Pierrière

The pierrière is a piece of artillery medieval E. Composed of a beam called rod with the end of which a pocket containing of the projectiles is attached, it was actuated while drawing on the other end from the beam. Used mainly for defense, it was also called the arms with the women since the women and the children were often reserved for this type of armament. Viollet the Duke mentions that the term pierrière was also given to the Baliste which actually functions on a different principle.

Origins

The Chinese used probably similar machines several centuries before the Christian era. The principle of the machine travelled on the Silk route. It was used by the Sarrasin S at the time of the Croisades. It appeared thus in Europe about the 11th century.

Attested uses

One finds traces of the use of the pierrières in writings or by the means of archaeological excavations .

Thus, it is a projectile resulting from a pierrière who would have killed Simon de Montfort at the time of the seat of Toulouse in 1218.

A pierrière was also used with the Château of Montségur at the time of the seat of 1244. She answered blow for blow the Trébuchet assembled by the Crusaders.

Features

Weight of the balls: from 3 to 12 kilograms
Carried: from 40 to 60 meters
Number of being useful: from 6 to 8
Rate of shooting: up to 1 projectile per minute

Improvements

A counterweight could be added at the end which was drawn to facilitate the handling of the weapon and especially to compensate for the weight of the projectile. In this case, the pierrière is called Bricole. This principle of counterweight will be taken again and improved as of the 12th century to make more powerful weapons of them in order to hold of the seats: the Mangonneau X and the Precision balance S.

See too

Internal bonds

medieval Artillery

External bonds

Demonstration of shooting in Larressingle in Gers-Gascogne

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