Medieval Italian 'War wagons'

[Swampster]

There has been some discussion on the DBMM group regarding 'war wagons' in the Communal Italian list.
War wagons in DBMM includes a variety of wheeled machines including siege engines and the (probably) man-pushed carts called the plaustrella.

As I have had a look at some of the source material, I thought I would repeat my reply here.

The WWg(S) towers seem to be based on those at Motrone. The account is in the Annales Pisani here http://alim.dfll.univr.it/alim/letteratura.nsf/(testiID)/0D70EB6FAB306BB3C1256D6200661AAE!opendocument from page 50. It is in Latin with Italian notes but Google translate makes a good stab at it. (Check the numbers though - Roman numerals seem to sometimes get confused)


Some can be checked against https://www.cristoraul.org/ENGLISH/readinghall/THIRDMILLENNIUMLIBRARY/MEDIEVAL-HISTORY/EMPIRE-AND-PAPACY/library/AHistoryofPisa.pdf which annoyingly only translates the aftermath and the taking of Motrone (and a multitude of asses)


The Luccan army is arranged in a narrow place protected by the sea and some marshes. A wooden tower is mentioned as part of the defence which was taken the day after.

The Pisan army is arranged in three battles. The six castella lignea fortissima* are in the first command. We know the commanders and that all the foot including archers were in the first command along with 800 knights. The second command had 700 knights and the third command had 500 knights. A 1930 paper suggests cavalry in the middle and foot on the wings, but only because that it the usual formation.


The description of the towers being used to repel a relieving force at Motrone seems to have been introduced during suggestions for list revisions some time ago but appears to be a mistake.



The WWg(X) are based on the plaustrella deployed by Milan in the 11160s against the Emperor, though the Imperial forces withdrew before battle started. https://archive.org/details/gestafedericiii00holdgoog/page/n44/mode/2up?view=theater&q=plaustrella is probably the better source. There is also a more doubtful one translated here https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Company_of_Death - I can't find an online version of this chronicle covering this period. It was written in the 1340s though.


A footnote to one of the Motrone descriptions* suggests that the Pisan vehicles may have been the same type as the Milanese ones. The similar date is certainly notable, and if they were intended to pierce the line rather than for the actual siege, then that could make sense. They were, though, subsequently used against Motrone along with other siege equipment. Castella lignea crops up in various sources in contexts where siege towers would be the best translation.
(I have lost which one!)

[Duncan Head]

The "wagons" found their way into the DB* lists via Luke Ueda-Sarson's notes at http://lukeuedasarson.com/CommunalWWgS.html (and http://lukeuedasarson.com/CommunalWWgX.html for the Milanese plaustrella). That's where the "relieving army" seems to come from. It does look as if it was a misinterpretation, though.

[Swampster]

The TNE entry says Brendan Moyle supplied the original info.

[Swampster]

On a similar theme:
Et Bononienses habebant manganellas in plaustris, quod erat tunc inusitatum genus bellandi, et iaciebant lapides versus carrocium Parme et homines illius partis. Et remansit carrocium Parmensium denudatimi, ita quod nullus remansit super illud, nisi domnus Iacobus de Boveriis;

Salimbene Cronica v.I p.49 https://archive.org/details/187SalimbeneCronica11942Si219/page/n53/mode/2up

Which I think basically means the Bolognese had mangonels in carts which was an unusual form of warfare, and they launched stones at the Parmense carroccio and the men with it. The carroccio was left empty apart form the lord Jacob de Boveriis.



This is in 1229 - the Bolognese are besieging (or have just besieged) a castle and had put up barriers to protect against relieving troops.
I wonder if this account and the account of Motrone have been confused regarding the relief force.


In plaustris sounds like ordinary wagons rather than siege towers.

[Swampster]

The use of artillery against the relieving army in 1229 seems to be supported by another account
"quod infra spacium x dierum cum manganis [et] balistis de intro reclusis plenum prelìando habuere triunphum, videntibus Mutinensibus, Parmensibus et Cremonensibus, qui apud castrum Spilanberti venerant; quod autem Bononienses satis inconsulte fecerunt: spreto amicorum conscilio, medium inter castrum Sancti Cesarii et castrum Plumacii eorum carocium
>
cum uno quarterio circa horam vespertinam castrametarentur. Bellum gladiis geritur, clamor et stridor ad sydera tollitur; ibi viri et equi ceduntur ac pereunt plurimi. Quid plura ? petrerie quas secum duxerant, scilicet novum flagellationis genus in canpo et nusquam audi- tum, capiuntur. Taliter bello fere usque mediam noctem peracto fortissimo, utraque pars, eos nemine persequente, dimissis curribus, in fugam vertuntur

https://archive.org/details/p1rerumitalicaru28card/page/158/mode/2up
I think the petrerie are perriers or similar - see for instance the list of siege equipment in https://www.comunecrema.it/sites/default/files/insula_fulcheria_2006_sotto_lo_mperio_del_buon_barbarossa_crema_modello_di_resistenza_delle_citta_italiane_contro_federico_i_barbarossa.pdf
scilicet novum flagellationis genus in canpo et nusquam auditum reinforces that this was an unusual thing to do (at that time, anyway) though no mention is made o the artillery being on wagons in this account.