Trebuchets

Trebuchets

$1.25

Monday, May 11th, 2014

Vol XCIII, No. 311

The War Machine

It's many uses

How trebuchets worked

Trebuchets have served as war machines for a very very long time. There are quite a few uses for a trebuchet. Almost all these uses, however, are for war. Trebuchets were used to fling objects over the castle walls of an enemy Lord. There are different things that were flung from trebuchets. The most common being rocks and pieces of debris. The less common were trees (usually set on fire) and, the most unorthodox of all things, diseased dead bodies! While under siege, most castles were crowded because all the residents of that area would be crammed into the castle. Due to lack of sanitation, any deadly disease would spread like wildfire, infecting most, if not all of the residents.

Trebuchets had one long arm in the middle of it. A thick pole went through the arm but not in the center. The pole was placed about two-thirds into the arm so there was a long end and a short end. On the short end, a weight was attached to it. on the long arm, there was a sling into which the projectile would be placed. The long arm would be bent back at a 45º angle to the ground, as seen in the picture. When released, the weight would fall, and the projectile would be flung over the castle wall.

Most fearsome of all beasts.

-anonymous

A Bloody History

The history of the trebuchet

The trebuchet was an invention of medieval times rather than ancient times. Most other types of weapons like this were used in ancient times. The trebuchet first appeared in the medieval period. And it was needed during that time because castles, castle walls, and fortifications were very strong. Other weapons like that didn't work against them. The trebuchet last a long time but was eventually replaced by gunpowder and cannons.