European Bronze Siege Cannon

Timeline

1. 1501–1505Brescia · LombardyFoundries in Brescia and Venice cast culverins, cannons, and other siege and field guns in bronze alloy, engraving dates, weights, and calibers on the barrels; mercenaries and city-states purchased them by contract, making bronze cannon a core logistical supply of the Italian Wars.
2. 1506–1510Coastal fortresses of the Kingdom of Naples · NaplesDuring the Spanish-French contest for southern Italy, besieging forces bombarded medieval stone-walled fortresses with heavy bronze guns; sustained fire made the need for bastion design increasingly urgent, and bronze cannon still outperformed most contemporary iron guns in range and reliability, though high cost limited large-scale equipping.