| Faule Mette | |
| Origin: | Brunswick, Holy Roman Empire |
| Type: | Cannon |
| Is Ranged: | yes |
| Is Bladed: | no |
| Is Explosive: | no |
| Is Artillery: | yes |
| Is Vehicle: | no |
| Is Missile: | no |
| Used By: | City of Brunswick |
| Designer: | Henning Bussenschutte |
| Production Date: | 1411 |
| Weight: | 8.75 t |
| Length: | 305 cm |
| Part Length: | 181 cm |
| Cartridge Weight: | 409 kg |
| Caliber: | 67–80 cm (conical muzzle) |
The Faule Mette (German for Lazy Mette, alluding to the gun's rare deployment, difficult mobility, and limited loading and fire rate) or 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. Thus, it could fire stone balls weighing between 322and with a gunpowder load ranging from 24to.
On 1 November 1717, the Faule Mette reportedly shot a 341kg (752lb) stone ball The cast-bronze cannon was melted down in 1787 and recast to several lighter field guns, having fired only twelve times in its history.
Besides the Faule Mette, a number of 15th-century European superguns are known to have been employed primarily in siege warfare, including the wrought-iron Pumhart von Steyr, Dulle Griet and Mons Meg as well as the cast-bronze Faule Grete and Grose Bochse.