Projectile Throwing Engines
Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey
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History of the Catapult - Catapults Throwing Fire and Heads

HISTORICAL NOTES

A catapult was not powerful enough to project the body of a man. This difficulty was overcome by cutting off the head of any unfortunate emissary for peace, if the terms he brought were scornfully rejected. His letter of supplication from the besieged was then nailed to his skull, and his head was sent flying through space to fall inside the town as a ghastly form of messenger conveying a refusal to parley.

As it was always an object to the besiegers of a town to start a conflagration if they could, Greek fire was used for the purpose. The flame of this fearfully destructive liquid, the composition of which is doubtful, could not be quenched by water. It was placed in round earthenware vessels that broke on falling, and which were shot from catapults ; as the roofs of ancient and medieval dwelling-houses were usually thatched, it of coarse dealt destruction when it encountered such combustible material.

The successful attack or defense of a fortified town often depended on which of the armies engaged had the more powerful ballistas, catapults or trebuchets, as one engine of superior range could work destruction unimpeded if it happened that a rival of similar power was not available to check its depredations. Froissart relates that 'at the siege of Mortagne in 1340, an engineer within the town constructed an engine to keep down the discharges of one powerful machine in the besieging lines. At the third shot he was so lucky as to break the arm of the attacking engine.' The account of this incident, as given by Froissart, is so quaint and graphic that I quote it here : ' The same day they of Valencens raised on their side a great engine and did cast in stones so that it troubled sore them within the town. Thus ye first day passed and the night in assailing and devising how they might grave them in the fortress.

'Within Mortagne there was a cunning master in making of engines who saw well how the engine of Valencens did greatly grave them : he raised an engine in ye castle, the which was not very great but he trimmed it to a point,1 and he cast therewith but three times. The first stone fell a xii2 fro the engine without, the second fell on ye engine, and the third stone hit so true that it brake clean asunder the shaft the engine without ; then the soldiers of Mortagne made a great shout, so that the Hainaulters could get nothing ther3 ; then the erle4 said how he would withdraw.'

(From the translation made at the request of Henry VII, by John Bourchier, second Lord Berners, published 1523-1525.)

1 i.e. with great exactness or 'to a hair'.

2 A foot

3 Could not throw any more stones.

4 Count of Hainault. He was besieging Tournay, but left that place and went to besiege Mortagne and ordered the people of Valenciennes to go with him.

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The Projectile Throwing Engines of The Ancients
Design, Construction and Operation of Ancient Greek, Roman and Medieval Siege Engines and Their Effects In Warfare

Cover of the book The Projectile Throwing Engines of The Ancients Design, Construction and Operation of Ancient Greek, Roman and Medieval Siege Engines and Their Effects In Warfare
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Written by Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey in 1907,this is the first serious modern work on ancient siege engines and the early history of artillery.  In this book, Payne-Gallwey first cites the ancient writings of Greeks and Romans on sieges and the associated artillery. In order to test the validity of the ancient accounts, he produces his own full size working versions of these ancient machines and tests the construction and performance claims of the ancient writers. Fully illustrated, this book gives extensive details about the design, construction, operation and performance of the three types of siege engines: the Catapult (both the Mangonel and Onager), the Ballista and the Trebuchet.
Contents
  • Part I. - Introductory Notes on Ancient Projectile Engines
  • Part II. -  The Catapult
  • Part III. - The Ballista 
  • Part IV. - The Trebuchet 
  • Part V. - Historical Notes on Ancient and Medieval Siege Engines and Their Effects In Warfare
46 Pages, Printable, Print Size 8.5 in. x 11 in.

History of the Catapult - Catapults Throwing Fire and Heads 
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