Medieval Weapons
To start out woodcraft 2, we are going to
study medieval weapons - specifically trebuchets. A trebuchet is a type of
catapult that uses a projectile on a sling attached to an arm, along with a counter-weight
that, when released, throws the object.
In 1304, as Edward The First's siege of Stirling
Castle dragged on, fifty of the King's most skilled carpenters & engineers
arrived quietly to change the course of medieval siege warfare.
As the besieged Scots watched in awe, a new and colossal weapon rose slowly from the far end of the battlefield. Resembling a "Giant Seesaw", the engine's beam was heavily weighted on one end, while the other held a massive sling capable of hurling a 250 pound stone projectile the 200 yards to the castle wall. This medieval weapon, which historians believe was a trebuchet, was dubbed Warwolf.
Please visit these web sites: Medieval Siege, How a Trebuchet Works, Castle Siege and Defense, English Castle's, The Middle Ages, Life in Flanders
and answer the following questions.
Please click here to
practice shooting a trebuchet.
Please follow these
instructions:
1. Turn off the air resistance.
2. Change the launch angle by increments of 5° - what happens?
3. Change the launch speed by increments of 5° - what happens?
4. What happens when air resistance is turned back on?
The Grey Company Trebuchet Page
Image borrowed from http://www.trebuchet.com/