Siege warfare takes place when one force blockades an opposing force and prevents them from leaving their place of defence. It was an important tactic in medieval warfare and sieges were hundreds of times more frequent than battles.

Siege weaponry was developed to attack defended locations such as castles and walled towns. The most effective of these was the trebuchet – a large, counter-weighted catapult – which was in use by the early 14th century AD.

The range and impact of a stone from a trebuchet was considerable and experiments have shown that a 25lb missile can be thrown 200 metres. Their impact on medieval warfare methods was tremendous and they became the favoured weapon for demolishing walls. Castles and towns were known to surrender after just a few direct hits. They could also be used for launching other materials such as Greek Fire (a type of flammable liquid), manure, and the bodies, dismembered or whole, of diseased animals or unfortunate prisoners.

It was common practice to give nicknames to these weapons and Edward I (1272-1307) had engines named Warwolf, Seagrave and Parson. He also had model castles and siege engines made for his sons so that they could develop their military skills from an early age.