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Thread: Siege weapons: What to do?

  1. #1
    mocker's Avatar Domesticus
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    Default Siege weapons: What to do?

    What kind of siege weapons will be available, and to what factions?
    Before we even start, cannons are not in whatsoever, I believe (duh)...

    Reading:
    Wikipedia

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_o...6%29#The_Siege
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onager_%28siege_weapon%29
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballista#The_Middle_Ages
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trebuchet#History

    It seems like the vikings knew perfectly well how to build even the more complex siege engines, so I don't see the point of restricting the norsemen from siege warfare.


  2. #2
    finneys13's Avatar *Insert Generic Title*
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    Default Re: Siege weapons: What to do?

    Mangonels largely for the Franks I think

  3. #3

    Default Re: Siege weapons: What to do?

    One doesn't hear much of them in Britain and Ireland during this period, largely I think because there was simply little need for them (fortifications generally being based more on topography then huge walls etc.) but I don't think it would be straining it too much to have mangonels etc. from a late-game siege engineer building. At the least there should be siege mercenaries around most of the map.

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    finneys13's Avatar *Insert Generic Title*
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    Default Re: Siege weapons: What to do?

    From an Osprey book:

    Finally there is the question of siege equipment; and here again the Avars had much to teach. In late Merovingian and early Arnulfing times battering rams and assault ladders were the main means of reducing a fortress. The Avars introduced Chinese-style man-powered mangonels. These were soon adopted by the Byzantines and, in all probability, also came to form part of Charlemagne's siege-train. In 813 AD this was said to include a three month's supply of reserves of supplies. It is also possible that the Franks learned of mangonels from Muslims in Spain and southern France.
    So mangonels from the start then.

  5. #5

    Default Re: Siege weapons: What to do?

    There should be somekind of sapping unit or ability, so that it doesn't go too far off.

  6. #6
    Beiss's Avatar Nemo nascitur...
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    Default Re: Siege weapons: What to do?

    Sapping was hilarious in RTW... those guys really knew how to dig.
    Under the patronage of Halie Satanus, Emperor of Ice Cream, in the house of wilpuri

  7. #7

    Default Re: Siege weapons: What to do?

    No weapons for the vikings never any account of them using or building it... besides sieges back then was more like wait until they ran out of food or water.. and then was forced to surrender..
    Last edited by Tutankamon; March 25, 2007 at 11:24 AM.

  8. #8
    mocker's Avatar Domesticus
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    Default Re: Siege weapons: What to do?

    Quote Originally Posted by Tutankamon View Post
    No weapons for the vikings.. besides sieges back then was more like wait until they ran out of food or water.. and then was forced to surrender..
    Why? Frankish sources said that the vikings besieged Paris with heavy archery, mangonels, ballistae, sapping crews, rams, and catapults. The only reason the vikings rarely used siege equipment was because they seldomly needed to do so.

    [Davis, Paul K. Besieged: 100 Great Sieges from Jericho to Sarajevo. Oxford University Press, 2001.]
    Last edited by mocker; March 25, 2007 at 11:26 AM.


  9. #9

    Default Re: Siege weapons: What to do?

    Quote Originally Posted by mocker View Post
    Why? Frankish sources said that the vikings besieged Paris with heavy archery, mangonels, ballistae, and catapults. The only reason the vikings rarely used siege equipment was because they seldomly needed to do so.

    [Davis, Paul K. Besieged: 100 Great Sieges from Jericho to Sarajevo. Oxford University Press, 2001.]
    Never heard of that.. need to check up on him....hmm.. sound almost unbelievable.. I'm gonna ask one of my proffs..
    Last edited by Tutankamon; March 25, 2007 at 11:39 AM.

  10. #10

    Default Re: Siege weapons: What to do?

    Sorry.. My mistake.. just spoke with one of my reenactment friends.. he knows a lot more about seige equipment than i do.. and for once more Wiki's right or.. from what the sources can tell us and apparently they were very adabted and train in siege combat with a great array of ballistic maschines, rams, ladders and so on.. but not like the medieval ones.. and ditches and so on but it is unsure wether it was made by the vikings alone or hired siege experts... according to my friend the latest research suggest that the experts came from the Islamic realm..

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