This enormous (20 meter/65 feet tall) replica of a Medieval trebuchet is as close as we might get to imagining the largest one ever made: the “Warwolf” or “Ludgar/Loup de Guerre”.
It was created as a juggernaut of a weapon by King Edward I (aka “the Hammer of the Scots”) to eviscerate the Scottish in their Wars of Independence against England. Edward specifically wanted to take Stirling Castle (see second image), an important stronghold for the central part of Scotland. As he was preparing for the siege in 1304, he commissioned the Warwolf, which took three months to build, filled 30 wagons before it was assembled, and was said to have been able to launch rocks up to 135 kilos/298 lbs for 200 meters/660 feet. (*Why* are we Americans not using metric!?).
Edward was, to put it mildly, a jerk. The Scottish forces wanted to surrender the castle but the king retorted “You do not deserve any grace, but must surrender to my will,” and besieged the castle anyways, wanting to test out his machine. Eventually Edward allowed the garrison to surrender and he took Stirling.
Sources:The trebuchet in this image was at the Château des Roure in Labastide-de-Virac, France (Wikimedia Commons). The image of Stirling Castle today doesn’t look like it did in 1304: most of what you see is from between 1490-1600. “Almost History” “Warwolf – King Edward’s secret weapon to hammer the Scots,” https://www.vaguekyinteresting.co.uk/warwolf-and-the-hammering-of-the-scots/ ,
