When an attacking force laid siege to a castle, they used techniques
and weapons not unlike those developed by the ancient Romans. First
they surrounded the castle in order to cut off all avenues of escape and
resupply. They also built a camp ringed by ditches and palisades to secure
their own position. Then they built siege engines—great stonethrowing
devices—which they hoped would break down the castle walls.
Although the knights’ chivalric code gave pride of place in warfare to a
charge on horseback with lance or to hand-to-hand combat with swords,
military engineers skilled in the mechanics of offensive engines had to
first break through the walls. To breach the walls the army used battering
rams, various kinds of projectiles, and mines. In other words they tried
to go through, over, or under the walls (Document 25).
World History
