Ah yes, the Dark Ages. A time where astronomical observation was very little and battling against other kingdoms was more.
I personally like to phrase it as “The Time When God Took A Vacation.”
Since there is nothing really much to discuss facts, numbers, and space, I’ll be a bit more general. I’m going to describe the 5 options that were used to conquer castles. These choices were the basis of attacking, so many of history’s greatest invasions would have roots leading to this.
- Negotiation
Once the castle was surrounded, the army that was sieging would take some time to calm down. In that process, they send a messenger from their force to see if the besieged would want to strike an offer for freedom.
At the sieger’s stakes.
Some lords would give up if reinforcements didn’t come. Oh, and they let the castle guards off-duty, as they weren’t really necessary at that point.
- Deception
Let’s say the besieged were not as soft as expected, so now it’s time for disguises. In fact, most castle invasions happened because of hidden figures from the opposition, not bloody battles. After bribing (if not killing) the guards, the siegers would send a few soldiers as merchants.
And that one worked out 98% of the time, which I find impressive compared to these days.
The reason why was that the invaders starved the besieged, so when the “merchant” came, they would come to get food, and the invaders would strike, which leads to the next way.
- Starvation
Sometimes the defenders don’t really trust everyone beyond the walls, so the offense makes them captive.
In their own place.
The siegers cut off the food and water supply for the people trapped inside, which increases the rate of taking over. Usually, the people inside would die and the others would win, or they’d have a secret source to get the needed supplies from.
- Excavation
If the siegers didn’t like all of the above, they’d go send “sappers” (diggers for the army) to create underground tunnels for a surprise attack. Some of the most fierce battles took place underground. However, most attempts didn’t go that secretly. The guards inside would place pails of water on the floor to detect the diggers. If shoveling occurred, the water would begin to ripple.
- Destruction
Now is the fun part: when nothing else worked, the kingdoms would go full-on attack mode. Catapults would wreck the walls, arrows would pierce the armor, and swords would clash. Blood and gore would spill all over the battlefield, while ladders that lead to the castle were mercilessly knocked off. Along with weapons, they’d also throw boiling water to burn, and to double the pain on open wounds. By the end, the invaders would’ve won or lost, but both sides would face casualties.
In the end, many things happened during the Middle Ages. People brawled. Kings/Queens ruled. It took its place in history as one of the most fatal times in centuries past. Literally, people would have to sleep with a gun… sword in this context under their pillows.
If they had any.
In the end, the Renaissance came to be and threw us into the Age of Enlightenment, so we can recover, and start using our brains more than our brawn.
Credits:
Why? Over 1,111 Answers To Everything by Crispin Boyer