How were Norman castles attacked?

The miners would dig their tunnel, using wooden beams to support the roof. There were many different types of siege engine (machines for attacking castle walls). The catapult used a series of tightened ropes to cause a throwing arm to hurl a rock, stone or other projectile at a castle wall.



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Tall thick curtain walls surrounded the castle buildings like a strong shield. There were few doors in the wall thus limiting access to the castle. Towers built as part of the curtain wall. Castles with curtain walls with flanking towers were more difficult to capture.

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Fire - Early castles were made of wood, so they were easy to attack by setting fire to them. Battering ram - A large log that was hit against the castle walls to weaken them. Catapult - Catapults, or trebuchets, threw large stones and burning objects at the castle.

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For example, narrow arrow slits were replaced with wider gunloops. These allowed defenders to shoot cannon balls out of the castle towards the attackers. Attackers used cannons too. Cannons eventually became so powerful that castles couldn't defend against them any more and the time of castles came to an end.

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Over the centuries around 23 different siege attempts were made on Edinburgh Castle – making it the most besieged place in Europe.

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Speaking of canons, it is important to note that Edinburgh Castle is one of the most attacked places in the world. In other words, battles were waged, walls were destroyed, and the castle changed hands repeatedly throughout the course of 26 documented sieges over 1,100 years.

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Castles, in particular, were instruments of war and occupying or levelling them was the goal of invading armies. In many cases, the castles were then taken over by the victors and re-purposed, but many were dismantled, particularly when the structure could no longer repel attacks by cannon.

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