A simple illustration of an ancient catapult

A mangonel (derived from Greco-Latin word manganon, meaning "engine of war")^[1][2] was a type of catapult or siege engine used in the medieval period to throw projectiles at a castle's walls. The exact meaning of the term is debatable, and several possibilities have been suggested. Mangonel may also be indirectly referring to the mangon, a French hard stone found in the south of France. It may have been a name for counterweight artillery (trebuchets), possibly either a men assisted fixed-counterweight type, or one with a particular type of frame.^[3][4] The Arabic term manajaniq comes from the same word, and applies to various kinds of trebuchet. It is also possible that it referred to more than one kind of engine, in different times or places, or was a general term.

In modern parlance, catapult is often used as the name of a medieval form of onager, though there is little evidence for this historically. In this sense, mangonel had poorer accuracy than a trebuchet (which was introduced later, shortly before the discovery and widespread usage of gunpowder). The mangonel threw projectiles on a lower trajectory and at a higher velocity than the trebuchet, with the intention of destroying walls, rather than hurling projectiles over them. It was more suited to field battles.

Role in battle[link]

Mangonel shot used in the siege of Bedford Castle in 1224.

Mangonels shot heavy projectiles from a bowl-shaped bucket at the end of the arm.^{[citation needed]} The bucket could launch more rocks than a sling; this made it different from an onager. The sling was changed to a bucket for more force when firing. In combat, mangonels hurled rocks, burning objects (fire pots, vessels filled with flammable materials that created a fireball on impact), or anything else readily available to the attacking and defending forces. The more unusual types of projectile included dead (and often partially decomposed) carcasses of animals or people (and even human heads), used to intimidate, demoralize, and spread disease among the besieged. This tactic often proved effective. The short supply of food, which was often of low quality or rotting, combined with the cramped living space of the defenders, poor hygiene, and vermin infestations provided an ideal scenario for the spread of disease. It should be noted, however, that the mangonel's principal role in battle, particularly medieval battle, was to knock down a castle or city's walls and infrastructure, not to kill troops. Its unpredictable, yet powerful strikes were best suited to hitting broad, non-moving targets such as buildings or walls.

Middle ages[link]

Medieval Mangonel

Side view of a mangonel

The mangonel in the Middle Ages had a different connotation from the Roman onager. It was more likely a fixed counter-weight siege engine similar to a trebuchet; its only difference from a trebuchet was its fixed counter-weight which was pulled down by several men. This way, with trained workers, the leader of the craft could adjust the strength applied to the mangonel.

Working system of the mangonel[link]

The mangonel was loaded by lowering a rope with a hook at its end; this hook was tied to another rope connected to a "pulling" system (this could be a pulley compound,a gear compound, or even an animal traction system) to pull the rope and lower the main rod. Once the rod was lowered a few workers were responsible for the attachment of a sling where the projectile was placed. When the mangonel was loaded the leader gave the order to release the main rod, and at the same time several men (usually around 20) pulled the ropes attached to the counterweight.

If the crew was well-trained, it was possible to control whether the projectile traveled in a low or high trajectory. If the crew was not well-trained then the risk of the projectile killing friendly troops or even the crew itself existed.^[5]

See also[link]

• Ballista

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Catapults

• Res Gestae, 4th century, by Ammianus Marcellinus
• Medieval Mechanical Artillery, by the Xenophon Group
• Onager Physics. An analysis of the Onager/Mangonel
• Mangonel Animation

v t e Medieval mechanical artillery and hand-held missile weapons Crew-served artillery Catapult Mangonel Trebuchet Hand-held weapons Arbalest Crossbow Skåne Lockbow

Daniel Robert Snow (born 3 December 1978) is an English television presenter. He has presented and appeared in many popular history-related programmes for the BBC and is the "History Hunter" for The One Show.^[1]

Early life and background[link]

Dan Snow is the youngest son of Peter Snow, BBC television journalist, and Ann MacMillan, Managing Editor of CBC London Bureau. Dan therefore has joint British/Canadian citizenship. Through his mother, he is the nephew of Canadian historian Margaret MacMillan, and a great-great-grandson of British Prime Minister David Lloyd George.^[2] One of his father's cousins is the Channel 4 news reporter Jon Snow.

Education[link]

Snow was educated at Barnes Primary School and St Paul's School, an independent school in Barnes in south London, where he was Captain of the School, followed by Balliol College at Oxford.^[3] He rowed three times in the University Boat Race, winning in 2000 and losing a controversial race, when president, in 2001. He received a double first-class honours degree in Modern History.

Life and career[link]

In 2003, Snow and his father made a programme on El Alamein to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the battles and followed this up with an eight-part series on BBC2 in 2004 called Battlefield Britain. This won a BAFTA award for special effects. The same year Snow won a Sony award as one of the presenters on LBC Boat Race coverage.

