Weapons System
Trebuchet
English, approximately treh-byoo-SHET (US) or TREB-yoo-shet (UK)
Also Known As Counterweight Trebuchet
Medieval
The trebuchet is a siege engine that uses a pivoting beam and sling to hurl projectiles at fortifications. The traction (man-powered) form was adopted by Byzantines, Persians, Arabs and Avars by the sixth to seventh centuries. The counterweight trebuchet, the more powerful form in use by Saladin's era, is first illustrated in a commentary on Saladin's own conquests, written in 1187; scholars have little consensus on exactly where and when it was first developed. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Weapon Class Introduced YearThis is the date of the earliest known illustration of the counterweight form, tied to Saladin's own conquests, not a claimed invention date; historians do not agree on where or when the counterweight trebuchet was first developed. Weapon Class
Weapon Class (category) Connections
Associated With
Source Wikipedia: Siege of Jerusalem (1187)
The counterweight trebuchet was the dominant siege engine of the Ayyubid armies during the Crusader-era sieges.
Source Wikipedia: Siege of Jerusalem (1187)
Source Wikipedia: Siege
Open Questions
Source Wikipedia: Trebuchet
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Technology and Engineering Atlas: Trebuchet, the same subject.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Trebuchet
Wikipediacounterweight trebuchet section
there is little to no consensus as to where and when the counterweight trebuchet...was first developed
mechanism section
The sling starts rotating with the beam...transmitting this increased speed to the projectile
counterweight type discussion
the counterweight trebuchet, also known as the counterpoise trebuchet
- Weapon class classified from the entity's own sourced description text.
- Introduced circa 1187 per the entity's own sourced description text; no pre-1900 weapon system remains in current active military service.
View the Source 2. Wiktionary: trebuchet
WiktionaryNoun section, EnglishQuote, Noun section, English
A medieval siege engine consisting of a large pivoting arm heavily weighted on one end.
Wikidata: Trebuchet
Wikipedia: Siege of Jerusalem (1187)
WikipediaAssociated With: Ayyubid Army, body textQuote, Associated With: Ayyubid Army, body text
siege towers, catapults, mangonels and Greek fire
Wikipedia: Siege
Open Questions (1 open question)
Where and when was the counterweight trebuchet first developed?
The earliest known illustration of a counterweight trebuchet comes from a 1187 commentary on Saladin's own conquests, but the source itself states there is little to no consensus as to where and when the counterweight trebuchet was first developed.
What would resolve this Additional dated illustrations, textual descriptions, or archaeological finds from the tenth to twelfth century Islamic or Byzantine world that predate or corroborate the 1187 illustration.
History of siege technologyWikipedia: Trebuchet
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