The colossal walls of historical megastresses stand, like thousands of years ago, when they were built. Billions of tons of stone and clay all over the planet proudly recall the mysterious past, the past, full of surprises, the famous sieges of fortresses. Stories about the people who built them or tried to demolish them, about those who founded the countries and the world in which we live. To learn these stories, we will set off at a time when people fought and built to rule the whole world.
The confrontation of the Romans and the Gauls
In 55 BC e. the most famous Roman emperor Julius Caesar invaded foreign lands with an 80-thousand army of well-trained soldiers. He longed for fame. Glories of the great Roman conqueror and money, booty. He commanded one of the best armies of those that fought on the battlefield. But the Roman military was faced with their worst enemies - the Gauls. It was an invincible enemy. The Gauls are experienced military men. On the battlefield, they were worthy opponents of the Romans. For 6 years of bloody battles, none of the parties won. Caesar's warriors were exhausted, but still prepared to stand to their death in battle with the enemy. The Gauls had an equally famous leader - Vercingetorig. He fought not because of slaves or booty, but for his native land. In the year 52, the Gauls united and gathered at the top of the hill at the Alesia fortress. Caesar's army surrounded the city. The future of Europe hung in the balance.
Victory of Caesar
Both armies were preparing for a decisive battle. Caesar had to take Alesia, otherwise everything that he had achieved in the previous 6 years would have gone to dust. Then Caesar made a decision unique to military history - lay down his arms. The Gauls were trapped in Alesia. The siege of the fortress began. To starve the enemy, Caesar ordered the construction of a fortified stockade and completely surrounded the city. A 20 km stockade was built in 3 weeks. However, the Gauls managed to call for reinforcements from all over the country. To protect themselves from them, Caesar had to build a second wall around the first and barricade himself between the two walls. From there, he could successfully repel attacks from outside and finish off enemies inside the fortress.
Vercingetorig, left without provisions and reinforcements, surrendered after 5 days. After such a victory, nothing could stop Caesar's ambitions. He became a dictator of Rome and founded the Roman Empire.
Siege of the fortress in the UK
5 thousand km from this place is the fortress with which Great Britain began. Medieval Britain was a world of knights, violence and aggressive conquests with castles. The battlefield was Wales. Here the rebellious barons opposed King Edward I. Many participated in two wars - against the king and against other barons. One of them built the magnificent Kenfig Castle. His name was Gilbert de Claire.
Britain was a very troubled place at that time. Everyone tried to grab a piece of land. Gilbert de Claire was a strong and influential baron. His worst enemy was his neighbor Llewelyn up Grifid. Gilbert built a castle on the land of Llewelyn. It was a castle with a moat that did not allow siege weapons to fit. In addition, it was equipped with a drawbridge, which was set in motion at the slightest threat of attack. No siege of the fortress threatened the inhabitants. The people in the castle were completely safe. Kenfig was never taken, it became a local attraction.
Ivangorod fortress
Speaking of the great sieges of the fortresses, one cannot but mention Ivangorod. Having built St. Petersburg on the banks of the Neva, Peter the Great cut a window into Europe. But long before him, the sovereign of all Russia, Prince Ivan III, who had gathered the Russian lands together, was the first Russian ruler to cut through, if not a window, then a reliable loophole to Europe. At his command, in 1492, the construction of the fortress began, popularly known as the City of Horse Skin. In the summer of 1496, Ivangorod had to take the first blow - the Swedish army arrived on the Narova River on 70 boats. The Ivangorodts fought heroically, but the forces were unequal. After a long assault, the fortress fell. The Swedes ravaged the city and stole 300 captives. Failure forced Ivan III to strengthen the city. Ivangorodts were constantly ready for war. The feud between the Russian fortress and Narva was ongoing. In 1557, the Livonian knights broke the peace and fired on the city. In response, Narva was occupied by Russian troops for 10 years. After the Livonian Order entered into an alliance with Sweden, the Swedes became the main opponents of the Ivangorod fortress.
Siege of Sigetwara
The siege and defense of the fortresses were at all times. One of the most significant events in medieval Europe was the siege of the Hungarian fortress Sigetvara. In 1566, a large Turkish army approached its walls. The defenders of the fortress numbering a little more than 2 thousand soldiers flatly refused to surrender to the conquerors. A small fortress became the only obstacle on the way of the Turks to Vienna. The siege lasted a whole month. In the end, no more than 300 soldiers and members of their families survived. Then the soldiers received orders to kill their wives and children so that they would not be captured by the enemy and not be tormented. The soldiers complied with the order and continued to fight to the last. The long siege of the fortress still ended. The Ottoman army captured it, but lost more than 30 thousand soldiers in that battle. Exhausted warriors were forced to retreat and return home.
Leningrad blockade
This siege of the Russian fortress turned out to be one of the longest and most terrible confrontations. The fascist army could not immediately capture the city. As a result, Leningrad was surrounded, and the blockade began, which lasted 872 days.
All this time, the residents endured all the hardships - cold, hunger and bombing. The only way of communication was the so-called Road of Life, along which clothes and food were delivered to the city.