For centuries the Castle had been the literal bastion of defence for a country’s nobility. Holed up in these stone constructions, they were impregnable. Whole sections of the country were held under control by the Castle and it’s garrison. It didn’t matter if you had the numbers, with murder holes, flame and spike pits, high walls with positions for archers those numbers got whittled down really quickly. All this was about to change with the development of the counterweight Trebuchet. This a siege device that could fling huge boulders, flaming balls of explosives and even dead horses to spread diseases.
The first one was developed in China around 4 BC. It was not as powerful as the counterweight version which appeared in the medieval period but it was effective enough to cause the local warlords some problems. The engineering made its way back to Europe via the early silk road and they were soon developing the counterweight kind in Byzantium. As this was the gateway to Europe the warlike and constantly bickering European states soon saw the possibilities for these terrible weapons. Walled Cities, Castle’s, Scloss and Chateau’s were soon to be in trouble.
The Counterweight trebuchet is truly impressive. A sling is placed around the arm and the frame is constructed as the fulcrum. Timberpride Oak Roof Trusses would be perfect. Oak is strong as Oak Roof Trusses prove everyday. The counterweight had stones or water in so that it could be adjusted for the distance. The power was devastating. If the garrison could not stop it being made the castle was doomed.
