Artillery of France in the Middle Ages

The artillery of France in the Middle Ages begins only with the fourteenth century, a century in which appears for the first time in Europe a depiction of a cannon, in Walter de Milemete's 1326 De Nobilitatibus sapientii et prudentiis regum, and in which start to appear small rudimentary weapons such as the pot-de-fer or the portable bâton à feu. At this early stage, cannon would fire either stone balls or metal pellets.

The 14th century saw a considerable development of the new weapons in France and in Western Europe in general, especially with the outbreak of the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453).

Cannons were soon used at sea, with ships being used as firing platform. Small guns projecting quarrels or lead pellets were used at the 1340 Battle of Sluys, and in the French defense of Tournai in August 1340.

Edward III used similar weapons at the Battle of Crécy in 1346, and in the Siege of Calais in 1347. "Ribaldis" were first mentioned in the English Privy Wardrobe accounts during preparations for the Battle of Crécy between 1345 and 1346.

Cannons evolved considerably towards the end of the century with the collapse of the Treaty of Bretigny and the resumption of the war in 1369. Until 1370, cannons were essentially small weapons of 10 to 20 kg (20 to 40 lbs), made of brass or copper. After that point, larger guns appeared, made of wrought iron or cast iron. During the 1375 siege of Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte, French troops successfully breached the walls of the fortress with guns weighing over 1 ton, and firing 50 kg stone balls. The English trailed behind French developments in the area and only had a few such weapons before 1400.

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