During the Middle Ages, a new type of warfare known as a siege was used to gain a castle using various siege weapons and was frequently used during this time period. Sieges can be defined as a Medieval military operation that involved surrounding a town or castle in order to cut off essential supplies such as food and water, aiming to besiege or capture it. Neither attacker or defender wanted a prolonged siege so according the Chivalric Rules, a truce between the two parties would be attempted before the siege began. Sieges were expensive and very time consuming, so they wouldn’t begin unless the truce failed after seven to forty days. After the preparations were complete and no signs of surrendering or possible truces were left, the castle and towns were officially under a siege. This essay will discuss siege weapons and engines that were used, what happens during a siege, and the end of a siege.
In the Medieval time period, besieging armies used a wide variety of siege weapons and engines such as battering rams, siege towers, and catapults like the mangonel or trebuchet. Due to the advances in siege weapons that were primarily used for attacking, a variety of defensive counter-measurements were created, for example, castles became stronger in structure. Castle designers paid more attention to defending the entrances by adding drawbridges, portcullises, and moats. Wet skins of animals were draped over wooden structures to prevent it from catching on fire. Designers also put in great effort to ensure that a steady water supply was built inside the city in case the city becomes besieged.
Besiegers had a number of ways to gain control of the castle, but the two most common ways was to either directly attack and force their way in...
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When the news that a siege was going to happen, everyone was expected to help prepare. In a panic, some people abandon their homes in the villages and rushed towards the shelter of the town. Meanwhile, the castle constable leaves him army on alert and summons extra soldiers. He orders supplies of food, water, and weapons to be brought into town and stored. Trees and houses near the castle were cut down so the enemies couldn’t hide. Ponds and wells were poisoned and the farmlands were left scorched, leaving nothing for the enemy to eat or drink. Local craftsmen and blacksmiths were ordered to gather and stay in the castle so that they couldn’t be forced to work for the besieging army. Grain was cooked until it was a dry biscuit, milk was made into cheese to make it last, and cattle were herded into the castle for slaughter.
To solidify his thesis, the author explains how life was like during these times, how major events developed and how important roles took their place in history during the medieval age.
- - - The New Penguin Atlas of Medieval History. London, England, Penguin Books, no publication
"From the Brink of the Apocalypse: Confronting Famine, War, Plague, and Death in the Later Middle Ages." Medievalists.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2013.
with the intent of widespread entertainment, elements of comedy and other aspects of entertaining film can, at times, cloud the message and content of the documentary. An anti-war advocate, Terry Jones’ presentation of matter so closely related to strong personal sentiments can also introduce a degree of bias in the presentation and approach taken to analyzing the events detailed in the series. However, the documentary incorporates the input and analysis of several highly-regarded medieval historians, including Jonathan Riley-Smith, Suheil Zakkar, Fikret Isiltan, David Lazenby, and Christopher Tyerman. This group of historians, all highly esteemed individuals in the field, are able to offer a balanced and likely unbiased account of what they believe to be true about the
The battle of Saratoga was a significant turning point in the American Revolutionary War. This key conflict was, in fact, two significant battles that shaped America’s struggle for independence. The battles were fought 18 days apart in the same location - 9 miles south of Saratoga, New York. John Burgoyne, the British General, had an initial strategy to divide New England from the southern colonies. This was at first successful when the British took Pennsylvania, but hit a snag when Burgoyne met the Continental Army at Freeman’s Farm on September 19, 1777 - the first of the Saratoga battles. This was a tactical victory for the British, but it came at a price, as their casualties were heavy. It was known that the British won this Battle at Freeman’s Farm, but in actuality, they didn’t have many troops left. On October 7, in the Battle of Bemis Heights, the second Battle of Saratoga, Britain attacked America again as Burgoyne took the offensive. The troops crashed together south of the town of Saratoga, and Burgoyne's army was broken and his command captured. At this battle, the Americans were able to capture a large number of British troops, ultimately resulting in Burgoyne’s surrender on October 17, 1777. The Battle of Saratoga is well known to be “one of the most important victories of the conflict and an early success for the colonists.” The victory gave new life to the American cause at a critical time. Americans had just suffered a major setback at the Battle of Brandywine. They had also received news of the fall of Philadelphia to the British. Significantly with the success at Saratoga, France gained the confidence to enter the war as an American ally. The Battle of Saratoga was a war-altering conflict between the America...
