Essay On Trebuchet

The History of a Trebuchet
The name of the Trebuchet is ironic, being a French originated word, when this mechanical weapon was first invented in 300 BC, China (Alchin, “Trebuchet”). However, the machine that the Chinese used in the beginning, did not resemble the modern-day Trebuchet, and worked more like a sling. Sadly, this Trebuchet did not have the wished for results by the Chinese. Consequently, this weapon went through changes before it came to be the Medieval Weapon we think of today, the weapon that “overthrew” it’s two predecessors the catapult and ballista (“The Trebuchet”).
After the Chinese made the sling like Trebuchet, the lever Trebuchet was made. This version of the Trebuchet was man operated. This machine was also created by the machine and was called the Traction Trebuchet. It fired when a group of men pulled on ropes that were attached to a lever on the machine, which launched the payload. Nevertheless, this man-operated machine, was put through a change again, since the Traction Trebuchet only had a range of 30-61 m and could only throw weights around 110 kg (“Trebuchet”).
The final change to the Trebuchet, which occurred in the 12th century, became the modern-day Trebuchet and the first official counterweight

version of this weaponized machine (“The History of a Trebuchet”). This final Trebuchet, was made strong enough and threw hard enough that it could break down castle walls. This was an important ability for this weapon to have, since the Trebuchet was most commonly used during the Medieval Era when thick stone walls of castles stood in the way of attacking enemies.
The Medieval Trebuchet, the one that many people picture when hearing the word Trebuchet, was a huge, strong machine that could shoot out several projectiles when in battle. For example, most people associate the Trebuchet with launching large stones. However, these machines were used to shoot several things upon one’s enemy in battle, like; Greek fire, wooden poles, burning tar, dead animals, body parts, and even dead bodies, over and through the great stone fortresses that were built during the Medieval Times.
Furthermore, the operators of the Trebuchet were called Gynours, per ancientfortresses.org. These men, Gynours, were required to build the Trebuchet on the site of the battle, this is due to the gigantic sizes that Trebuchets were built in. Additionally, another interesting fact that the website, ancientfortresses.org, mentioned was, when Trebuchet operators used this dangerous and fear-striking weapon to “shower their women with roses”. This occurred when Gynours, filled the sling part of the Trebuchet with flowers and shot them out at the woman they were trying to woo. Though this was not common, this was an interesting fact that this source had shared.
As a result of all of the stories, uses, and changes, the history of the Trebuchet is interesting, and utilizes a lot of trial and error as some forms of the weapon were found more effective than others.

Similarly, due to all the changes of the machines and people throughout the years using false names to describe machines (due to lack of understanding) the history of the Trebuchet can be hard to follow. This is why, to some people, the first accepted version of the Trebuchet is the one made in the 12th century. People have this belief because, the machine made in the 12th century is the first version of the Trebuchet to use a counterweight as its energy source (rather than a sling and/or a level manually pulled by

ropes).
All in all, this magnificent machine, after changing throughout the years as people grew a greater understanding of Physics was finally replaced by even more powerful machines in battle, like gun powder and cannons which also replaced (by guns, planes, and tanks). Even though this weapon may be obsolete in battle, and hasn’t been used in over a century in an actual battle. The Trebuchet can teach us many things, whether it’s learning how the Mohist Chinese fought way back in approximately 300 BC (which was the Trebuchet). Or learning about what jobs soldiers in the Medieval times fought, or what they were up against; like being Gynours who operate and build this machine directly on the spot it was created, and having to break down thick stone walls and fortresses. Finally, the history of the Trebuchet can also teach us a lesson about how, when building the Trebuchet, we need to apply trial and error and see how changing different aspects of the machine can change the outcome of the Trebuchet.