Top 5 MOST IMPORTANT Medieval SIEGE WEAPONS!

Let's take a look at 5 of the most important weapons used by attackers in medieval sieges on castles and other fortifications.

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[oskarirasanen]

Excellent point about the suppressive effect of archers. Suppression of the enemy movements is often overlooked in media.

[nevertrustatory]

I’ve heard tell of those who were wise in the ways of science constructing a large wooden rabbit in order to gain entry into a castle. Then again, it could have been a badger.

[gregcampwriter]

Police officer: Is that a ladder you're carrying? I arrest you for possession of an offensive weapon.

[johanrunfeldt]

Fun fact: In medieval English, the trebuchet was known as a trip-gate or trap-gate. (Both variations were used, probably in different parts of England). Only the French said "trebuchet" back then, and Norman-English nobility of course.

[overeasymode]

I love the picture in picture presentation. Your video quality have been getting better lately.

[darthplagueis]

I think one thing that pop culture often misrepresents about siege towers is that they weren't primarily used to get the attackers onto enemy battlements but that they were fortifications in their own right that allowed ranged troops a better angle for shooting at the defenders whilst having some cover themselves.

[LamgiMari]

"Ladders: There's not an awful lot more to say about them"

... Lindybeige Lloyd talked about them for 52 minutes.

[woodstockify]

Being that first bloke up the ladder.. Arrow to the face, rock to the face, spear to the face.
Its a bloody miracle anybody followed them up that ladder...

[RedmarKerkhof]

Well I for one am curious about those besieging bunnies at 8:23. (If possible without Monty Python references but I suppose that's inevitable.)

[klanmasterio]

Roses are red, water comes in liters, trebuchets use a counterweight to shoot a 90kg stone projectile over 300 meters

[-Zevin-]

Everyone knows the best siege weapon was a Uruk-hai Berserker with a torch.

[Divine_Chareka]

A video from scholagladiatoria is something I need every week

[brittakriep]

At northern end of swabian Alb plateau, there had been lots of castles. But in contrast to movies, they had been rather small. But this castles often had been protected by nature on three sides, by rocks or terrain falling down rather straight, so an assault was difficult or impossible from two or three sides, and the side you could reach had been narrow or protected by a natural ditch, which was deepened or widened by human work.

[emamag]

On siege ladders check Lindybeige's video "A point about siege ladders", I really enjoyed it

[wilf]

Glad you included shovels, picks, and axes in the honourable mentions, since that was the first thing I thought of! Simply digging a trench for cover can be a very important step if the enemy has effective missile weapons.

Also, I grew up in Bungay, where the castle has some of the few surviving examples of medieval undermining, so digging under the walls is more associated in my mind than trying to go over them!

[goldenageofdinosaurs]

Really dig the medieval art that is accompanying your presentation, Matt.

[ycplum]

The rule of thumb that the offense needs a 3 to 1 (local) superiority to be successful is against opponents in a hasty defense. Basically, the defense found trees to hide behind, stacked up rocks and branches for a makeshift wall, or dug shallow fighting pits. Against a prepared defense, you probably need at least a 5 to 1 advantage. Against an actual fortified construction (say a pillbox, bunker, etc.) you can easily need better than a 20 to 1 advantage. Castles can easily provide its defenders with over 100 to 1 advantage, particularly pre-gunpowder.

[matthiasmitu]

Lindybeige made a nice video about siege ladders ("A point about siege ladders"). It's worth to watch.

[joshuawalker]

1:55 the dude with the red Surcoat on the left, is my everyday mood graphically represented.

[shaidrim]

Sting, in his “Shape of my Heart”, sung “I know that the spades are weapons of war” ;-)
By the way nice seeing your school insignia depicted. And imho you could have dedicated one honourable mention (at least) to the ammunition types used with trebuchet and other artillery pieces.