Before the invention of the early cannon in the 14th century , castles were close to being im possible to destroy. Enemy armies had used a whole tactics to try and shatter castles and force their inhabitants into resignation. They used artillery to throw heavy stones against weak areas in the castle defenses, or they  dug passages underneath the castle walls, hoping they would make them cave in. They climbed the outer walls using ladders and lit fires against them so that the mortar between the stones would crumble. They constructed siege towers, and shot arrows into the courtyard, or through the windows. Inside the castle, all of the defenders fought for their lives. They  kept up a constant fire of arrows to resist their attackers, for as long as their supplies lasted. They dumped boiling water on top of their besiegers' heads. They made surprise attacks to force away the enemy soldiers. But their greatest hope was to stay put, and trust in the strong wall of the castle to protect them. In fact, the enemies' most powerful weapons were there hunger, and illnesses such as typhoid or dysentery which attacked the weaker, famished defenders. The attackers destroyed crops and livestock for miles around. They knew that eventually the castle would run out of food. Then the people inside would have to surrender and be humiliated or to die of starvation. A medieval castle was protected by many men. Very few fortresses were as large as the famous Crusader stronghold, Krak des Chevaliers( in present-day Syria), which had room for 2,000 men. The castle defenders lived in a state of constant uncertainty. They had no contact with the outside world,and so did not know how good, or how badly, their allies were doing. The enemies outside the castle walls would try to depress their enemy by, by jeering, or by spreading false rumors. The life of a castle defender was grim in diffrent was. Food was rationed, an anxious watch was kept on the well, to make sure the water supplies were not low, and there always the everpresent theat of diease and malnutrition. Some sieges went on for a year or more, after that time the people inside the castle were getting weakened by the lack of freash food and green vegtables. In bad times, people ate mice, rats, and even grass. The castle guard had to be well- disiplined and very brave. Every  day they would see all their friends and colleagues dieing right before their eyes from injuries received in the fighting. There was much danger of deep arrow wounds from becoming infected; gangrene probably killed more men than direct hits or blows from swords.