Catapults are siege engines using an arm to hurl a projectile a great distance. Any machine that hurls an object can be considered a catapult, but the term is generally understood to mean medieval siege weapons. The name is derived from the Greek κατα (against) and παλλειγ(to hurl (a missile)). Originally, "catapult" referred to a dart-thrower, while "ballista" referred to a stone-thrower, but over ...

Including:

• Catapult - Types
• Catapult - History
• Catapult - Chinese siege warfare

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Catapults can be classified according to the physical concept used to store and release the energy required to propel the projectile. The first catapult distinct from hand-held launchers (bows, crossbows, slings etc.) was the greek gastrophetes, a crossbow so large it was braced against the abdomen rather than being held in the hand, hence the nickname belly-bow. The next step from this was a larger form a crossbow mounted on a stand, including early versions of the oxybeles (Greek for bolt shooter) and the ballista (the Roman version ...

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Catapult, Catapult - Types, Catapult - History, Catapult - Chinese siege warfare

Read more here: » Catapult: Encyclopedia II - Catapult - Types

In Europe, the first catapults appeared in later Greek times (400 BC-300 BC), early adopters being Dionysius of Syracuse and Onomarchus of Phocis. Alexander the Great introduced the idea of using them to provide cover on the battlefield in addition to using them during sieges. Catapults were more fully developed in Roman and Medieval times, with the trebuchet being introduced a relatively short time before the advent of gunpowder, which made the catapult obsolete. Cannons replaced catapults as the standard siege w ...

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Catapult, Catapult - Types, Catapult - History, Catapult - Chinese siege warfare

Read more here: » Catapult: Encyclopedia II - Catapult - History

Medieval warfare - Deployment of forces. Medieval European armies were typically divided into three sections called 'battles' or 'battalions'—the vanguard or vaward, the centre or main-battle, and the rearguard or rearward. The vanguard was often composed of archers and other optional long-range weapons,like slings and stones and the rare and completely optional lightweight simple catapults, while the center was composed of infantry and armored cavalry (knights), and the rearguard was often comprised of more ag ...

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Medieval warfare, Medieval warfare - Origins of medieval warfare, Medieval warfare - Strategy and tactics, Medieval warfare - Deployment of forces, Medieval warfare - Employment of forces, Medieval warfare - Retreat, Medieval warfare - Fortifications, Medieval warfare - Medieval siege craft, Medieval warfare - Organization, Medieval warfare - Knights, Medieval warfare - Heavy cavalry, Medieval warfare - Infantry, Medieval warfare - Recruiting or drafting soldiers, Medieval warfare - Equipment, Medieval warfare - Personal equipment for, Medieval warfare - Weaponry, Medieval warfare - Supplies and logistics, Medieval warfare - Plunder and foraging, Medieval warfare - Supply chains, Medieval warfare - Famine and disease, Medieval warfare - Naval warfare, Medieval warfare - Significant medieval battles, Medieval warfare - Medieval wars

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In the Mediterranean, naval warfare in the medieval period resembled that of the ancient period: fleets of galleys rowed by slaves would attempt to ram each other, or come alongside for marines to fight on deck. This mode of naval warfare continued even into the early modern period, as, for example, at the Battle of Lepanto. Famous admirals included Andrea Doria, Khair ed-Din, and Don John of Austria. However, galleys were fragile and difficult to use in the cold and turbulent North Sea and northern Atlantic. Bulkier ships were develo ...

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Medieval warfare, Medieval warfare - Origins of medieval warfare, Medieval warfare - Strategy and tactics, Medieval warfare - Deployment of forces, Medieval warfare - Employment of forces, Medieval warfare - Retreat, Medieval warfare - Fortifications, Medieval warfare - Medieval siege craft, Medieval warfare - Organization, Medieval warfare - Knights, Medieval warfare - Heavy cavalry, Medieval warfare - Infantry, Medieval warfare - Recruiting or drafting soldiers, Medieval warfare - Equipment, Medieval warfare - Personal equipment for, Medieval warfare - Weaponry, Medieval warfare - Supplies and logistics, Medieval warfare - Plunder and foraging, Medieval warfare - Supply chains, Medieval warfare - Famine and disease, Medieval warfare - Naval warfare, Medieval warfare - Significant medieval battles, Medieval warfare - Medieval wars

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As Napoleon famously said, an army marches on its stomach, a weakness that has applied to all military campaigns in history. Following the fall of the Western Roman Empire, logistics became a poorly understood science in European medieval armies. While strongholds such as castles were carefully provisioned, armies in the field were either incapable or unwilling to provision themselves. As a result, medieval armies resorted to the following logistical methods.

