Norman castles are questionably the best-known castles in Britain and the western world. With the conquering of Britain at the battle of Hastings in 1066 by William the conqueror, the powerful castles were built all over the country, but especially in the north to keep the Scots and Picts out of England, and in the west to keep the Welsh out.
From then on, the old Roman ideas were re-visited, and siege vs. counter siege began in the British Isles and Western Europe.
When you talk to someone British about siege warfare, they will most probably think of the Middle Ages, catapults, and ‘Knights in shining armour’, which is a testament to the impact of siege in that time.
Siege may not necessarily be seen in the same way throughout Europe though, with the Italian Wars, The Hundred Years war, and of Course the Crusades defining siege history.
The Crusades saw the best of European siege technology come up against the best of Middle-Eastern siege technology, with both sides taking leads and ideas from the other. The Saracen world’s siege capabilities weren’t as far from Europe’s as the Crusaders first thought, what with all the wars in the east, the Saracens and Moslems weren’t short of experience.
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