XPost: soc.history.medieval, sci.military.naval, soc.history.war.misc

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Ebon Shward
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Cryptozoologist, Alchemist, Engineering Student Feb 15

Why do medieval trebuchet remakes seem to be so weak? How are they able
to destroy thick and fortified walls when they have very short range and
can't get near?
Once upon a time, in Scotland, King Edward I had a little problem. The
people of Stirling castle were resisting. This could not do.

So he commissioned the Warwolf. It took over 50 people, including
several master carpenters, over three months to build. When
disassembled, the parts took up thirty wagons.

Fully assembled, and standing over 100 meters tall, she could throw 300
pound boulders over 650 feet accurately, the missiles traveling at well
north of 100mph. That might not seem like a lot, but when you have the
power to throw 300 lb rocks from far enough away that you’re safe from getting shot by archers, you’ve won the siege. The Scots in the castle
knew this, and tried to surrender.

King Edward, who had spent exorbitant amounts of time and money in
building his new toy, was having none of that. No way in hell was he
going to let these defenders surrender before he had gotten to have his
fun. He sent the Scots back inside, rejecting their surrender.

The first stone went through two of the castle’s walls “like an arrow flying through cloth”. These were not weak walls like you might find in
your house. Castles are made to be tough. The walls are several feet
thick, and made of stone. They offered the same protection as, say,
drywall might provide against a meteor.

Trebuchets seem weak, only if you compare them with modern weapons.
Compared to a cannon, they’re useless, but you shouldn’t compare them to
a cannon. They were used for sieges, when the other side only had
archers. A trebuchet is able to pummel a castle safely, until eventually something gives. Their range was better than anything else and there
isn’t really all that much that can stop a 300lb rock traveling at 120
miles per hour, at least not for long.

Trebuchets were not weak, they were the cutting edge of warfare technology.

edit: the 100 meter tall figure is hard to believe, but rest assured I
didn’t just pull it out of nowhere. I’ve now linked my source below.
There is a good chance that historical records were embellished over the
last 800 years, but either way, the war wolf was massive. The mere sight
of it broke a four month siege, or at least would have of Edward hadn’t
sent the defenders back inside.

Warwolf Trebuchet; The Largest Catapult Ever Built
King Edward I commissioned the Warwolf Trebuchet; a 100-metre tall siege
engine capable of throwing 140kg stones at the walls of the Stirling Castle. https://sctbdm.com/warwolf-trebuchet/
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