On this day in the year 1304, during the first Scottish War of Independence, the siege of Stirling Castle was finally ended. The thirty men inside the castle had actually surrendered three months earlier, but Edward Longshanks, King of England, had refused. In that time he had his master engineer, James of St George, build the greatest siege weapon of all time – the trebuchet named Loup de Guerre – or War Wolf. It was apparently 400 feet tall, and cost the exorbitant price of £40. And if you’re going to spend three months building the largest trebuchet in history, you’re going to damn well use it.

Here’s Stephen Dillane as Edward loosing War Wolf for the first time in the 2019 film Outlaw King, though I suspect in reality he was so effortlessly laconic, or treated the event so off-handedly.

Have a good night and take care, everyone!