Another practice of the Middle Ages, which made a name for itself with its strange practices, was related to animals. Cats and birds were an important ‘agent’ in the discovery of some kind of new weapon as early as the 17th century.
But who could have come up with this murderous idea? Developed as a kind of defensive strategy in wars, aside from its brutality, this method is seen as a military idea among historians.
The name behind this twisted plan is Franz Helm.
Franz Helm, an expert on explosives and weapons in the 16th and 17th centuries; V. Albert, X. Ludovic and King IV of England. He had served in William’s armies. This showed that he showed his talent in the period when swords were gradually replaced by firearms.
Helm’s knowledge and experience led to the publication of the book “Buch von den probierten Künsten” in 1535, which contains articles on this subject. The book explains in detail how to use cats and birds as “weapons”.
The use of animals as rockets was not customary at that time.
Strangely enough, it was not uncommon for animals to act as explosive weapons during the Middle Ages, when we witnessed interesting and often terrifying practices. Rarely, especially cats, were used to burn walls and towns. How Does? Let’s explain now.
The above-mentioned book contains the following statements about the use of animals as rockets: Make a small sack in the shape of a fire arrow. Tie the sack on the cat’s back, ignite it, and then release the cat, so it runs to the nearest castle or town and fearfully considers hiding, eventually finding itself in the hay or grass in the barn and there it will catch fire.
In fact, the logic is that when the cat catches fire, it runs to set fire to everything and divert the guards’ attention.
Birds are also used in this technique, which sounds really brutal. However, we cannot say that they are used as often as cats because they are more difficult to contain. The concept of using animals as explosives, which began in the Middle Ages, was also popular in ancient China. Although cats and birds are not used, it is known that bulls were set on fire to burn bridges and other structures.
Even worse, II. In World War II, the Germans used the same for dogs. The explosives attached to the dogs would detonate when they approached a different defensive location.
However, it should be added that; There is no clear source that animals were used in this way in the Middle Ages. If we consider that animals were used in war throughout history, both in the Middle Ages and in modern times, we can say that it is highly likely that they were used as rockets.
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