The following is taken from Middle Ages
Author: Alchin, L.K.
Retrieved 20 February 2006 from www.middle-ages.org.uk

Siege Weapons

The Middle Ages - 1066 -1485

The Middle Ages is one of the most turbulent periods in English History. Starting with the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest. The English Middle Ages then saw the building of the great English castles, including the Tower of London, which helped the Normans to retain their hold on England. The start of the Crusades and the knights of the Middle Ages

Siege Weapons and Warfare

There were many factors to take into consideration when deciding upon siege weapon design. Medieval Siege warfare and building siege weapons was an extremely expensive business! All sieges had to be carefully planned and the exact type and number of siege weapons and their design 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 siege weapon design accordingly.

Siege Weapon Design Factors
The following elements had to be discussed and taken taken into account before arriving at the final decision for the siege weapon design.

• Strength and size of the castle or town to be attacked
• Potential weak points
• The number of fighting men and the resources inside the castle
• What was the morale of the enemy like - could this be reduced further by fear and intimidation?
• The fear instilled by the massive siege weapons could help with this
• What supplies were likely to be available in the castle?
• Was there a supply route for new supplies - access to the sea? Could this prolong the siege and increase the expense involved?
• Was Fresh water readily available?
• What were the strength and types of weapons inside the castle?
• The Fortifications of the Castle - The attackers needed to identify all the weak spots of the Castle. Defences such as a Portcullis, Drawbridge, Barbican, Murder Holes and Moat would have to be surmounted with the help of siege engines
• The correct position for the siege engines had to be established to ensure maximum effectiveness with minimum casualties!
• The land surrounding the castle would be checked out to determine the local materials which were available for building the siege engines and whether they would be suitable for the siege weapon design
• The size of the castle wall would determine the height and the siege weapon design
• The next stage would be to estimate the length of time required to build the siege weapon
• Then the resources, in terms of man power, required to build the siege engine and ensuring that skilled siege weapon makers were available, such as carpenters and blacksmiths, to make the parts of the siege engine
• Ensure a sufficient and the correct type of tools were available to build the siege engines
• Finally oxen had to be slaughtered to obtain wet hides necessary to cover some parts of siege weapons e.g. siege towers, to minimise casualties. Arrangements often had to be made to have them imported

The whole area outside the castle became a noisy hive of activity. The siege weapon design had been finalised and the siege engines would be built! Battle plans had to be drawn - no two sieges were ever conducted in exactly the same way. During this siege weapon preparation period the attackers would seek terms of surrender with the enemy. Failure to 'Come to Terms' resulted in siege warfare and the use of the terrifying siege weapons. The section detailing Siege Warfare provides details of siege tactics, the Chivalric Code, surrender and negotiation.

Description of Siege Weapons
Medieval Siege Weapons used during the Middle Ages were the Ballista, Mangonel, Battering Ram, Siege Tower and the awesome Trebuchet. A brief description of each of the major siege weapons and engines are as follows:

1. 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
2. The Ballista - The Ballista was similar to a Giant Crossbow and worked by using tension
3. The Mangonel - Missiles were launched from a bowl-shaped bucket at the end of the one giant arm of the Mangonel
4. 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
5. 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
   

We will concentrate on the catapults: the Ballista, Mangonel and Trebuchet.

Ballista

The word 'Ballista' is derived from the Greek word 'Ballistes' meaning to throw. In England siege weapons, including the Ballista, was also known as the Ingenium from the Latin word ingenium meaning ingenious device! Plural - ballistae

The Ballista is believed to be an ancient war engine which was invented by the Greeks (the Scorpion) and modified by the Romans in 400BC. An interesting story related to ballista history refers to Greek and Roman Women who grew long hair as a patriotic gesture in case new ballistae were required. The Ballista reached Europe during the Medieval era and was used extensively by the French. Ballista history notes that the weapon introduced to England in 1216 during the Siege of Dover - as were many other types of siege engine. Louis the Dauphin of France crossed the Channel with a large force and laid siege to Dover Castle making a violent and incessant attack on the castle walls. He used the Ballista against the walls and men of Dover Castle. The constable of Dover castle was Hugh de Burgh - he refused to surrender.

The Ballista design was similar to a giant crossbow and worked by using tension. The Ballista was designed to aim huge wooden, iron clad, darts or arrows which were powered by twisted skeins of rope, hair, or sinew - the ballista design was based on a huge dart-throwing machine. The Ballista loosed heavy bolts, darts and spears along a flat trajectory. The force of the missiles launched from the Ballista was designed to have great penetration and were capable of skewering several of the enemy at one time!

• The Ballista was a highly accurate siege engine requiring expert building and design skills. The Ballista was similar to a giant crossbow and worked by using tension.
• The two arms of a Ballista were made of wood
• Ropes were attached to each arm were the springs of the Ballista
• The ropes were made of twisted strands of human hair or animal sinew
• When the bow-arms of the Ballista were pulled back, they twisted the ropes
• The bowstring was pulled back by a winch

Although the design and building of the Ballista was highly accurate its range was less than that of the massive Trebuchet. The missiles launched by the Ballista were much lighter than the heavy trebuchet stones and could not gain the high momentum of the heavier missiles.

Mangonel - Onager

The word Mangonel is derived from the Latin word manganon which means “an engine of war”. Another name for the mangonel is the onager.

