Siege WeaponsFacts 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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