1453: Revival of Byzantium

Late Middle Ages Siege Warfare

(I will bring more history knowledge in the story and share with you guys. So please, power stone, comment, review and add this book to your library, very much appreciated! Thanks!)

As requested by a fellow friend, I shall briefly introduce all siege warfare tactics in the late middle ages (Around 1300AD to 1500AD) and classify them according to different types.

Warning: This chapter is full of historical context that might be quite boring to read, so if you are more interested in the story please skip to Chapter one.

PS: I am no historian and have no degrees in history, thus I cannot say that what I write is definitely hundred percent plus chop accurate, I can only say that my words are supported by various sources, please correct me if you spot any errors, then we can learn together. Merci~

1. Ballistic Projectile Siege Engines (Catapult)

Catapult is the most fundamental siege engine that appeared in fourth century BC in both Greece and China. It is able to launch a large projectile into air for a long distance using the elastic potential energy bull the pulling device of the catapult usually with the help of a restraining device. There are multiple kinds of catapults that appeared in various ages and various places. Being an important element in historical battlefields. For example, it is said that in the siege of Acre, the Ayyubids had to bring around a hundred wagons for the catapults.

a. Tension Catapults

This form of catapults are made by the early Greeks in the classical era, these catapults work in the same principles as the ballista or heavy crossbow, there is a winch in the back to extend the restraining rope for maximum potential energy, the projectile on the bow resting on the wooden trough, and is fired once the winch is released.

b. Torsion Catapults

This form of catapults are also made by the early Greeks, as a form of improvements for the Tension Catapult, also with a winch and a bow, but this time they used a rope bundle puller coiled around tightly for increased energy, distance and speed.

c. Traction Catapults

This form of catapults first appeared in Classical age China, and then later in near East. Different from their Greek counterparts, they use a lever instead of a rope string, that a soldier is supposed to pull down the lever sending the projectile slinging into mid-air and landing down in a curved trajectory.

d. Gravity Catapults

This kind of catapults, or better known as the trebuchets, it involves a slinger, a counterweight connected together in a throwing arm. Once the counterweight is dropped, it sends the throwing arm flinging and thus sending the projectile flying in a curved trajectory. The first known descriptions of this kind of trebuchets is Salah ad-Din's conquests, documented by Islamic scholar Mardi ibn Ali al-Tarsusi.

Other forms of Catapults: Mangonel, Onager, Petrary.

2. Manned force Siege Engines

a. Battering Ram

I don't think I need to explain for this one. The ram is basically a log with a hardened head usually covered in iron, moved by several man, moving back and fourth, usually used on weak points such as the gate of the castle or fortress to knock it open. Ram are so effective that you can still see it in modern era when one needs to break through a fortified door. Rams are also used on seas other than on land.

b. Ladders

This one is also a classic, hardly needs explaining. A group of soldiers carry a ladder, stick it onto the ground, attach it to the enemy walls and climb. Hopefully they wont die in the mid of climbing, and hopefully they won't get killed immediately once they made up onto the walls.

c. Siege tower

Siege tower is a combination of the ram and ladder, it is a large wooden tower with wells, with a tower for friendly archers to suppress enemy archers in cover, this is the reason why siege towers are usually built a little bit even higher than the enemy walls, not only it makes friendly infantries easier to climb onto enemy walls, but also gives the friendly archers better cover, and giving the enemy archers on the walls a hard time shooting at the men on the tower.

The siege tower is usually attached with a ladder inside. Soldiers can climb onto the tower under cover of hard wood without having to worry being shot or knocked down in the process, then start pouring in on enemy walls.

Beneath the tower theres a battering ram to crush onto enemy walls and getting attached to it. The oldest usage of siege towers is the Neo-Assyrian Empire in the 9th century BC, then spreading to Ancient Eygptus, Phoenicians and the Hellens, basically all of Mediterranean civilisations. While the first record usage of the siege tower is in the fifth century BC in the kingdom of Wu.

3. Gunpowder& Artilleries

When you talk about siege warfare in late middle ages and early renaissance, you cannot skip the topic of gun powder. Gun powder is invented in China as early as early 9th Century, during the mid-Tang dynasty. It is said that the formulae for gun powder is accidentally discovered by an alchemist who is trying to make a kind of don't know what thing that will give his emperor an eternity life.

