What is a medieval cannon ball?

Answer 1

Medieval cannon were artillery. A canon is different, and there is a link below to a related question on what the canon was.

Cannon were usually welded together from iron bars, or, if they were small, cast of bronze. The big ones were fairly effective siege weapons, as they could shoot boulders to knock down castle walls. Among the small ones were hand cannons and swivel guns.

An interesting early cannon was the petard, which was actually more like a bomb, but was classed as a cannon. It was loaded with a few pounds of powder, bound to the end of a pole, the fuse lighted, and then it was placed against a door that the attacker wanted demolished. A person who was not careful (so the idea goes) could get his clothes stuck to the petard's binding and be "hoisted on his own petard," to be blown up by his own work.

Answer 2

Answer:There are a number of different answers to this question.

A canon could be a member of a group of clergy, usually living or working together. I once lived near a cathedral at which priests who acted as administrators were given the title of canon. Two of them both had the last name of Ball. Since one was short and the other tall, to avoid confusion, people referred to them as Big Shot and Little Shot instead of Canon Ball.

A canon could be a group of laws pertaining to some thing, such as the Church. In this regard, we see the term, "canon law."

A canon could be a specific prescribed way of doing things, such as a prescribed service for confession and penance.

The canon was a specific set of prayers said in Mass.

A canon could be one of several related types of music in which counterpoint is used with the voices related in certain rigidly prescribed ways. A round is a type of canon.

A canon is also a body of important works of literature, music, or art. I don't know that the term was used in this way in the Middle Ages, however.

There is a link below to the disambiguation article for "canon" in Wikipedia, and there are links to various articles on individual meanings from there.

Another answer, merged in:Nothing to do with firearms- canon with your spelling was an ecclesiastical rank that was between Priest and Bishop. Canons ( who were obviously versed in the canon law) may also have functioned as lawyers. as late as, well maybe Elizabethan times- Legal men had unusual costumes worn in court- as did and do today- Judges the costume was basically a white jacket with some sort of open vest, and did look priestly. a black and white contrast was maintained. We still have the Canon law- and that means rule!. Canon clergy ranked between priest and bishop- probably above a Monsignor. ( essentially a senior priest in charge of a parish- not a ( Field Bishop). by the way Cardinal Frings was a Feldbishop ( no translation needed) in the German Army in World War II. In service dress, FB"s wore the regular Army uniform with Garrison hat and so on but had Purple color tabs for arm -of Service=- here Divine services. I do not know if the Feldbishop role was continued after World War II.

A canon and a cannon are clearly not the same thing. There is a link below to the question on cannon.

Answer 3

Medieval cannon balls were usually just round stones.