00:03A counterweight trebuchet
00:09Was the king of all siege engines
00:12A catapult capable of smashing down castle walls
00:16From great distances
00:24At Warwick Castle in England
00:26They've built a replica
00:28One of the largest in the world
00:32Originating in 7th century China
00:35By the 13th century
00:36Trebuchets had evolved into devastatingly powerful weapons
00:40Such a simple design
00:42But so effective
00:44It has several key features
00:48A pivoted arm
00:49With a weight at one end
00:51And a sling
00:52To hold the projectile at the other
00:55To prime
00:56The 6 ton weight is raised
00:58Using tread wheels
01:00So this is one of the wheels
01:02One of two that's attached to an axle
01:05Which would lift the counterweight
01:08Weighing 6 tons
01:09It's based on muscle power alone
01:13What's essential about launching a projectile
01:16As far as possible
01:17Is making sure that this end of the arm
01:19Is moving as fast as possible
01:20So once that weight drops
01:22It really sends this point of the arm
01:24Moving at its highest velocity
01:27This was done by positioning the pivot
01:30Close to the counterweight
01:31And by launching the projectile from a sling
01:36When released
01:37The sling whips round
01:39Vastly increasing the launch speed
01:46Trebuchets were carefully aimed
01:47Like modern guns
01:51In order to weaken the castle walls
01:53Or even breach them
01:54You had to make sure that the projectiles
01:55Hit the same spot
01:56Every single time
01:59For each projectile to follow the same trajectory
02:03They all had to be the same weight and shape
02:07To achieve this
02:08Masons used a gauge
02:12Now I'm going to load
02:13This projectile
02:15Into the sling
02:16This one must weigh about 25 kilograms
02:19But some projectiles can get up to 150 kilograms
02:22That's the weight of two men
02:28Trebuchets were also used
02:29To throw burning tar
02:31Beehives
02:32Even dead bodies
02:34Anything to cause maximum distress to the enemy
02:42Did you hear that whoosh?
02:46It was the counterweight trebuchet's lethal combination
02:49Of power and accuracy
02:52That made it the ultimate medieval siege weapon
03:04Love a better place
03:04Beehive
03:04Love a better place
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