How did they defend castles in the Middle Ages?

How did they defend castles in the Middle Ages?

The defenders could fire missiles through gaps (crenels). The raised sections between, called merlons, helped to shelter the defenders during an enemy attack. These were stone boxes that projected from the walls of castles and had holes in the floors for dropping stones or boiling oil on attackers.

How do you attack and defend a medieval castle?

Fire. Fire was the best way to attack the early Motte and Bailey castles since they were made entirely of wood. The fire might be started by building a bonfire against the outer wooden fence (palisade) or, more usually, by archers shooting fire-arrows into the castle.

What Defences did medieval castles have?

Medieval Castle Defence: Defending a Castle

• The Outer Curtain Wall. The ‘curtain wall’ was the vast stone wall which wrapped around the outside of a castle.
• Moats and Water Defences.
• Turrets, Towers, and Look Out Points.
• Machicolations.
• The Gatehouse.
• The Drawbridge.
• The Barbican.

What is the best way to attack a castle?

Direct Assault There are a number of ways of assaulting a castle: over the top of the walls using towers or ladders, under the walls using a mine, or through the walls using a battering ram, pickaxes or other tools.

What were some drawbacks of using a castle for defense?

What were some of the drawbacks of using a castle for defense? People would not be able to leave the grounds, they could run out of food/water, many people living together at one time. Peasants would come onto the castle grounds for protection from war.

Is laying siege a war crime?

Current international humanitarian law (IHL) — the law of armed conflict — makes clear that the deliberate starvation of the civilian population as a tactic of war is prohibited and a prosecutable war crime.

How can we protect castles?

How to defend a castle

1. Building up high. Building a castle up high made it difficult for enemies to get to the castle.
2. Tall towers. Strong towers were added to curtain walls to watch out for enemies.
3. Battlements. Battlements were walls on the roof of a castle.
4. Arrow slits.
5. Moat.
6. Drawbridge.
7. Portcullis.
8. Dungeons.

How long was the average siege?

Basically it looks like it takes several months for an invader to conquer a large or medium sized city, if these sieges are any indication as to the length of a siege. The 1453 Siege of Constantinople, for instance lasted for 53 days, or almost 2 months.

How many soldiers could fit in a castle?

In short, people tend to focus on the large and powerful castles from Medieval times. A “castle of usual size”, however was much smaller. The total number of people living in it including the Knight’s family and the servants families was perhaps 20-40 people, of whom 8-15 might be men of military age.

How long did most medieval battles last?

The Battle of Agincourt lasted about 3 hours, not including time chasing down troops, while the Battle of Hastings lasted 8-9, including finishing off the troops that still remained loyal even after Harold’s death.

How big was an average medieval army?

A rough ballpark for an English field army in France in the Hundred Years War might be somewhere between men. That’s for major expeditions led by a royal figure, though. Small border conflicts or castle garrisons could involve anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand soldiers.

Why were medieval armies so small?

areas under control of a single ruler were much smaller and thus the ability to amass a large force was limited. In addition weather, illness and loss of technology reduced crop yields which reduced population size.

What happened to bodies after medieval battles?

As you might expect from this, the Romans made a conscious effort to recover the bodies of those who died and, if time allowed it, would bury or cremate them individually. If this wasn’t possible, the bodies of soldiers killed in battle would be collected and given a mass cremation or burial.

Where are WW2 German soldiers buried?

La Cambe

Does Germany still use Iron Cross?

More than six decades after its end, though, Germany has reintroduced military honors: A politically correct, newly minted version of the Iron Cross – awarded to German soldiers since 1813, but withdrawn after the Second World War – was pinned on the chests of four senior non-commissioned officers yesterday.