The Faule Mette (German for "Lazy Mette," alluding to the gun's rare deployment, difficult mobility, and limited loading and fire rate), also known as Faule Metze, was a medieval large-calibre cannon of the city of Brunswick, Germany.
Cast by the gunfounder Henning Bussenschutte on the central market square Kohlmarkt in 1411, it was fitted with a conically tapered muzzle (calibre of 67–80 cm) which allowed the use of projectiles of varying size. It could fire stone balls weighing between 322 and 423 kilograms (710–933 lb) with a gunpowder load ranging from 24 to 33 kilograms (53–73 lb).
On 1 November 1717, the Faule Mette reportedly shot a 341-kilogram (752 lb) stone ball a distance of 2,442 metres (8,012 ft). The cast-bronze cannon was melted down in 1787 and recast into several lighter field guns, having fired only twelve times in its entire history.
Specifications:
- Mass: 8.75 tonnes
- Length: 305 cm
- Barrel length: 181 cm
- Calibre: 67–80 cm (conical muzzle)
- Projectile weight: up to 423 kg (stone)
The Faule Mette belongs to a group of 15th-century European superguns employed primarily in siege warfare, alongside other notable examples such as the wrought-iron Pumhart von Steyr, Dulle Griet, and Mons Meg, as well as the cast-bronze Faule Grete and Grose Bochse.