However, it is not until roughly two hundred years later in the Song dynasty that the Chinese began using gun powder widely in warfare.

a. Grenades

Grenades began developing in medieval China, in the book Complete Essentials for the Military Classics, 1044 AD, it is mentioned that the Chinese use gun powders in grenades and bombs, which is effective in sieges when thrown onto the walls blowing up a large amount of people. Early gun powder formulae are mostly around a quarter Sulphur, a quarter Carbon compound, and two quarter Nitre. Later grenades evolved, and theres even an early form of poison gas grenade later. Grenades can be placed on trebuchets and tossed onto enemy cities and walls, creating loud noises and little explosions.

b. Rockets projectiles

Yes, the Chinese got rockets in medieval era. The Mongols, after eliminating the Jin dynasty in 1234 AD, brought this technology with them to Poland, where they used this early rockets against the Holy Roman&Kingdom of Poland union forces. Rockets are later also used in sieges but proved ineffective against walls because of their weak fire power.

c. Canons

The first kind of artilleries first appeared, yes of course, in China. The date is debatable, but it is somewhere in thirteen & fourteen century. The first record of metallic cannon appeared in fourteen century, which the Mongols used them against the Rurik Russians, as record in Opus Majus by Roger Bacon. Early canons fire rocks pounding them onto enemy walls and gates, sometimes on enemy battle formations. The Arabs learnt about gun powder and implemented it in military, which is later brought into Europe and Anatolia. The most famous of them is the Orban Canon, the canon that can be said, blasted the impenetrable walls of Constantinople that ended the middle ages.

4. Other forms

a. Starvation & Dehydration

This is what happens most of the times in most sieges of medieval castles. The attackers surround the castle, cut off their food and water supply, force them into submission. Medieval castles are not that easy to conquer, trust me.

b. Digging & Mining

This method is being used by Giovanni in the book, it involves digging holes and tunnels to under the foundation of the walls, causing the walls to lose support and eventually collapse, this method is also accompanied by sometimes fire. The method is used for example, in the siege of Caen in 1417. Although it failed.

c. Psychological Warfare

I don't think I need to elaborate about this one also. Famous examples include early Rashidun Caliphate conquest, whereby they give the defenders choices instead of forcing them into submission. The cities would therefore hand over the keys of the city, and the Rashidun would just leave them be. Other cities hearing about this, will also be more willing to hand over their keys when the Rashidun come.

d. Traitors & Breaking in From Inside

It is always said that the greatest walls always start falling from the inside. Great conquerors take use of spies & espionage, or get someone inside the city to support them and open the gates for them, or killing the defender's commander sending them into chaos, or starting a riot inside the city to disperse the defender's attention.

Warning: Don't continue reading if you are eating or something.

e. Medieval Biological Warfare.

This involves tossing solid or semi-solid remains produced by humans or animals, dead & decomposing human bodies & animal bodies and other things causing infections containing bacteria and virus into the city in large quantities. This cause a widespread disease among the defenders and can sometimes wipe all of them out within weeks if proved to be effective. Ancient people love using this kind of tactics around the Planet, I shall not list any examples here.

*This tactic is way too gross, so I won't be writing it in my story.

That's all the late Medieval siege tactics& war engines I found, I know I have left a lot but do forgive me I am no historian or history student, just an enthusiast and fan of history. I will bring more history knowledge in the story and share with you guys.

If you feel that you have learnt something, please, power stone, comment, review and add this book to your library, very much appreciated!

Sources:

The art of catapult. By William Gurstelle

The Siege of Acre, 1189-1191: Saladin, Richard the Lionheart, and the Battle That Decided the Third Crusade. By John D. Hosler

Constantinople, The Last Great Siege 1453. By Roger Crowley

Medieval Sieges&Siegecraft By Geoffrey Hindley

Ottoman-Hungarian Wars: Siege of Belgrade in 1456 By Tom R. Kovach

Twenty-Four Histories: History of Song, Compiled by Alutu, 1343 AD

Twenty-Four Histories: History of Yuan, Compiled by Song Lian, 1370 AD

Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance. By Sima Guang

Complete Essentials for the Military Classics. By ancient Chinese

Opus Majus, by Roger Bacon

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