Siege

For the Boston area punk band see Siege (band). For the James Mason book see Siege (book)

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A siege is a prolonged military blockade and assault of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by force or attrition. A siege occurs when an attacker encounters a city or fortress that refuses to surrender and cannot be easily taken by a frontal assault. Sieges usually involve surrounding the target and blocking the provision of supplies, typically coupled with siege engines, artillery bombardment or sapping (also known as mining) to reduce fortifications.

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Sieges probably predate the development of cities as large population centers. Ancient cities in the Middle East show archeological evidence of having had fortified city walls. During the Renaissance and the Early Modern period, siege warfare dominated the conduct of war in Europe. Leonardo da Vinci gained as much of his renown from the design of fortifications as from his artwork.

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Medieval campaigns were generally designed around a succession of sieges. In the Napoleonic era, increasing use of ever more powerful cannon reduced the value of fortifications. In modern times, trenches replaced walls, and bunkers replaced castles. In the 20th century, the significance of the classical siege declined. With the advent of mobile warfare, one single fortified stronghold is no longer as decisive as it once was. While sieges do still occur, they are not as common as they once were due to changes in modes of battle, principally the ease by which huge volumes of destructive power can be directed onto a static target.

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A military siege can have four possible outcomes:

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• The defenders can repulse it without aid from the outside, in which case the position is said to have been held;
• If the defenders prevail with outside aid the siege is deemed to have been relieved or raised;
• When a siege results in the attackers taking control of the besieged city or fortress but the defensive forces are able to escape, the outcome is characterized as evacuated, and;
• If the attacking force emerges victorious and also destroys and/or captures the defenders, the besieged entity is reckoned as having fallen.
Siege: Ancient and medieval siege warfare ►



 

Siege (band): Siege formed in 1983 in Weymouth, Massachusetts. Siege was part of the 1980s Boston hardcore punk scene. Many credit Siege as the pioneering grindcore band; others credit the UK band Napalm Death, who coined the term 'grindcore'. However, in a 1991 interview with Flipside fanzine, Shane Embury (Na...

James Mason: James Neville Mason (May 15, 1909 – July 27, 1984) was an actor born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England who attained stardom in both British and American films....

Siege (book): Siege: The Collected Writings of James Mason is a book, edited and introduced by Michael M. Jenkins. It is a collection of the articles from Mason's monthly newsletter SIEGE (1980-86): representing, at first, the National Socialist Liberation Front and, later, Universal Order. It collects the prop...




Siege related Images and Photos (experimental)

Under Siege (BD)	Under Siege (DVD)	Under Siege (DVD)	The Siege
Under Siege (2pk/DVD/BD)	Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (BD)	Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (DVD)	Under Siege/Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (DBFE) (DVD)
Under Siege /Under Siege: Dark Territory (BD DBFE)	Siege of Constantinople	The Siege of Paris	Siege of Toulon in the Face of a Fierce Siege