Page 67 - All About History - Issue 56-17

Siege of Lisbon

07 Tower stranded by high tide Muslim Army
A Pisan engineer directs the efforts of the
Anglo-Normans to build a 25-metre-high siege tower that is
completed on 19 October. The Crusaders roll the siege tower, of Almoravid
which boasts penthouses to protect troops from stones Dynasty
hurled by the defenders’ stone-throwing artillery, against
the western wall. Much to the Crusaders’ consternation, the
siege tower becomes stranded at high tide. When the water TROOPS 15,000
recedes, the garrison unsuccessfully tries to torch it.
SHIPS 0

09 Last- UNKNOWN GARRISON
08minute COMMANDER
surrender LEADER
Fighting rages for 36 hours The anonymous commander
with the siege tower just aggressively resisted the invasion by
over a metre from the launching repeated sorties to burn
western wall. When it Crusader siege equipment.
appears that the Crusaders Strengths Maintained an active
are about to lower the defence throughout the nearly four-
tower’s bridge onto the
wall and fight their way month siege.
into the city, the Muslims Weakness He was unable to find a
promptly surrender. In this relief army to come to the aid of the
way, the defenders avoid beleaguered garrison.
the worst case scenario in
which the attackers would
be entitled to the entire
population if compelled to
take the city by force.
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10

Squabble among
09Christians
The Flemings and Germans are enraged
that King Afonso is holding high-ranking
hostages from the city as the surrender
terms are negotiated. They claim that
this violates the original terms negotiated
between the Portuguese and the GARRISON TROOPS
Crusaders. At the last minute, they are
dissuaded from storming the Portuguese KEY UNIT
camp and seizing the hostages. The garrison troops relied heavily
on projectile and missile weapons
such as the bow, crossbow, spear
and javelin.
Strengths They used an ingenious
flammable mixture of wood, pitch,
flax and oil to sabotage the enemy’s
siege engines.
Weakness The garrison had a
limited supply of good weapons.
Crusaders
10run amok
Approximately 140 Anglo-Normans and
160 Flemish and Germans are allowed
to enter the city on 24 October and
supervise the collection of the money
and property of the people of the city.
200 more Flemish and Germans slip into CROSSBOW
the city against orders. What was meant KEY WEAPON
to be an orderly process degenerates
06 Mine collapses eastern wall into uncontrolled excesses and atrocities. The crossbow was ubiquitous
The Flemish and Rhinelanders dig an expansive
mine with five separate entrances underneath the east wall. among garrison troops and required
little training to use properly.
They pack the tunnels with combustible materials and light it.
The fire weakens the earth and a section of the wall collapses Strengths Ample time to reload in
into the ground. The defenders hurriedly build a makeshift protected positions in castle towers
wall with timber and block the breach. and walls.
Weakness The garrison likely ran
low on bolts as it had no way to © Alamy, Getty Images, Nicholas Forder
replenish its supply.

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