Editing Medieval fortification (section)

=== Siege Defenses ===
[[File:Siege of Lisbon by Roque Gameiro.jpg|left|thumb|A depiction of the Siege of Lisbon in 1147 CE by Roque Gameiro. There are catapults mounted on the towers of the city's walls. The type of catapult utilized is unknown but based on the appearance it is likely a [[mangonel]] or an [[Onager (weapon)|onager]].]]
[[Siege|Sieges]] were common during the Middle Ages and because of this many cities fortified their walls and castles to defend against the use of [[Siege engine|siege engines]] by their attackers<sup>1</sup>. Many cities utilized [[Catapult|catapults]] that would hurl stones and other missiles at enemy siege engines and soldiers. The most commonly used catapult for defense was the [[trebuchet]], a torsion powered catapult that dominated the Middle Ages both offensively and defensively. The trebuchet was known for its considerable force but required a longer loading time compared to other siege engines, sometimes taking up to an hour, which lead to some cities using catapults such as the mangonel and onager instead, which could put projectiles downrange much faster than the trebuchet. The trebuchet’s destructive force caused engineers to thicken walls, round out towers, and to redesign fortifications so that they could employ trebuchets for defense. The [[Ayyubid dynasty|Ayyubids]] between 1196 and 1218 built towers mounted with massive trebuchets, which hypothetically would use their height advantage to take out opposing siege engines.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=University |date=2008 |title=Part Two: Impact |url=https://www.brown.edu/Departments/Joukowsky_Institute/courses/13things/7677.html#:~:text=The%20trebuchet's%20before%20unseen%20destructive,could%20employ%20trebuchets%20for%20defense. |access-date=2024-04-24 |website=www.brown.edu}}</ref> [[Ballista|Ballistas]] were another type of catapult utilized as a defensive weapon, however they were not often used. This is because their missiles sometimes lacked the force to dismantle enemy siege engines and their immobility confined them to the top of a city's towers were they could easily be taken out by enemy catapults, including offensive ballistas which were usually employed for the very reason of dismantling defenses on the top of towers and keeping defenders off of a wall's [[Battlement|battlements]]. After the invention of [[Cannon|cannons]] near the beginning of 12th century CE, many torsion powered catapults became largely obsolete and cannons became commonplace medieval siege engines by the 15th century. While mostly used for offensive purposes, the first recorded use of a cannon in Europe was to defend the city of Algeciras during the siege of 1343-44.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Finlayson |first=Clive |date=2024 |title=The Development of Artillery |url=https://www.gibmuseum.gi/our-history/military-history/development-of-artillery#:~:text=The%20first%20recorded%20use%20of,on%20top%20to%20reinforce%20them. |access-date=2024-04-24 |website=Gibraltar National Museum |language=en}}</ref> However slow to load, cannons proved to be devastating weapons that could level a city's walls or destroy siege engines with only a single projectile.