Siege

Part of a series on
War
History Prehistoric Ancient War in the Middle Ages (see Middle Ages) Early modern Late modern industrial fourth-generation
Battlespace Air/war above ground Sea Land Cold-region Desert Jungle Mountain Urban Subterranean Tunnel Cyber Information Space Airborne Amphibious Blue Brown Green Surface warfare Underwater
Weapons Artillery Biological Camouflage Cavalry Chemical Class Disinformation Drone Electronic Infantry Nuclear Psychological Unconventional Armor Barrage Combined arms Conventional Cyber Denial Lawfare Loitering Music Lawfare Loitering Music
Tactics Battle Charge Counterattack Counter-rebellion (see Rebellion) Envelopment Guerrilla Siege Trench Withdrawal List of military tactics Aerial Cavalry Defeat in detail Foxhole Morale Rapid dominance Swarming Tactical objective Target saturation
Operational Blitzkrieg Expeditionary Deep operation Maneuver Operational manoeuvre group
Strategy Attrition Defence in depth Fabian Offensive Scorched earth List of military strategies and concepts Counter-offensive Culminating Mosaic Deception Defensive Depth Goal Naval
Grand strategy Containment Economic Limited Philosophy Political Religious Strategic Technology Theater Total war
Administrative Branch Policy Staff Training Service Sociology
Organization Chain of command Command and control Doctrine Engineers Intelligence Ranks Technology and equipment
Personnel Military recruitment Conscription Recruit training Military specialism Women in the military Children in the military Transgender people and military service Conscientious objector Counter-recruitment
Logistics Military–industrial complex Arms industry Materiel Supply-chain management Main operating base Forward operating base Outpost
Science Power projection Loss of Strength Gradient
Law Court-martial Justice Perfidy Martial law War crime
Theory Air supremacy Full-spectrum dominance Overmatch

A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress. The purpose is to conquer by starvation, lack of water, or by a well-prepared assault.

Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict. The defender inside has a strong, static, defensive position. Negotiation between combatants is common.

A siege happens when the attacker gets to a city or fortress which cannot be taken by storm, and which refuses to surrender. Sieges block the supplies and reinforcements or escape of men. Siege engines, artillery bombardment, and undermining are frequent. Deception and treachery are common.

Sieges can be decided by starvation, thirst, or disease. This form of siege can take many months or even years, depending upon the size of the stores of food the fortified position holds.

Well known sieges were:

• Siege of Petersburg
• Siege of Yorktown
• Siege of Odessa
• Siege of Orleans
• Siege of Fort Zeelandia
• Siege of Leningrad
• Siege of Tobruk
• Siege of Vicksburg

Siege Media

• 

  Depiction of the 1147 Siege of Lisbon, painting by *Alfredo Roque Gameiro (1917)

• 

  The siege of Rancagua during the Chilean War of Independence, painting by Pedro Subercaseaux

• 

  Assyrians using siege ladders in a relief of attack on an enemy town during the reign of Tiglath-Pileser III 720–738 BCE from his palace at Kalhu (Nimrud)

• 

  The Egyptian Siege of Dapur in the 13th century BC, from Ramesseum, Thebes

• 

  Depiction of various siege machines in the mid-16th century

• 

  Medieval trebuchets could sling about two projectiles per hour at enemy positions.

• 

  Cahir Castle in Ireland was besieged and captured three times: in 1599 by the Earl of Essex, in 1647 by Lord Inchiquin, and in 1650 by Oliver Cromwell.

• 

  Roman siegecraft and works.

• 

  Chinese and Korean troops assault the Japanese forces of Hideyoshi in the Siege of Ulsan during the Imjin War (1592–1598).

• 

  Late 16th-century illustration of cannon with gabions