Siege of vienna
![siege of vienna siege of vienna](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Mfiri-0QUkE/maxresdefault.jpg)
While Tolkien may have based the culture of Rohan on his beloved Anglo-Saxons ( see last year’s post on that very subject), here the Riders of Rohan enter a different era: the High Middle Ages, where cavalry (particularly heavy cavalry) dominated the battlefield. A massive cavalry charge cuts deep into the forces of Mordor, relieving the just-breached gate and bringing with it the first rays of dawn to end the Dawnless Day. But for the magic and fantastical creatures, a Roman legionary, medieval knight, or British grenadier would be right at home in assault or defence of Minas Tirith.Īrise, Riders of Theoden! The Charge of the Rohirrim : The siege of Minas Tirith ends and the Battle of the Pelennor Fields begins with the arrival of Theoden King and the forces of Rohan from the north. Psychological warfare is employed as severed Gondorian heads are flung over the walls in the style of Chinggis Khan. At Minas Tirith, under the deep night of Sauron’s Dawnless day, orcish catapults and Gondorian trebuchets exchange fire while siege towers are pushed against the walls and the massive battering ram Grond attempts to force the city’s gates. Even as late as the eighteenth century, European armies were waging war much the same way, although now using black powder ordnance and trying to break into star forts. The Romans elevated sieges through their engineers’ construction of field fortifications and artillery which persisted into the Middle Ages and the high point of sieges. Siege warfare was pioneered in the ancient world by the Hellenistic Greeks, with Alexander the Great and his successors constructing massive siege towers and even, in one memorable instance, connecting the island of Tyre to the mainland with an earthen causeway that exists to this day.
![siege of vienna siege of vienna](https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/50b65164-b870-49af-bf03-778ae43803ba_3.8332c8ff76936f7321563db31a1814e7.jpeg)
It’s outer defenses breached and it’s outlying territories pinned down by the marauding Corsairs of Umbar, the capital of Gondor must rely on its seven-tiered construction, massive main gate, and steely resolve to last the night. Sauron’s forces, comprised of the Hosts of Minas Morgul, Near Harad, and Rhun, enclose the White City with over one hundred thousand orcs, trolls, and evil men. The Siege of Minas Tirith : The siege of Minas Tirith is first and foremost, well, a siege. Please forgive the longer-than-usual post they’re both incurable nerds… This week, in what may become a long-running series here at Concerning History, Bryan and Francis dissect the climactic siege of Minas Tirith and Battle of the Pelennor Fields from The Return of the King, showcasing multiple elements of historical inspiration, or at least historical echoes, for the biggest battle described in detail Tolkien’s legendarium.
![siege of vienna siege of vienna](https://militarymaps.rct.uk/sites/default/files/styles/rctr-scale-1010w/public/654717-1484736303.jpg)
Hobbit Day has come again, and with it, Bryan and Francis’ now-traditional post discussing some element of intersection between history and that beloved fantasy realm of Middle Earth.