PODCAST: HISTORY UNPLUGGED
J. Edgar Hoover’s 50-Year Career of Blackmail, Entrapment, and Taking Down Communist Spies

Attacking and Defending a Medieval Castle

Articles on on the construction, defense techniques, and battle tactics regarding a medieval castle.

Articles on on the construction, defense techniques, and battle tactics regarding a medieval castle.


Possibly if combined with siege

This might be worth trying. You could try to dig a tunnel underground, light a fire under the castle walls and hope that the walls weaken and fall down. You could also try attacking that wall with catapults. But if those inside the castle realise what you are doing they…

Possibly, if no moat

You can push the belfry tower up to the castle walls so that your soldiers can climb up and get over the outer wall without being directly attacked. However, you will need to make sure that you take ladders with you so that you can get over the inner wall…

Good choice especially if combined with siege

You can use a catapult to fire stones at the castle and hopefully knock down the walls. Using a catapult also means that you can stand away from the castle making it difficult for those inside to attack you. This would work best if you have several catapults and have…

Possibly if no moat

You can use ladders to get over the stone walls but you must remember to throw a second ladder over the wall so that you can get over the inner wall as well. Getting stuck in the 'death hole' (the space between the two walls) means certain death. Be warned,…

Good Choice

The concentric castle is very hard to attack because of the double row of stone walls. However, in order to succeed with a siege you need to have enough armed men to surround the castle, preferably with catapults. You need to make sure that you have a good stock of…

Possibly, if no moat

If the castle is not surrounded by a moat you could try this because the battering ram is designed to knock down stone walls. However, remember that there are two stone walls to knock down and it will take a long time to break through the thick stone and those…

Not really!

  The castle walls are made of stone which does not burn and it is almost impossible to shoot an arrow through the narrow slit windows. There is a better option. Back to the game!

Concentric Castles

If you were a brave knight and needed to attack a concentric castle, what would you use to attack it with? Choose your method of attack: Fire Arrows: Battering Ram: Seige: Ladders: Catapult: Belfry Tower: Mining: End of Lesson!

Only if there is no alternative

If you are being attacked by those inside the castle then you could try to dig a tunnel underground, light a fire under the castle walls and hope that the walls weaken and fall down. But if those inside the castle realise what you are doing they may also dig…

Yes if no moat

You can push the belfry tower up to the castle walls so that your soldiers can climb up and get into the castle to attack its occupants. The belfry tower also gives your men protection from attack and it is difficult for those inside the castle to push it away.…

Page 1 of 3
1 2 3
×