Defending the Castle

A siege was when nobody could enter or leave the castle during a battle. Some weapons used during a siege were the trebuchet, the siege tower, the battering ram, and the mangonel. The trebuchet worked when a huge counter weight pulled its back end down and was secured with a strong rope. This end held a rock or some other heavy object. When the tight rope was cut, the missile was flung over the wall.

The murder hole was a hole in the entrance way. It was used for dumping things on a trapped enemy. If attackers got into the gatehouse, a portcullis would close behind them. Another portcullis would close in front of them. Two additional doors would close in front and back of the attackers. The defenders would shoot in with their bow and arrows through slits called arrow loops. They would also dump boiling water (and other pretty horrible things you probably wouldn't want to hear about) onto the enemy.