Jess King
Mr. Neill
Physics
9 November 2016
The History of a Trebuchet
Have you ever been curious to learn more about how such an immense machine, like the trebuchet, came to be? The creation of the trebuchet is believed to have been around the 12th century. However, the exact time period of the creation remains unknown. The trebuchet was said to have been created by soldiers, starting from scratch, so it may not have been so intimidating. However, it has continually progressed to improve throughout history in many ways.
To begin, back in the 6th century, siege engines had existed, but they were human powered by pulling on ropes which is extremely difficult and complex; unlike the trebuchet which is powered with counterweights and not as many …show more content…
The trebuchet’s existence during the medieval time was very beneficial for many reasons. For example, castles, castle walls, and other buildings were extremely strong and well built. A machine capable of knocking these structures down would help a great deal in the war. The trebuchet was capable of launching large stones up to three hundred pounds to a far distance, such as three hundred yards with enough force to create an impact on the object. A lot of the history of the trebuchet is unclear or not completely known, such as the amount of usage. An issue that affected the knowledge of how often a trebuchet was used in early battles was believed to have been that people would mix up the names of a trebuchet, siege engine, and catapult. Another misconception to confuse the history of trebuchets was the fact that they were also referred to as “slingers” due to the attached sling used to throw the stones. A “slinger” was also a soldier with a sling. The ruler, Otto IV, who seized Weissenburg used siege engines and machines called “triboke”, three armed machines. All of these weapons could have been trebuchets, but it is still unknown; therefore, medieval authors do not completely
Mr. Neill
Physics
9 November 2016
The History of a Trebuchet
Have you ever been curious to learn more about how such an immense machine, like the trebuchet, came to be? The creation of the trebuchet is believed to have been around the 12th century. However, the exact time period of the creation remains unknown. The trebuchet was said to have been created by soldiers, starting from scratch, so it may not have been so intimidating. However, it has continually progressed to improve throughout history in many ways.
To begin, back in the 6th century, siege engines had existed, but they were human powered by pulling on ropes which is extremely difficult and complex; unlike the trebuchet which is powered with counterweights and not as many …show more content…
The trebuchet’s existence during the medieval time was very beneficial for many reasons. For example, castles, castle walls, and other buildings were extremely strong and well built. A machine capable of knocking these structures down would help a great deal in the war. The trebuchet was capable of launching large stones up to three hundred pounds to a far distance, such as three hundred yards with enough force to create an impact on the object. A lot of the history of the trebuchet is unclear or not completely known, such as the amount of usage. An issue that affected the knowledge of how often a trebuchet was used in early battles was believed to have been that people would mix up the names of a trebuchet, siege engine, and catapult. Another misconception to confuse the history of trebuchets was the fact that they were also referred to as “slingers” due to the attached sling used to throw the stones. A “slinger” was also a soldier with a sling. The ruler, Otto IV, who seized Weissenburg used siege engines and machines called “triboke”, three armed machines. All of these weapons could have been trebuchets, but it is still unknown; therefore, medieval authors do not completely