As Arther Ferrill explains in The Origins of War, the offense-defense inventive cycle is a cycle of warfare ingredients in which mobility, security, and firepower are intertwined in such a way that a change in one requires changes in others (44). I mention this only because I understand the development of siege weapons to counteract the efficiency of castle defense as a perfect example of this cycle. This is very apparent in the evolution of offensive …
showed first 75 words of 1006 total

showed last 75 words of 1006 total
…in the castle walls, and then the storming of the fortification would commence. As Bradbury states, it would be a "gross simplification entirely to attribute the change to the development of guns....it is likely that political and social change was more significant" (295). A Follow-on essay that compliments this one as a two-parter is here: Explain the importance of siege warfare in the High Middle Ages. What was the role of the garrison and castellan?