Pot-de-fer

thumb|Vase gun found in Loshult, [[Sweden (1st half of the 14th century?)]]

The pot-de-fer (French: "iron pot"), also called vasi (Italian: "pot") or simply vase gun, was an early type of cannon. Appearing in Europe from the 1320s, it derives its name from its small, vase-like shape. Mainly used to fire large bolts (garros), it replaced the springald. Over the course of the 14th century vase-shaped cannons were eventually replaced by tube-shaped cannons, which from the late 14th cannons became increasingly larger and eventually developed into bombards.