The Veuglaire (derived from the German ''Vogler'' and ''Vogelfänger'', and the Flemish ''Vogheler'', after a gun manufacturer named Vögler. English: Fowler) was a

wrought iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.08%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4%). It is a semi-fused mass of iron with fibrous slag Inclusion (mineral), inclusions (up to 2% by weight), which give it a ...

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

, and part of the

artillery of France in the Middle Ages Artillery began to be used in France in the 14th century. The first depiction of a cannon in Europe appeared in Walter de Milemete's 1326 ''De nobilitatibus, sapientiis, et prudentiis regum''. Small rudimentary weapons such as the pot-de-fer or ...

. There, guns were initially called , or . Veuglaire_powder_box_caliber_130_length_107_early_15th_century_La_Fere

The ''Veuglaire'' was up to 2 meters (8 feet) long, and weighing from 150 kg to several tonnes, and compares to the '' Crapaudins'' or ''Crapaudaux'', which were shorter (4 to 8 feet) and lighter than the ''Veuglaires''. The ''Veuglaires'' were usually

breech-loading A breechloader is a firearm in which the user loads the ammunition (cartridge or shell) via the rear (breech) end of its barrel, as opposed to a muzzleloader, which loads ammunition via the front ( muzzle). Modern firearms are generally breech ...

, and therefore used a separate "powder chamber" (''boîte à poudre'') in which powder and ball were located upon loading, and the main body of the cannon was formed of a tube opened at both ends. ''Veuglaires'', together with ''Crapaudins'', were considered medium-sized weapons and tended to have smaller chambers than bombards. They belonged to a category of weapons developed from the late 14th century, which had smaller bore and flatter trajectory. The category includes the ''

culverin A culverin was initially an ancestor of the hand-held arquebus, but later was used to describe a type of medieval and Renaissance cannon. The term is derived from the French "''couleuvrine''" (from ''couleuvre'' "grass snake", following the La ...

'', '' curtall'', ''serpentines'', ''

falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...

'' and ''

arquebus An arquebus ( ) is a form of long gun that appeared in Europe and the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. An infantryman armed with an arquebus is called an arquebusier. Although the term ''arquebus'', derived from the Dutch word ''Haakbus ...

''.''The Coming of the Ages of Steel'' p. 66
/ref>

Notes

See also