Siege
Malta 1565 – The relief force marches to Mdina
The flight of the Turkish forces, 8th September 1565 La Valette remained wary to the bitter end, refusing to permit anyone to leave the fortifications. Within Birgu there were celebrations in the streets. All the church bells were rung to celebrate the eve of the feast of the Virgin; trumpets, drums, and flags provided a welcome gaiety in the forlorn…
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Siege of Kenilworth 1266
In England the beginning of his long reign, Henry , the monarchy had to defeat internal opposition again. Just as at iii had to suppress opponents who took refuge behind castle walls, following a civil war which had revolved around the taking and holding of castles, so too after his…
Bristol and Gloucester 1643
Sketch of the outworks of Bristol in 1644 For the Royalists the primary objectives were Bristol and Gloucester. Maurice was already moving forward with the Western Army to seize Bath, and Rupert very quickly got a substantial part of the Oxford Army moving in the same direction. On the 15th…
Japanese Fortifications and strongholds I
Fortunately for the economic survival of Japan, in subsequent decades defensive strategies, particularly in large-scale campaigns, began to center on entrenchments and fortifications, rather than on evasion and refusal of battle. Whether bushi perceived a problem and responded directly to it, or simply stumbled onto a solution for other reasons,…
Japanese Fortifications and strongholds II
Ditches and moats, another tool borrowed from horse and cattle breeders, offered twelfth-century military architects a more durable curtaining wall for their field fortifications. Because they were intended to halt or hinder the advance of mounted troops, rather than keep hordes of attacking infantry at bay, such ditches needed to…
Kirke’s Relief Fleet: Derry I
Major General Kirke’s fleet continued to lie in the lough and the people and garrison of the beleaguered city wondered when the ships would ever make the run upriver to bring relief at last. With little information from inside the city, Kirke faced a dilemma: should he risk his vessels…
Kirke’s Relief Fleet: Derry II
The expedition to Inch gave Richards the opportunity to practise his profession. Having landed on Inch strand near Burt castle on 10 July, with an escort of an ensign and twenty men, he soon identified a suitable site for a redoubt facing the mainland. But their intention to begin work…