At the beginning of the Middle Ages, battle was still fought by men usually with swords, spears, and axes because they fought so close to each other. In medieval times, there were many different weapons, which were used for many different reasons. Some reasons would be for war, hunting, farming and building. The same types of materials were used, but they designed into different types of weapons and armor. As you read, you will learn how as time pasted that either the armor or the weapons changed to be more protective and or more powerful. I will be covering in this paper the many types of weapons, a specific weapon, and last the armor they used to protect themselves.
Early one winter, before the change of the year, the King was hosting a fifteen day diversion for the noblest of knights and their fair ladies. Thronging the castle from far-away lands, eminent knights were jousting during the day, and feasting at night, when an adventure unrivaled by any other took
There is a general discord among stakeholders on the definition of irregular warfare and where the term and concept fits within the joint and the individual services’ doctrine. The 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review report uses the term “irregular” only once in its one hundred and five pages and only in terms of a focus on building the joint force’s capability and capacity to deal with irregular warfare while maintaining a clear conventional and nuclear global superiority. Currently, the definition is ambiguous and results in conflict or duplication of efforts across Department of Defense stakeholders. For the purposes of this paper, the stakeholders discussed are the Army and the Marine Corps. Stakeholders must reach a consensus and clearly define irregular warfare in order to establish comprehensive irregular war policy and strategy.
It has been debated by varying scholars as to whether Caesar Augustus’ foreign policy to expand Rome’s empire had more to do with defensive imperialism as a response to encroaching threats, or rather, an aggressively, unprovoked move to claim hegemony over the known world. However, I would like to postulate in support of the former theory that in an attempt to restore and ensure long-lasting security to their empire, Augustus was forced to take proactive measures in order to preserve it. With territorial boundaries normally running along the rivers so as to provide a better defensive posture, he felt it necessary to expand the northern border to the river so as to secure their autonomy and position. Perhaps if he could establish a wide buffer
During the Medieval Times the Bodiam Castle was a stronghold because of the stable solid walls. The strengths of the Bodiam Castle was it was built out of stone and has withstood the tale of time. The Bodiam Castle was strong because it was the only tall rectangular castle built during the time. The Bodiam castle was know for the security system because everyone in the castle was out of harm's way due to its design of being surrounded by water, having tall walls and having entrances with drawbridges that could be easily
The bird-like beak contained spices and vinegar-soaked cloth to mask the stench of death and decay.” And in the dark ages there was a lot of civil wars and invasions and to prove that (Doc 7) states “The barbarians have broken through the ramparts [defensive wall]. The Saracen [Moors] invasions have spread in successive waves over the South. The Hungarians [Magyars] swarm over the Eastern provinces….they sacked town and village, and laid waste in the fields. They burned the churches and then departed with a crowd of captives….There is no longer any trade, only unceasing terror….The peasant has abandoned his ravaged fields to avoid the violence of anarchy. The people have gone to cower [crouch down in fear] in the depths of the forests or in inaccessible regions, or have taken refuge in the high mountains….Society has no longer any government.” In the Dark ages life was hard as (Doc 2) states “The Manor was the economic side of feudalism. The manor was a mostly self-sufficient system in which the lord’s land (granted by the king) was farmed by his serfs (bound to the land). The manor included not just farmers, but also artisans who provided for the needs of the manor, a chapel, forest for hunting, and pastureland for farm
The Web. The Web. 23 Nov. 2011. The "Middle Ages - Information, Facts, and Links." ENotes - Literature Study Guides, Lesson Plans.
The archers of the castle would’ve also been aligned up to shoot at the attackers through the murder holes. Therefore, this attack would’ve never been used because of its failure rate against Chastershire Castle.
Roger Babusci et al. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1994. 115-136. Print. “The Medieval Period: 1066-1485.”
The Thirty Years War was a series of conflicts, not-knowingly involving most European countries from 1618 to 1648. The war, which was fought mainly in Germany, was started when Bohemian Protestants furiously attacked the Holy Roman Emperor in terms to impose a restriction on their religious and civil liberties. By understanding the Thirty Years War, you will notice the notable religious, political and social changes. The changes paved the religious and political maps of Europe. Not only did this war affect the religious and political demographic, it caused populations to perish and lose large amounts of their goods. What was known as a religious battle, turned out to be a political feud in competition of which state has the greater power affecting men, women, soldiers and civilians. “[The bohemians] had no idea that their violent deed would set off a chain reaction of armed conflict that would last thirty years and later be called Europe’s “first world war” of the modern era.” When the war ended, the lands were defiled and over 5 million people were killed.