Medieval warfare, Medieval warfare - Origins of medieval warfare, Medieval warfare - Strategy and tactics, Medieval warfare - Deployment of forces, Medieval warfare - Employment of forces, Medieval warfare - Retreat, Medieval warfare - Fortifications, Medieval warfare - Medieval siege craft, Medieval warfare - Organization, Medieval warfare - Knights, Medieval warfare - Heavy cavalry, Medieval warfare - Infantry, Medieval warfare - Recruiting or drafting soldiers, Medieval warfare - Equipment, Medieval warfare - Personal equipment for, Medieval warfare - Weaponry, Medieval warfare - Supplies and logistics, Medieval warfare - Plunder and foraging, Medieval warfare - Supply chains, Medieval warfare - Famine and disease, Medieval warfare - Naval warfare, Medieval warfare - Significant medieval battles, Medieval warfare - Medieval wars

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Perhaps the most important technological change was the introduction of the stirrup, which arrived in Europe in the 8th century, but was already in use in China and the Middle East. The stirrup, along with horse breeding and more advanced iron and steel working, allowed for the development of far more powerful cavalry. Earlier empires, such as the Romans, used horse-borne fighters primarily as lightly-armed scouts and auxiliaries, but the stirrup brought cavalry to the forefront by enabling riders to wield weapons while remaining seated. In ...

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Medieval warfare, Medieval warfare - Origins of medieval warfare, Medieval warfare - Strategy and tactics, Medieval warfare - Deployment of forces, Medieval warfare - Employment of forces, Medieval warfare - Retreat, Medieval warfare - Fortifications, Medieval warfare - Medieval siege craft, Medieval warfare - Organization, Medieval warfare - Knights, Medieval warfare - Heavy cavalry, Medieval warfare - Infantry, Medieval warfare - Recruiting or drafting soldiers, Medieval warfare - Equipment, Medieval warfare - Personal equipment for, Medieval warfare - Weaponry, Medieval warfare - Supplies and logistics, Medieval warfare - Plunder and foraging, Medieval warfare - Supply chains, Medieval warfare - Famine and disease, Medieval warfare - Naval warfare, Medieval warfare - Significant medieval battles, Medieval warfare - Medieval wars

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Medieval warfare - Knights. A medieval knight was a mounted and armored soldier, often connected with nobility or royalty, although (especially in north-eastern Europe) knights could also come from the lower classes, and could even be unfree persons. The cost of their armor, horses, and weapons was great; this, among other things, helped gradually transform the knight, at least in western Europe, into a distinct social class separate from other warriors. Knights fought extensively in the crusades (see Knights Templar, the Hospitallers, etc.). < ...

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Medieval warfare, Medieval warfare - Origins of medieval warfare, Medieval warfare - Strategy and tactics, Medieval warfare - Deployment of forces, Medieval warfare - Employment of forces, Medieval warfare - Retreat, Medieval warfare - Fortifications, Medieval warfare - Medieval siege craft, Medieval warfare - Organization, Medieval warfare - Knights, Medieval warfare - Heavy cavalry, Medieval warfare - Infantry, Medieval warfare - Recruiting or drafting soldiers, Medieval warfare - Equipment, Medieval warfare - Personal equipment for, Medieval warfare - Weaponry, Medieval warfare - Supplies and logistics, Medieval warfare - Plunder and foraging, Medieval warfare - Supply chains, Medieval warfare - Famine and disease, Medieval warfare - Naval warfare, Medieval warfare - Significant medieval battles, Medieval warfare - Medieval wars

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Medieval warfare - Personal equipment for. Knight Infantryman Engineer Archer Burgher Medieval warfare - Weaponry. Medieval siege weaponry The English longbow The crossbow The sword The lance The mace The pike Armour ...

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Medieval warfare, Medieval warfare - Origins of medieval warfare, Medieval warfare - Strategy and tactics, Medieval warfare - Deployment of forces, Medieval warfare - Employment of forces, Medieval warfare - Retreat, Medieval warfare - Fortifications, Medieval warfare - Medieval siege craft, Medieval warfare - Organization, Medieval warfare - Knights, Medieval warfare - Heavy cavalry, Medieval warfare - Infantry, Medieval warfare - Recruiting or drafting soldiers, Medieval warfare - Equipment, Medieval warfare - Personal equipment for, Medieval warfare - Weaponry, Medieval warfare - Supplies and logistics, Medieval warfare - Plunder and foraging, Medieval warfare - Supply chains, Medieval warfare - Famine and disease, Medieval warfare - Naval warfare, Medieval warfare - Significant medieval battles, Medieval warfare - Medieval wars

Read more here: » Medieval warfare: Encyclopedia II - Medieval warfare - Equipment