Siege Warfare
How castles were attacked and defended: trebuchets, battering rams, siege towers, arrow slits, and murder holes; supplies, duration, and possible endings of a siege
What a learner can do afterwards
- Name at least three siege weapons or attack methods
- Describe at least two ways a castle was designed to resist attack
- Explain what a siege was and why it could last weeks or months
1 · Read
A siege was an attempt to capture a castle or town by surrounding it and cutting off supplies. Stored food and access to water could help defenders hold out for weeks or months. Some sieges ended sooner. Defenders might surrender, help might reach them, or attackers might leave. A siege did not always end with a break-in.
A battering ram hit a gate again and again with a heavy beam. A trebuchet used an arm and sling to throw stones. A siege tower let attackers climb up and cross onto a wall if it could get close enough.
Thick walls gave protection. Arrow slits let defenders shoot while exposing less of their bodies, but arrows could still enter. Murder holes above a gate passage let defenders drop stones onto attackers below. Defenders could still be hurt.
Attackers cut supplies or attacked defences. Rams hit gates, trebuchets threw stones, and towers carried soldiers upward. Sieges had several possible endings.
Reading written for this dataset. Linked TED-Ed videos are by Connor C. Wilson and Lars Brownworth. Video rights remain with their holders.
More to read
Supplies behind the walls
A castle's walls could make an attack harder. People inside still needed food and water. During a siege, attackers tried to block supplies from reaching them. Stored food and access to water could help defenders hold out.
Attackers could also use machines. A battering ram struck a gate with a heavy beam. A trebuchet threw stones using an arm and sling. A siege tower carried soldiers upward so they could try to cross onto a wall. Each machine had a different job.
Defenders fought back from behind walls. Arrow slits reduced how much of a defender's body was exposed, but did not stop every incoming arrow. Protection was never a promise that nobody would be hurt.
Sieges could end in different ways. Defenders might surrender, help might arrive, or attackers might leave. Some lasted weeks or months; others ended sooner. To understand a siege, ask about supplies, defences, and what brought the fighting to an end.
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2 · Watch
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Where it sits
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Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.