ABSTRACT
In 1188, Saladin successfully took Sahyun (Frankish Saone) after a siege lasting three days. Although two (and possibly even three) eyewitness accounts of the siege have survived, it is still unclear how exactly the castle was taken. An aspect of this siege that has attracted scholarly attention is the Muslims’ use of artillery. Recent interpretations of the siege have judged contemporary artillery to have been a powerful and decisive weapon, used to breach a section of the castle‘s walls. However, although all three sources clearly mention that artillery damaged the defences of Saone, they appear to exaggerate its impact. When the siege is placed in a broader context, by examining the sieges of Bourzey and Shughr-Bakas in the month following the siege of Saone, as well as certain others that took place a few years before and after, it becomes apparent that even the heaviest counterweight trebuchets were not breaching weapons at this point in their development. By understanding the limited power of artillery at the end of the twelfth century, the tactics employed by Saladin in 1188 can be reassessed. Furthermore, a possible explanation for the exaggerations found in the sources is offered here.
