What Were Amazing Siege Weapons in the Middle Ages?

12th century Siege of Lisbon

What were the most common siege weapons from the Middle Ages? People used them quite a bit.
Types of catapults, battering rams, and siege towers were popular siege weapons. Many siege weapons descended from catapults, including trebuchets and ballistas. People defended castles quite well, and their walls were nearly impregnable to humans. Therefore, other folks invented weapons to break down the walls and gates. Humans aren’t strong enough to knock down a stone wall, but catapults are. Humans are smart enough to invent supplies they need, including siege weapons.
What is the most behemoth trebuchet in history? How did people use siege towers?

Awesome Siege Weapons: the Catapult

Catapults have been around for centuries. Not only did people in the Middle Ages use them, but Greeks and Romans did too. However, by the Middle Ages, they were popular and better than the previous designs. Catapults often threw rocks, flaming items, and rotten carcasses at high speeds. Stone projectiles helped to break down walls.

Flaming things (such as a container of pitch or something smeared with lard and set on fire) set the inside of the castle and the castle grounds on fire. Rancid and diseased animal carcasses spread sickness throughout the fortress. They could either shoot stuff straight at the walls or high over the walls. Catapults were also handy because they could bombard the stronghold from far away. It was much safer than many alternatives, such as scaling the castle walls with a ladder to attack.

Trebuchet

Trebuchets descended from catapults. However, they were far more impressive. Sometimes people surrendered because they saw someone building a trebuchet! Like the catapult, the trebuchet threw rocks and rotten carcasses over the fortress walls. It didn’t take long to knock down the walls. There were two types. The Counterweight Trebuchet used a weight to power the throws.

13th-century Depiction of a Traction Trebuchet

It was extremely forceful. Counterweight Trebuchets had to be huge. Then the arm could swing farther and have more destructive potential. The arm usually swung at an angle of over 180 degrees. The part of the arm that held the projectile was four to six times the length of the counterweight side. Traction Trebuchets used humans to power them. It was a lot less powerful and impressive than the Counterweight Trebuchet.

Warwolf, Edward the 1st’s Gigantic Trebuchet

What was the most enormous trebuchet in history? Warwolf was the gigantic trebuchet that Edward the 1st commissioned for the siege on Stirling Castle. The siege happened in 1304. Nothing broke the walls, at least until they finished building Warwolf. King Edward tried a lot of other things first. We do not know what the exact dimensions were. However, people estimate it was between three and four-hundred feet tall.

Stirling Castle

Many also believe it could throw rocks up to 120 miles per hour. Records state that it took thirty wagons to carry the pieces once they disassembled the colossal weapon. The carpenters and other laborers took three months to finish building the behemoth. The people in the castle tried to surrender when they saw Warwolf. King Edward the 1st declined the surrender because he wanted to try out Warwolf. After he demolished the garrison, he finally let them surrender.

Ballista

Crossbows are pretty cool. Ballistae are gigantic crossbows. They shoot something that resembles a humungous crossbow bolt. Generally, they made the bolt with a large wooden pole tipped with iron. The power came from a twisted cotton string. It produced the necessary torque.

They fired Ballista arrows horizontally. Ballistae were accurate but not as destructive as many other Catapults. Unfortunately, Ballistae were also not very mobile. People had to build them on-site, like the Trebuchet. However, they were not nearly as destructive. Therefore, they were not as common as many other siege weapons.

Awesome Siege Weapons: The Battering Ram

How do you break down a massive gate? Why not use a Battering Ram? The Battering Ram could be simple or intricate. The simplest version of the Battering Ram was just a log that people carried. Unfortunately, that left the people hauling the Battering Ram completely defenseless. To remedy this problem, some people constructed Battering Rams with a canopy covered with wet animal skins to prevent fire over the top.

With the addition of the protective ceiling, the Battering Ram became too heavy to carry easily. Therefore, people began putting them on wheels. Wheels also helped to provide more power. Sometimes people hung the log on chains. It swung easier and became more powerful. Every once in a while, people “capped” their Battering Rams. They put iron or steel on the tip of the log. Sometimes they worked the metal into the shape of an animal’s head.

Awesome Siege Weapons: The Siege Tower

Climbing ladders into a castle is a good idea until you factor in all the stuff falling on your head. Therefore, medieval people had the idea to put their ladders in a gargantuan building on wheels. The siege tower was born! People had to build their siege towers in the location they planned on using them. They were on wheels and, therefore, mobile, but siege towers were hard to move.

Siege towers were about the same height as the castle walls they attacked. They were rectangular and covered with wet animal hides. Then it was reasonably safe from fire. There were stairs or ladders and various levels inside. Many soldiers could fit. They could also access an open platform on the top. There was a way to connect the siege tower to the wall. Then all the soldiers could rush into the castle.

Medieval English Siege Tower by Francis Grose

What do you think of these medieval siege weapons? What modern invention would be the most helpful in conquering castles (except the cannon)? Let me know in the comments! Also, let me know if you have any questions.