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Siege Weapons

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.

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Siege Weapons

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  1. Siege Weapons Bill Mizell

  2. 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.

  3. 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

  4. Pros and Cons • Easy to hit the same spot twice • Slow to move • Easily stopped

  5. 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.

  6. Pros and Cons • Ranged attack • Not effective against individual troops • Unpredictable

  7. 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.

  8. Pros and Cons • Ranged attack • Able to fire more than one projectile • Not effective against individual troops • Unpredictable

  9. 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.

  10. Traction Trebuchet • A traction Trebuchet used manpower to fire a stone projectile.

  11. Pros and Cons • Powerful • Reliable • Limited by space under the trebuchet • Need several to break down a wall

  12. Counterweight Trebuchet • A counterweight trebuchet is a trebuchet that used a weight instead of manpower to throw a projectile.

  13. Pros and Cons • Gets rid of the people problem • More powerful • Need several to breach a wall

  14. Gunpowder • The introduction of gunpowder to Medieval Europe revolutionized the thinking behind siege weapons. • Gunpowder is a mixture of charcoal, sulfur, and saltpeter.

  15. 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.

  16. Pros and Cons • Very powerful • Low trajectory • Destructive • Expensive • Inconsistent • Slow moving

  17. 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.

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