Siege Weapons
Bill Mizell
Use
• The main use of siege weapons was to destroy a castle wall that was being laid siege to.
• The point of using machines to do this was to throw heavy objects long distances to breach those walls.
Battering Ram
• A battering ram was used to try to knock down a part of a wall by using a large log to ram into the side of the wall
Pros and Cons
• Easy to hit the same spot twice
• Slow to move
• Easily stopped
Early Catapult / Onager
• An early catapult was first used by the Greeks and Romans and continued to be used until the early Middle Ages.
• An onager was similar to a catapult but used a sling instead of a cup.
Pros and Cons
• Ranged attack
• Not effective against individual troops
• Unpredictable
Mangonel
• The mangonel replaced the onager because the mangonel could fire many rocks at one time, while the onager could only fire one stone at a time. Mangonel is also a word that means engine of war.
Pros and Cons
• Ranged attack
• Able to fire more than one projectile
• Not effective against individual troops
• Unpredictable
Trebuchet
• The trebuchet replaced the mangonel in the late Middle Ages. The trebuchet was much more effective that the mangonel because the trebuchet could fire a heavier projectile farther.
Traction Trebuchet
• A traction Trebuchet used manpower to fire a stone projectile.
Pros and Cons
• Powerful
• Reliable
• Limited by space under the trebuchet
• Need several to break down a wall
Counterweight Trebuchet
• A counterweight trebuchet is a trebuchet that used a weight instead of manpower to throw a projectile.
Pros and Cons
• Gets rid of the people problem
• More powerful
• Need several to breach a wall
Gunpowder
• The introduction of gunpowder to Medieval Europe revolutionized the thinking behind siege weapons.
• Gunpowder is a mixture of charcoal, sulfur, and saltpeter.
Cannons
• Cannons were used to throw metal cannonballs into walls at relatively low trajectories.
• Metal was finally able to use because the gunpowder was able to throw the much heavier object farther.
Pros and Cons
• Very powerful
• Low trajectory
• Destructive
• Expensive
• Inconsistent
• Slow moving
Spiral Effect
• The spiral effect of trying to stay technologically ahead of enemies drives almost all major technological advances. This effect is evident in the medieval arms race.
• Engineers build stronger castles, so besiegers develop more powerful weapons. This process repeats forever and ever until there is no longer a need for more development.