He has made numerous history programmes for the BBC. He also presents on many of the state occasions such as the 200th anniversary celebration of the Battle of Trafalgar, Beating Retreat 2006, the 60th anniversary of the end of World War Two, the 90th anniversary of the Armistice in November 2008, Trooping the Colour and the City Salute. Dan Snow also presented BBC 2's 20th Century Battlefields. This covers battles all around the world and is presented in similar fashion to the first Battlefield Britain which was broadcast in various markets in 2006 and is available on DVD. The second series can also be viewed on the Military Channel. In June 2008, Dan Snow was in a three-part series which was called 'Britain's Lost World' on BBC 1. Along with Kate Humble and Steve Backshall, he stayed on the island of St Kilda, Scotland, to find out more about its history and wildlife. In the TV programme My Family at War he was critical of Thomas D'Oyly Snow, his great-grandfather, who commanded VII Corps on the first day on the Somme.

On Sunday 18 April 2010 Snow and a few friends took three rigid-hulled inflatable boats from Dover to Calais to help 25 people return to the UK after they were stranded in France by the air travel disruption after the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption in Iceland. When they arrived at Calais they were told by the French authorities that they could not return to collect any more people.^[4]

In November 2011 Snow teamed up with the Irish army to fire a M1919 Browning machine gun which he had excavated from a Spitfire which crashed in Donegal while being flown by Bud Wolfe. Despite being in a peat bog for 70 years the machine gun fired without a hitch.^[5]

Personal life[link]

On 27 November 2010, Snow married Lady Edwina Grosvenor, the second daughter of the 6th Duke of Westminster.^[6] They have one daughter, Zia (b. 2011).

Broadcast works[link]

Television

• 2003: El Alamein, with Peter Snow, for the 60th anniversary of the battle
• 2004: Battlefield Britain, with Peter Snow, on eight of the most famous battles in British history
• 2006: Trafalgar 200 BBC2, for the anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar
• 2006: Shipwreck: Ark Royal, on the discovery of HMS Ark Royal sunk in 1941
• 2006: Edwardian Winners and Losers, BBC4, on Edwardian society and politics
• 2006–08 20th Century Battlefields, BBC2, on various battles through the 20th century
• 2007: In Living Memory, BBC1, a documentary about the new British Armed Forces Memorial
• 2007 China's Terracotta Army, BBC2, on the Terracotta Army
• 2008: What Britain Earns, BBC2, a national survey of people's incomes
• 2008: Britain's Lost World, BBC1, on the history and wildlife of St Kilda
• 2008: Hadrian, BBC2, on the life and legacy of Roman Emperor Hadrian
• 2008: 50 Things You Need To Know About British History, The History Channel
• 2008: My Family at War, BBC1
• 2009: Grouchy Young Men, Comedy Central
• 2009: How the Celts Saved Britain, BBC4
• 2009: Montezuma, BBC2
• 2010: Battle for North America: The Battle of Quebec, BBC2
• 2010: The Empire of the Seas, BBC2
• 2010: Little Ships, BBC2. Achieved the highest Appreciation Index for any programme on any channel in the month of June 2010.
• 2010: Norman Walks, BBC4; BBC2
• 2011: Filthy Cities, BBC2
• 2011: National Treasures Live, BBC1
• 2012: Dig WW2 with Dan Snow, BBC1 Northern Ireland, on historical sites and excavations of various sites in Ireland

Radio

• Art in the Trenches, Radio 4
• At War with Wellington, Radio 4
• Prince of Wales, Radio 4, a look at the history of the office of Prince of Wales and the current occupant

Books[link]

• 2004: Battlefield Britain. London: BBC Books ISBN 0-563-48789-5, co-author with Peter Snow
• 2007: The World's Greatest Twentieth-century Battlefields. London: BBC Books ISBN 0-563-52295-X, co-author with Peter Snow
• 2009: Death or Victory: the Battle of Quebec and the birth of Empire. London: Harper Press ISBN 0-00-728620-1

Awards[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (November 2010)

• BAFTA (Visual Effects) for 'Battlefield Britain'
• Sony Award (Best Live Coverage) for Boat Race Day
• BAFTA Cymru (Best Presenter) for 'Hadrian'
• Maritime Media Award for best television, film or radio for 'Empire of the Seas'
• 2011 History Makers Award (Most Innovative Production) for 'Battle for North America' a 1 hour special on Snow's book 'Death or Victory.' Produced by Snow's production company Ballista

References[link]

External links[link]

• Video guides
• Relative Values
• Q&A in the Guardian
• Agent
• English Heritage Films
• Daily Telegraph interview about his rowing
• Video podcasts to accompany his latest series
• Dan Snow at the Internet Movie Database