18th of December

(Click on the picture for a larger version)

Christmas is a time for peace, and going back far into the Middle Ages peace was to be upheld in Scandinavia for the duration of Christmas. If, however, you should need to do battle on a grand scale, AM 374 fol. has some tips for you.

Written in the 1440s by Johannes Bengedans, an artillerist in the army of Danish king Christoffer III (1416-1448) and later a member of the Teutonic Order, the book gives detailed descriptions and illustrations of the art of war and especially the use of cannon and explosives. 

So, if you need to lay siege to a castle, there are some pointers below. That being said, we respectfully ask that you wait until after Christmas, as penalties for breaking the Christmas peace are quite high. 

The images will show you how to secure tents (47r), place mantraps in front of a castle (47v), how to place a siege ladder (48r), how to break through a wall (50v), how to make a frame for 8-9 weapons (52v), how to take a castle (70r) and how to walk under water (77r). 

There are many more wonderful drawings in the manuscript, and you can see them all on Handrit.org.https://handrit.is/en/manuscript/imaging/en/AM02-0374
A beautiful facsimile edition of the manuscript has also been published by Aarhus University Press under the title 'Johannes Bengedans´ bøssemester- og krigsbog om krigskunst og kanoner'