Medieval Siege Weaponry: Castle Walls Beware
|
Medieval siege weaponry was required in any self-respecting war leader's arsenal in a time when castles with thick defense walls were common and cities surrounded by large, fortified walls were not out of place.
With warfare commonplace, it's little wonder the variety of medieval siege weaponry is great. After all, what was an attacking band of raiders to do when presented with an "impenetrable" castle wall? Break it down, of course, using one of the many designs of medieval siege weaponry available.
One of the earliest examples of medieval siege weaponry appeared around the 300s AD when the ballista was created. The ballista wasn't the most accurate in the line of medieval siege weaponry, but it could launch a wave of spears further than human arms could muster. Created using two wooden arms, tightly wound ropes and a cord to assist in the hurling of deadly projectiles, this example of medieval siege weaponry used torsion force to launch objects.
The Romans added their own model to the list of medieval siege weaponry when they created the mangonel. This model called for only one wooden arm. The mangonel, however, had somewhat of a design flaw in that in called for a wooden barrier to be constructed.
A ferocious example of medieval siege weaponry came online in the 12th century with the deploying of the trebuchet.
The trebuchet used a long wooden arm rested on a pivot point, which acted as a large lever. A projectile was placed on one end and warriors in this earlier version of the trebuchet pulled on ropes attached to the other end to essentially swing the arm around and hurl the stone.
As far as examples of commonly used medieval siege weaponry are concerned, however, catapults and their sister designs do not hold the only billing. Other tools were readily available to would-be conquerors.
The battering ram, for example, has been used through the ages and still is employed by modern law enforcement.
This version of medieval siege weaponry involved the creation of a very heavy weight placed on wheels used to help batter fortifications. It was usually made of a large tree trunk, and sometimes rather than wheels, a group of warriors or a sling frame helped provide the force necessary to crack fortifications using this simple, yet effective, example of medieval siege weaponry.
Other items in the medieval siege weaponry arsenal included ladders and not-so-simple siege towers. Ladders were employed simply to scale castle walls. If the defenses stopped this measure, siege towers might be built to allow archers clear lines of attack to enemies standing on castle walls.
As far as medieval siege weaponry is concerned, siege towers were somewhat difficult due to their cumbersome nature. Towers were rectangular and often constructed on four wheels. They were as tall as the castle walls or taller and were designed to protect archers, warriors and ladders as an army advanced. The downfall of siege towers in the long line of medieval siege weaponry, however, was their size and the propensity of the defending army to hurl projectiles at them.
The examples of medieval siege weaponry vary greatly, but whatever their design they all had one purpose ? to deliver an army to victory.
For more medieval siege weapons information, including how to build a catapult, visit http://www.medieval-castle-siege-weapons.com/medieval-siege-weapons-index.html
Garben Catapult updates the information for http://www.medieval-castle-siege-weapons.com, a site filled with over 100 pages of interesting information covering many aspects of medieval castles and medieval weapons.
|
|
|
Mythology And Parables In Modern Communication - Part 1
Today there is a growing need to examine all our systems of thought and communication. We are witness to an information explosion. Never before has there been such a plethora of relevant and not s...(related: Humanities)
Precious Stones The Big Five-part 5 The Pearl
Since pearls are so rare and possess such a high degree of natural beauty, they have been considered to be among the most splendid of gems for many centuries.The people of India and Persia (Iraq) were among the earliest to collect pearls, because of the rich fisheries of Ceylon and the Persian Gulf, the Indian and Persian princes in the last century, acquired huge collections of pearls that have never been equaled, these collections would be worth hundreds of millions of dollars today.Pearls A Natural WonderNatural or real pearls are made by oysters and other mollusks. Cultured pearls also are grown by mollusks, but with human intervention; ...(related: Humanities)
Druidic University
MEGALITHIIC POWER PLANTS:Druidic University:Long before there was a Rome or Eternal City there was a Druidic University near Rennes-le-Chateau. Just as we saw Oxford University was built at the same location the Pheryllts (Druidic Alchemists like the Cabiri discussed by Lewis Spence) had a university you will find many locations sacred to the Kelts are usurped by Rome/Bruttii. Chartrés is on...(related: Humanities)
Your Stars 2
LeoSome tragic news hits you hard and makes you re-evaluate your entire life. Use this opportunity to think long and hard about the direction you are taking. It's also a great excuse to spend a small fortune on getting absolutely slaughtered down the...(related: Humanities)
She Wrote The Book On Fakin It
She brought the guitar into vogue. She created the first "fake" books designed for regular folks who didn't want to or were unable to invest the time and effort to master the guitar....(related: Humanities)
Mexican Living: Doctors, Doctors, Doctors
I am sick. I don't know what's wrong nor if what I have has an official name. Maybe they call it, "Ah-ha-now-you-can't-breathe-well-and-feel-like-you-are-going-to-die virus. I don't know. I will probably go to the doctor tomorrow if I am not feeling better.Going to the doctor in Mexico is simply a delight. There are several reasons for my enchantment with going to Mexican doctors. One is that I can afford it. The best part, in fact, about going to the Mexican doctor is at the end of the visit when you have to pay less than $15.00 for an office call.This is what you will hear your American doctor telling you,"That will be all for today. Now be sure to pay your $150.00 ...(related: Humanities)
Are You Embarassed By Your Civil War Uniform Impression?
"Authentic," "authentic," "authentic" is all you hear if you are new or a hard core reenactor. You look all over to find period Civil War Uniform articles. But when you finally get them, do you feel like you know what to do with them?Following are some researched tips on how to wear your Civil War Uniform once you have gathered it all together:*Civil War soldiers wore their haversack and canteen on the left side. A typical soldier's haversack included a pipe kit, tobacco, coffee, a sewing kit, rations, personal photos and letters.*Purchase an inexpensive shirt from a sutler. Learn how to do a little bit of stitching - all you need to learn is...(related: Humanities)
Native American Indian Art Wood Carvings Of The Pacific Northwest
Native American Indian art in the American southwest is dominated by the magnificent pottery and jewelry in the regi...(related: Humanities)
A Maiden Trip
I belong to a hamlet called 'Konthai' which is in South Tamil Nadu, India. Twenty years back I was there as an unemployed graduate hunting...(related: Humanities)
The New Age Movement
What is the New Age Movement? It is similar to New Age Spirituality, but different enough to warrant its own definition. The New Age Movement is a belief that the human race is all one. It is not about equality nor diversity. It is the idea that your gender, age, religion, race, nor sexual orientation makes you better or worse then anyone else. The New Age Movement is moving away from the US against THEM mentality. It is ...(related: Humanities)
site-map - Copyright © 2006 humanities.myinfohut.info | Contact Webmaster | All Rights Reserved. | Humanities