Model of Warwolf in front of Caerlaverock Castle

The Warwolf, or War Wolf or Ludgar (Loup de Guerre), is believed to be the largest Trebuchet ever made. Caerlaverock Castle is a 13th-century triangular Moated Castle in the Caerlaverock National Nature Reserve area at the Solway Firth, south of A trebuchet or trebucket is a Siege engine that was employed in the Middle Ages either to smash Masonry Walls or to throw It was created in Scotland by order of Edward I of England during the siege of the Stirling Castle In the 13th Century. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Edward I (17 June 1239 – 7 July 1307 popularly known as Longshanks, was a King of England who achieved historical fame by conquering large parts of Wales and almost For ships named after the castle see Stirling Castle (disambiguation Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest

When disassembled, the weapon would fill 30 wagons. It took five master carpenters and forty-nine other labourers at least three months to complete.

A contemporary account of the siege states, "During this business the king had carpenters construct a fearful engine called the lup-de-guerre (sic. , War wolf), and this when it threw, brought down the whole wall. "

Even before construction could be completed, the sight of the giant engine so intimidated the Scots that they tried to surrender. Edward, declaring, "You don't deserve any grace, but must surrender to my will," decided to carry on with the siege and witness for himself the power of the masterful weapon. The Warwolf accurately hurled missiles weighing as much as three hundred pounds and levelled a large section of the curtain wall.

External links

• Secrets of Lost Empires: Medieval Siege (building of and history of trebuchets), from the NOVA website
• An article on Trebuchet Mechanics (in PDF format)