In the European Middle Ages, virtually all large cities had city walls—Dubrovnik in Dalmatia is a well-preserved example—and more important cities had citadels, forts, or castles.
- SiegeAlthough primitive, they were often effective, and were only overcome by the extensive use of siege engines and other siege warfare techniques, such as at the Battle of Alesia.
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Siege engine
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A siege engine is a device that is designed to break or circumvent heavy castle doors, thick city walls and other fortifications in siege warfare.
A typical military confrontation in medieval times was for one side to lay siege to an opponent's castle.
Artillery
1 linksClass of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms.
Class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms.
Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and led to heavy, fairly immobile siege engines.
Cannons were only useful for the defense of a castle, as demonstrated at Breteuil in 1356, when the besieged English used a cannon to destroy an attacking French assault tower.
Siege tower
1 linksSpecialized siege engine, constructed to protect assailants and ladders while approaching the defensive walls of a fortification.
Specialized siege engine, constructed to protect assailants and ladders while approaching the defensive walls of a fortification.
Used since the 11th century BC by the Babylonians and Assyrians in the ancient Near East, the 4th century BC in Europe and also in antiquity in the Far East, siege towers were of unwieldy dimensions and, like trebuchets, were therefore mostly constructed on site of the siege.
Some siege towers also had battering rams with which they used to bash down the defensive walls around a city or a castle gate.
Fortification
0 linksMilitary construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime.
Military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime.
Castles are fortifications which are regarded as being distinct from the generic fort or fortress in that they are a residence of a monarch or noble and command a specific defensive territory.
The art/science of laying siege to a fortification and of destroying it is commonly called siegecraft or siege warfare and is formally known as poliorcetics.
Portcullis
0 linksHeavy vertically-closing gate typically found in medieval fortifications, consisting of a latticed grille made of wood, metal, or a combination of the two, which slides down grooves inset within each jamb of the gateway.
Heavy vertically-closing gate typically found in medieval fortifications, consisting of a latticed grille made of wood, metal, or a combination of the two, which slides down grooves inset within each jamb of the gateway.
Portcullises fortified the entrances to many medieval castles, securely closing off the castle during time of attack or siege.
Concentric castle
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A concentric castle is a castle with two or more concentric curtain walls, such that the outer wall is lower than the inner and can be defended from it.
Historians (in particular Hugh Kennedy) have argued that the concentric defence arose as a response to advances in siege technology in the crusader states from the 12th to the 13th century.
Middle Ages
0 linksIn the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history.
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history.
The dominance of the nobility was built upon its control of the land, its military service as heavy cavalry, control of castles, and various immunities from taxes or other impositions.
Crossbows, which had been known in Late Antiquity, increased in use partly because of the increase in siege warfare in the 10th and 11th centuries.
Sally port
0 linksSecure, controlled entry way to an enclosure, e.g., a fortification or prison.
Secure, controlled entry way to an enclosure, e.g., a fortification or prison.
A sally, ultimately derived from Latin salīre (to jump), or "salle" sortie, is a military maneuver, typically during a siege, made by a defending force to harass isolated or vulnerable attackers before retreating to their defenses.
Sallies are a common way for besieged forces to reduce the strength and preparedness of a besieging army; a sally port is therefore essentially a door in a castle or city wall that allows troops to make sallies without compromising the defensive strength of fortifications.