Bastion fortress
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The bastion fortress was once a very modern type of fortress. Its predecessor was the medieval fortress, usually placed on high hills. Fron there arrows were shot at the enemies, the higher the fortress was, the farther the arrows flew. The enemies hope was to either ram the gate or climb over the wall with ladders. Invading fortresses were quite understandably hard tasks for the invading force. Therefore fortresses were in a key position in warfare.
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[edit] The cannon
In the 15th century the cannon arrived to europe, and revolutionized fortress warfare. At first, cannons weren't very effective and their range was not greater than that of the catapults. When time went by the range of artillery (artillery = gathering of cannons) increased. By the 17th century, the cannons were so effective that the old medial fortresses were getting obsolete. Then a new type of fortress was born, the bastion fortress.
[edit] The new bastion fortress
Contradictory to its predecessor, the bastion fortress was a very flat structure. It was not a single structure by rather a composition of many bastions. The bastions were triangular structures specifically designed to cover each other and the ditch. Four or five bastions formed a bastion fortress, with bastions at the corners. Between each bastion was a ravelin, also a triangular structure, though in very large fortresses the ravelins would sometimes be replaced with larger structures known as hornworks or crownworks. Further structures such as detached forts or even more hornwroks or crown works could be added to form a perfectly symmetrical structure, resembling of a sunflower.
In the 17th and 18th century the artillery shells were not yet explosive, they were cannon balls mostly composed of solid iron. When the enemy attacked and fired cannonballs, the projectiles would be reflected because they would'nt hit directly to a wall. If the enemy moved his artillery to fire directly on any of the sides of the bastion(starting from the edge), he would be caught in a crossfire from the cannons in the bastion and the ravelin.
[edit] Again a revolution
The bastion-model was well functioning for two centuries but eventually artillery techonlogy advanced and the long range of the cannons would in the end of the 18th century make the bastion fortress obsolete. After that the central function of fortresses in warfare was starting to decay. War was to become more mobile, however it took many years to abandon tho old fortress-thinking. Still today fortification of ones location is very important in war. However, the fortification is today no longer a static entity and fortifications can be quickly conquered (by the aid of effective artillery, today 30-40 kms away).
[edit] References
Olof af Hällström "Sveaborg - The island fortress off Helsinki"
