![]() In England, Edward III deployed iron-cast mortar cannons in battle against the French in the 14th century. Bombardsīombards, usually in the form of cannons or mortar, were known to be in use since the 12th century, especially in China, but they were not used in the medieval period until the early 14th century. The main problem with battering rams was that those operating one were extremely vulnerable and open to attack from arrows and other projectiles. They would work together to swing the ram into the defences and break through. A battering ram was simply a large heavy wooded log that was carried and controlled by several soldiers. The prime aim of a battery ram was to smash through fortifications and allow soldiers entry into enemy castles and settlements. Not the most sophisticated of weapons but something proven to work time and again, battering rams could successfully crash through and break down the defences of many fortified strongholds. Read more about: Medieval History The deadliest medieval weapons In the Middle Ages, flamethrowers were used to attack enemy vessels and may also be used by boats to attack defences on the coast. The evidence we do have suggests the historic flamethrower worked through blowing and sucking air from a valve filled with quicklime, the ancient equivalent of napalm. Medieval manuscripts exist depicting flamethrowers on naval vessels and used in combat. The basics of the well-known flamethrower were first seen in the Byzantine Empire, over 1200 years earlier, and popularised in the medieval period too. We often associate flamethrowers with more modern conflict, but a version of the weapon was seen much earlier. The counterweight trebuchet used gravity and a hinge to swing the arm and launch the projectile into the enemy defences. It used a counterweight system which allowed the arm to swing. The kind of trebuchet you see in use in the medieval period was much more sophisticated. Mangonels used power to swing the arm and launch the projectile. The original trebuchets were in use as early as the 4th century and were known as mangonel. The trebuchet pushed the traditional catapult out of use and was able to launch huge projectiles over large distances. The trebuchet may look simple, and it is, but this did not stop it from being one of the most effective and popularly used siege weapons throughout the medieval period. Read more about: Medieval History The longest sieges in medieval history ![]()
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