Siege Weapons
Facts and
interesting information about Medieval Weapons, Armor and arms,
specifically, the Siege Weapons
Medieval Siege
Weapons
The Medieval era saw the advent of the
Crusades to the Holy Land and the construction of hundreds of castles in
England. A totally new form of warfare and weapons were introduced to
England with the castles and following the experiences fighting the
Saracens and their attacking the fortresses during the Crusades - it was
called Siege Warfare. Siege
warfare tactics and weapons varied according to the role of defender or
the attacker.
Medieval Siege Weapons
Design
Medieval Siege Weapons were made to order!
They were far too cumbersome to move from one place to another. In a
Medieval siege situation the commander would assess the situation and the siege
weapons design requirements to break a siege. Engineers would instruct
soldiers as to the design and construction of Medieval Siege Weapons and siege
engines. The most famous Medieval Siege Weapons were the:
The design of the trebuchet
was an awesome piece of engineering - the machine was massive.
Description of Medieval Siege Weapons
Medieval Siege Weapons used during the Medieval times of the Middle Ages were the Ballista, Mangonel, Battering Ram, Siege Tower
and the awesome Trebuchet. A brief description of each of the major
Medieval Siege Weapons and engines are as follows:
-
The Battering Ram
The Battering Ram and the Bore were used to
literally 'batter' down, pound, punch and shake and drill into
castle gates, doors and walls
-
The Ballista
- The Ballista was similar to a Giant Crossbow and worked by using
tension
-
The Mangonel
- Missiles were launched from a bowl-shaped bucket at the end of the
one giant arm of the Mangonel
-
The Trebuchet
- The massive Trebuchet consisted of a lever and a sling and was
capable of hurling stones weighing 200 pounds with a range of up to
about 300 yards
-
The Siege Tower
- A siege weapon designed to protect attackers and their ladders
whilst storming a weak area of the castle wall. The tower was
usually rectangular with four wheels and a height equal to that of
the wall, or sometimes even higher
Construction of Medieval Siege Weapons
Medieval Siege warfare and building Medieval Siege Weapons was an extremely
expensive business! All sieges had to be carefully planned and the exact
type and number of Medieval Siege Weapons had to be established. Medieval Lords,
knights and their Siege Engineers identified the weakest parts of the
Castle or town that they needed to attack and planned the design of the
siege engines accordingly. A workforce including carpenters and
Blacksmiths had to be transported to the site. The surrounding area was
checked out for materials and supplies. Armed men and soldiers were
expected to help prepare for the siege by helping to build the siege
weapons and engines. Many elements needed to be taken into consideration
when designing Medieval Siege Weapons. Click the following link for further
details.
Siege Weapon Design
Medieval Weapons
and Armor - Siege Weapons
The Medieval Life and Times website provides interesting facts, history
and information about the weapons, armor and battles in Medieval history,
including the Siege Weapons, which scatter the history books. The Medieval Times Sitemap
provides full details of all of the information and facts about
the fascinating subject of the lives of the soldiers and knights
who lived during the historical period of the Middle Ages. The content
of this article on Siege Weapons provides free educational details, facts and information for reference and research for schools, colleges and homework for history courses and history coursework.
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