Inside the Serpentine Cannon: The Snake-Named Gun That Killed a Scottish King (Full Process)

Step inside a 16th-century English foundry and discover how a long-barreled bronze cannon named after a coiled serpent — and often cast with a snake's head molded onto its breech — devastated the Scottish army at the Battle of Flodden in 1513, broke the formations protecting King James IV of Scotland, and helped make him the last British king ever to die in battle.

This full-process historical documentary explores the metallurgy, construction, and battlefield logic behind the Serpentine Cannon — the mid-sized Renaissance artillery piece that bridged the gap between small Falconets and massive Bombards. Cast from bronze or iron in long, narrow barrels measuring 2 to 4 inches across, the Serpentine fired iron and lead balls weighing 2 to 12 pounds at ranges approaching 2,000 meters — combining the mobility of a field gun with the punch of a true siege weapon. Its name came from the Italian and French word "serpentino," reflecting both the elongated snake-like shape of its barrel and the ornamental serpent heads frequently cast into its cascabel and decorative bands.

Explore every major stage of Serpentine Cannon construction and operation, including:
- Casting long bronze barrels using clay molds and the lost-wax method
- Boring out smooth precise interiors for consistent accuracy at long range
- Forging trunnions, reinforcing bands, and dolphin lifting handles
- Decorating the cascabel with cast serpent heads, lion faces, and Renaissance ornaments
- Building heavy two-wheel field carriages strong enough to support long barrels
- Casting solid iron balls, lead shot, and grapeshot canisters for different battlefield roles
- Training three to four-man crews to load, aim, and fire up to six rounds per minute

Blending Renaissance metallurgy, the physics of long-barrel ballistics, and the tactical revolution of mid-sized field artillery, this video reveals how a cannon weighing up to 800 kilograms could outrange smaller Falconets while remaining mobile enough to follow an army across rough terrain. By balancing barrel length, ball weight, and powder charge, Renaissance gunsmiths produced an artillery piece flexible enough to support cavalry charges, break pike formations, batter castle walls, and dominate open battlefields — all from a single carriage design.

The Serpentine was not only a weapon but the cannon that decided the most catastrophic battle in Scottish history. On September 9, 1513, at Flodden Field in Northumberland, English forces commanded by the Earl of Surrey deployed Serpentines, Falcons, and Curtals against the larger Scottish army led by King James IV. The English guns were lighter, more accurate, and better positioned than the Scottish artillery. Within hours, Serpentine fire shattered Scottish pike formations, exposed the royal household, and forced James IV into a final desperate charge. The king fell among 10,000 to 17,000 Scottish dead — including nine earls, fourteen lords of parliament, and an archbishop. James IV became the last reigning British monarch ever killed in battle. The English seized seventeen captured Scottish cannons after the fight and paraded them through London. From Flodden to the campaigns of Henry VIII to the early decades of the English Civil War, the Serpentine served European armies for over 150 years before being replaced by lighter, faster Saker and Minion cannons.

If you enjoy Renaissance history documentaries, Tudor warfare, English-Scottish history, artillery engineering, or full-process explorations of historical military technology, this cinematic walkthrough reveals how English foundries forged the snake-named cannon that destroyed a Scottish king.

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Видео Inside the Serpentine Cannon: The Snake-Named Gun That Killed a Scottish King (Full Process) канала THE ANCIENT PROCESS