The Mangonel is believed to be an ancient war engine which invented by the Romans in 400BC as a light alternative to the Ballista which also had the addition of wheels. The Mangonel reached Europe during the Medieval era and was used extensively by the French. It was introduced in England in 1216 during the Siege of Dover.

The Mangonel was an invaluable Medieval siege attack weapon, similar to a catapult which worked by using torsion or counterpoise. Mangonels fired heavy projectiles from a bowl-shaped bucket at the end of its arm. The Mangonel was used for aiming various missiles at castles, fortresses and cities. This type of catapult was easy to construct and wheels were added to the design to ensure manoeuvrability. The Mangonel complimented the other available siege weapons. The Mangonel was not as accurate as the Ballista but it was able to throw missiles further than a Trebuchet. Missiles were thrown in an overhead arc as opposed to the straight trajectory of the dart throwing Ballista.

The Mangonel was a highly accurate siege engine requiring expert building and design skills. Mangonels were capable of firing projectiles up to 1,300 feet. The Mangonel had one arm which was made of timber. Missiles were launched from a bowl-shaped bucket at the end of the arm. The rope attached to the arm was the spring of the Mangonel. The ropes are made of twisted strands of human hair or animal sinew. The rope at the bottom end of the throwing arm was twisted, providing the force to propel the arm.. Wheels were added to the base of the Mangonel ensuring manoeuvrability.

Trebuchet

The word 'Trebuchet' is derived from the Old French word 'Trebucher' meaning to throw over. In England siege weapons, including the Trebuchet, was also known as the Ingenium from the Latin word ingenium meaning ingenious device! The Trebuchet is also referred to as the Trebucket.

Trebuchet history dates back to antiquity. The traction trebuchet is believed to be an ancient war engine which was invented in China in 300BC. It is thought that the trebuchet may have developed from the stave sling. In the traction trebuchet a large troop of men pulled down on ropes to propel the missile. The trebuchet reached Europe during the early Middle Ages, or Dark Ages, in 500 AD and was used extensively by the French. At this time the design of the trebuchet was revised so that the troop of men used to pull down the ropes were replaced with a large fixed, or pivoting, counterbalance weight. The Traction Trebuchet used people as a power source. The Counterpoise Trebuchet replaced the people power with a weight on the short end. The Trebuchet (Trebucket) was introduced to England in 1216 during the Siege of Dover - as were many other types of siege engine. Louis the Dauphin of France crossed the Channel with a large force and laid siege to Dover Castle making a violent and incessant attack on the walls. He used the trebuchet against the walls of Dover Castle. The constable of Dover castle was Hugh de Burgh - he refused to surrender. King Edward I ordered his chief engineer, Master James of St. George, to begin work on a new, more massive engine called Warwolf, a version of the trebuchet. The Warwolf is generally thought of as the most powerful and most famous of the trebuchets in history.

The Trebuchet was an invaluable Medieval siege attack weapon, similar to a catapult, which was used for hurling heavy stones to smash castle or city walls. Medieval engineers of the Middle Ages worked hard on the design of the Trebuchet to ensure that this siege weapon and the aim of this type of catapult, or sling, would have the greatest effect. The force of the Trebuchet was capable of reducing castles, fortresses and cities to rubble.

• The Medieval Trebuchet consisted of a lever and a sling
• A very large force was applied to the shorter end of the arm, the load is on the other longer end of the arm with the fulcrum in the middle
• The siege engine's arm could measure up to 60 feet in length
• Heavy lead weights or a pivoting ballast box (filled with earth, sand or stones) were fixed to the short end of the Medieval trebuchet arm
• A heavy stone, or other missile, was placed in a leather pouch that was attached by two ropes to the other, long, end
• When the arm was released, the force created by the falling weight propelled the long end upward and caused the missile to be flung in the air towards the target
• The Trebuchet was capable of hurling stones weighing 200 pounds with a range of up to about 300 yards
• After maximum range was achieved, the trebuchet was moved toward or away from the target
• The first type of Trebuchet (Trebucket) were powered by man power, but the later Medieval type of trebuchet relied on a huge counterweight that swung a long arm. The rate of release was amazing - up to two thousands stones could be released in one day!

The Trebuchet was designed as a giant catapult, or sling. Missiles thrown from the Trebuchet catapults were deadly. The Trebuchet is generally associated with throwing stones. A Trebuchet could release up to 2000 stones in one day! Should the supply diminish sharp wooden poles and darts would be used. Fire caused havoc in a besieged castle or city and a variety of fire missiles, including firebrands were thrown. Terrifying Greek Fire was also used as a missile from the Medieval trebuchet. Medieval Trebuchets could launch missiles hundreds of yards at, or even over, a castle, fortress or city wall. Attackers were ingenious in their ideas for launching Trebuchet missiles which would cause as much distress and discomfort inside the castle or town walls. Trebuchet missiles included the following objects:

In the late Medieval era of the Middle Ages the men who operated the trebuchet were called ' Gynours '. The Medieval trebuchet was a massive war engine and its size required that the machine would be built at the site of the siege. The Gynours were under constant bombardment from the arrows and missiles of the enemy. The enemy would also attempt to burn the trebuchet during any daring reconnaissance trips. Catapults would also be built by the enemy within the castle or city walls to attack any of the attackers siege engines. Warning cries were often made when a fire missile had been launched by a trebuchet.