How did Castles Defend Against Catapults?
Castles employed strategic design to defend against catapults, specifically by positioning walls at angles to incoming missile paths.
Defending a castle against powerful siege engines like catapults required foresight and strategic construction. One key defensive measure involved the design and orientation of the castle walls themselves.
Strategic Wall Angling
Recognizing the likely positions from which an enemy would deploy their catapults, castle builders constructed walls with a specific angle relative to these expected attack points. This deliberate architectural choice was intended to counter the impact of incoming missiles.
- Understanding Enemy Tactics: Defenders anticipated where siege equipment would be set up.
- Angled Construction: Walls were built not always facing directly perpendicular to the enemy's expected position, but often at an angle.
- Deflection: The primary goal of this angled construction was to cause incoming projectiles to deflect off the wall's surface rather than striking it squarely. This reduced the full force of the impact, lessening the damage inflicted upon the fortifications.
While siege warfare involved many tactics, including laying siege to starve out defenders, the physical structure of the castle, like strategically angled walls, played a crucial role in mitigating direct assault from missile weapons such as catapults.
