University:
Missouri State University
Course:
HST 103 | World History to Circa 1600 C.E.
Academic year:

2021
Views:

199

Pages:

11
Author:

moldavkupos

Strategies and Weapons for Defending and Attacking a Castle + Direct Assault Siege Tower Trebuchet Tunnel Walls Archers Gatehouse Moat + Direct Assault The most dangerous way for attackers to try to take a castle. Soldiers either scaled walls with ladders or overran castle walls Sometimes they attacked two or three spots around the castle at once Archers and crossbowmen would cover soldiers while they tried to break a wall or storm over it. Defenders rained arrows down on attackers, while soldiers pushed ladders off the wall, dropped rocks or firepots filled with burning tar, or poured scalding water, wine, or hot sand + Trebuchet Could launch missiles hundreds of yards Could fire stone missiles weighing up to 400 pounds—big enough to do serious damage to a castle wall If a trebuchet was set up too close to a castle, archers would harass its builders with arrows shot from bows or bolts from crossbows. Castle defenders also would try to destroy rising trebuchets with catapults shot from the castle wall or with sneak attacks to burn it down. + Walls Most castles had a concentric system of walls Loopholes, not windows Towers gave a better perspective The area inside the walls was selfsufficient • Access to wells, livestock, food storage + Gatehouse This was at the castle's entrance, which was the castle's most vulnerable point. A drawbridge could be pulled back, lifted, or pivoted like a see saw Portcullises—iron-covered wooden grills that moved up and down in front of the gatehouse door—provided additional protection. Attackers ran the risk of being trapped in the gatehouse + Siege Tower Purpose was to use the tower to scale castle walls Siege towers were difficult and timeconsuming to build Castle defenders could burn them down with fire arrows or firepots (launched pots filled with flaming liquids such as tar) + Tunnels Sometimes tunnels were dug to gain entrance to a castle Often, tunnels were dug beneath a castle wall to destabilize and topple it. They supported their tunnels with timbers, which they then burned to collapse the tunnel—and, hopefully, the wall above. To defend themselves, castle dwellers put out a bowl of water and watched for ripples that might indicate digging. + Archers Both attacking and defending armies had archers, though those shooting arrows from the castle had a great advantage. • They were at a higher position which extended their range and provided them with a good view of their human targets. • The castle wall also protected them well. Loopholes were the narrow slits through which archers shot + Moats Protected castles from siege towers and battering rams Moats also made digging tunnels underneath the wall far more challenging. To get across a moat, the attacking army sometimes filled the moat with rocks and soil or built portable wooden bridges