultan Mehmed the Second ordered his people to make a bombard that could destroy anything. The main reason for the bombard's creation was so they could knock the walls surrounding the capital of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople, down. They made the bombard by either casting it of bronze or forged by iron strips. The iron versions were cheaper, but weaker with many welded joints that were suspect for breakage. The bronze form of the bombard was much stronger, and could last way longer.

What kind of impacts did it have and why was it important?

The bombard impacted the civilization in many ways. Since the military had the bombard, the people of the Ottoman Empire felt safer. The bombard allowed them to expand militaristically, and by land. With the walls of Constantinople knocked down, they took over the capital and the whole Byzantine Empire too. The cannon allowed them to further their development in artillery and how they fought. The bombard was important because not only did it allow for the Ottoman Empire to last a long time, but also allowed them to create even more powerful bombards. These new developments created by the original bombard allowed the empire to last until the world wars. It also enabled other civilizations to create similar cannons.

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