Editing Medieval warfare (section)

==Fortifications==
[[File:Falaise chateau guillaume conquerant 2.jpg|thumb|The [[Château de Falaise]] in France.]]

[[File:Celje Celjski grad 003.jpg|thumb|Celje Castle in Slovenia.]]

In Europe, breakdowns in centralized power led to the rise of several groups that turned to large-scale pillage as a source of income. Most notably the [[Vikings]], [[Arabs]], [[Mongols]], [[Huns]], [[Cumans]], [[Tartars]], and [[Magyars]] raided significantly.<ref>{{Cite book|title=World History: A Concise, Selective, Interpretive History of the World|last=Parsa|first=Ali|publisher=Sentia Publishing|year=2017|isbn=9780999005613}}</ref> As these groups were generally small and needed to move quickly, building [[fortifications]] was a good way to provide refuge and protection for the people and the wealth in the region.

These fortifications evolved throughout the Middle Ages, the most important form being the [[castle]], a structure which has become almost synonymous with the medieval era in the popular eye. The castle served as a protected place for the local elites. Inside a castle they were protected from bands of raiders and could send mounted warriors to drive the enemy from the area, or to disrupt the efforts of larger armies to supply themselves in the region by gaining local superiority over foraging parties that would be impossible against the whole enemy host.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Routledge Companion to Medieval Warfare|url=https://archive.org/details/routledgecompani00brad_406|url-access=limited|last=Bradbury|first=Jim|publisher=Routledge|year=2004|isbn=9781134598472|pages=[https://archive.org/details/routledgecompani00brad_406/page/n293 284]}}</ref>

Fortifications were a very important part of warfare because they provided safety to the lord, his family, and his servants. They provided refuge from armies too large to face in open battle. The ability of the heavy cavalry to dominate a battle on an open field was useless against fortifications. Building [[siege engine]]s was a time-consuming process, and could seldom be effectively done without preparations before the campaign. Many sieges could take months, if not years, to weaken or demoralize the defenders sufficiently. Fortifications were an excellent means of ensuring that the elite could not be easily dislodged from their lands – as [[Baldwin V, Count of Hainaut|Count Baldwin of Hainaut]] commented in 1184 on seeing enemy troops ravage his lands from the safety of his castle, "they can't take the land with them".<ref>{{cite journal  | last = McGlynn  | first = Sean  | title = The Myths of Medieval Warfare  | journal = History Today  | volume = 44  | issue = 1  | pages = 32  | date = Jan 1994  | url = http://web.ebscohost.com   | issn = 0018-2753  | access-date = September 14, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Carruthers |first=Bob |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Medieval_Warfare/gEuuBQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Baldwin%20of%20Hainautdieval%20Warfare |title=Medieval Warfare |publisher=Pen and Sword |year=2013 |isbn=9781473846968 |pages=6}}</ref>

===Siege warfare===
In the medieval period besieging armies used a wide variety of [[siege engine]]s including: scaling ladders; [[battering ram]]s; [[siege tower]]s and various types of [[catapult]]s such as the [[mangonel]], [[onager (siege weapon)|onager]], [[ballista]], and [[trebuchet]]. Siege techniques also included [[mining (military)|mining]] in which tunnels were dug under a section of the wall and then rapidly collapsed to destabilize the wall's foundation.  Another technique was to bore into the enemy walls, however, this was not nearly as effective as other methods due to the thickness of castle walls.

[[File:Forteresse de Dubrovnik.jpg|right|thumb|The [[Walls of Dubrovnik]] are a series of [[defensive wall|defensive stone walls]], never breached by a hostile army, that have surrounded and protected the maritime [[city-state]] of [[Dubrovnik]] ([[Republic of Ragusa|Ragusa]]), situated in southern [[Croatia]].]]

Advances in the prosecution of [[siege]]s encouraged the development of a variety of defensive counter-measures. In particular, [[Medieval fortification]]s became progressively stronger – for example, the advent of the [[concentric castle]] from the period of the [[Crusades]] – and more dangerous to attackers – witness the increasing use of [[machicolation]]s, as well the preparation of [[Early thermal weapons|hot or incendiary substances]]. [[Arrow slit]]s, concealed doors for sallies, and deep water wells were also integral to resisting siege at this time. Designers of castles paid particular attention to defending entrances, protecting gates with [[drawbridge]]s, [[portcullis]]es and [[barbican]]s. Wet animal skins were often draped over gates to repel fire. [[Moat]]s and other water defences, whether natural or augmented, were also vital to defenders.

In the [[Middle Ages]], virtually all large cities had [[city wall]]s – [[Dubrovnik]] in [[Dalmatia]] is a well-preserved example – and more important cities had [[citadel]]s, [[fort]]s or [[castle]]s. Great effort was expended to ensure a good water supply inside the city in case of siege. In some cases, long tunnels were constructed to carry water into the city. In other cases, such as the Ottoman [[siege of Shkodra]], Venetian engineers had designed and installed cisterns that were fed by rain water channeled by a system of conduits in the walls and buildings.<ref>Karaiskaj, Gjerak. "Furnizimi me ujë i kalasë së Shkodrës ne mesjetë." ''Monumentet: Materialet e sesionit III shkencor të Institutit të Monumenteve të Kulturës'' 11 (1985): 55–77.</ref> Complex systems of tunnels were used for storage and communications in medieval cities like [[Tábor]] in [[Bohemia]]. Against these would be matched the [[mining]] skills of teams of trained [[sapper]]s, who were sometimes employed by besieging armies.

Until the invention of [[gunpowder]]-based weapons (and the resulting higher-velocity projectiles), the balance of power and logistics favoured the defender. With the invention of gunpowder, the traditional methods of defence became less and less effective against a determined siege.
{{See also|Mining (military)}}