Full Description
Through colourful illustrations and accounts of actual sieges in every chapter, you'll discover how armies from medieval times up to the English Civil War attacked and besieged British castles and how changing weaponry shaped the defences we see the remains of today.
As castle design developed, attackers had to change their tactics and introduce new siege methods to bring the walls down.
The weapons, siege engines and mining techniques used are described in detail here, alongside diagrams showing how they worked and details of the defensive structures erected to counter them.
Contents
CONTENTS
Introduction
Chapter 1 THE MEDIEVAL WAR MACHINE
Kings, Knights and Castles
Chapter 2 MOTTE AND BAILEY CASTLES
Timber, Arrows and Fire
Chapter 3 THE GREAT STONE KEEPS
Battlements, Mining and Mangonels
Chapter 4 CURTAIN WALLED CASTLES
Towers, Moats and Trebuchets
Chapter 5 CONCENTRIC DEFENCES
Machicolations, Barbicans and Ballistas
Chapter 6 TOWER HOUSES AND COASTAL FORTS
Gatehouses, Gunpowder and Canon
Chapter 7 CASTLES RE FORTIFIED
The English Civil War
Places to Visit
Further Information
Glossary
Index
