5. TASK
Complete your table of different ways to attack & defend a
Castle. …
You will need to write a number from 1-5 & a comment at the
end.
Are they quick to build /
carry out?
Are they risky for your
own army?
How mobile are they?
What sort of damage can
they do?
How easy to build?
How easy to use?
Siege Weapon
Besieging
5
2
2
3
2
2
Battering Ram
3
1
4
5
4
1
Catapult
/Trebuchet
2
1
5
2
4
4
Siege Tower
1
4
4
2
2
2
Undermining
2
3
5
3
1
1
What is the main advantage of this siege weapon?
What is the main disadvantage of this siege weapon?
6. BARBICAN
This was an extra gatehouse
at the front of the castle, it
was the first place attackers
might hit, so it was hard to
attack.
It had a PORTCULLIS – Strong
oak or metal gate that
It had murder holes, that
soldiers could poor down onto
the heads of the attackers.
7. BATTLEMENTS
Battlements stuck out of the
walls so that soldiers could drop
heavy stones and pour boiling tar
onto the enemy below.
They also had Arrow Loops to
allow archers to fire on the
attackers.
8. ROUND TOWERS
Most castles had round towers in their
walls.
They had very thick walls to defend and
very narrow staircases.
This was so soldiers could fire in all
directions along the front walls.
9. SIEGE TOWER
These siege towers had a
drawbridge at the top. The soldiers
would climb up and rush across the
drawbridge onto the castle.
It took a lot of time to get to the
top and wheel it into place. They
were often wooden.
10. BESIEGING
Castles were very strong, sometimes the only method was to
wait. This was called laying siege.
You basically waited till they ran out of food.
THINK! What do the attackers need to
have lots of for this to succeed?
11. BATTERING RAM
The attackers would ram a wooden log against the castle wall
or door to try and break a hole into the castle.
THINK! How easy is this to move if
you are being hit with arrows?
12. THE TREBUCHET / CATAPULT
This would rely on a heavy weight to fall and launch a
projectile (a rock or sometimes dead bodies) into or over the
castle walls.
It took a long time to reload and was difficult to direct
THINK! What makes this
more effective?
13. UNDERMINING
Soldiers would dig a tunnel until they reached the castle
wall, usually at a corner, they would then dig a change and
fill it with dry wood. Setting fire to it, the chamber would
collapse and bring down the wall.
The defenders could dig a counter mine and fight
underground.
THINK! What could be the
dangers of digging under a
castle…?
