This is a test firing at Middelaldercentret of a medieval bombard reconstruction. Bombards came along after the use of trebuchets and the invention of gun powder. But still, the trebuchet was used long after the this primitive cannon was created. Bombards are simply short-barreled cannons capable of hurling small solid shot at stone or wooden structures. The bombard was especially used in smashing the castles wooden gates. It was protected by a roof covered in wet animal skins and had an outside door that swung upwards to let the bombard fire. Here, the man is pulling the rope that raises this barrier and the bombard fires a salvo. After a while, gunpowder and the stronger fortification of castles and buildings spelled the end to the trebuchet era.
