I have a vague recollection of reading something about portable wooden structures used by 15th century military commanders many years ago and for the life of me I can't remember where I found it. Does anyone have any information or leads on this subject? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Caferro discusses bastite, bastitia, or bastie in, "John Hawkwood, an English Mercenary in Fourteenth Century Italy," and states that they have not been well studied, but seemed to have played an important role in warfare in the period.

The only medieval depiction I can think of one is from the early fourteenth century. The central structure in the painting is one built by the Sienese.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Simone_Martini_018.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons...ni_015.jpg

Its pretty clear from Simone Martini's fresco that the portable part may apply to components, but the whole could be massively more complicated.

Enjoy,
Cole

Hi

Barbara Tuchman also wrote something about this in chapter 20 of "A distant Mirror - the calamitous fourteenth Century".

She tells that William the conquerer used a decomposable wooden fort for his invasion. She also describes the great transportable wooden city the French built for their attempted invasion of England in 1386. The different parts were numbered and could be assembled in three hours. The wooden walls had a circumference of 13,5 kilometrs and were seven metres high.

Thanks to both of you.
It must have been a recollection of Tuchman's book. I read that many years ago and remember it as being quite good.
I am president of the White Oak Historical Society and am looking at attempting to construct one of these buggers as a semi-permanent structure on our grounds for historical interpretation. Our school days program is coming up in May, but I'm sure it wouldn't be ready by then. Our history festival is in August, so there's more hope for building one by then.

If anyone has any more tips, ideas, or insults go ahead and sling them. I need all the info I can get.
Okay so I'm kidding about the insults part...

I'm also interested into the topic.