mantelet

A mantelet is a portable protective screen used in siege warfare to shield attackers as they approached fortifications. It consists of a light wooden frame supporting a covering such as hide, leather, cloth, or thin metal sheeting, and is sometimes equipped with wheels or carried by several soldiers. Some designs include a roof or partial shelter to protect against missiles.

Construction and variants vary, but the core idea is a movable shield that provides cover while advancing on a wall, breach point, or ditch. In practice, mantelets could be drawn forward over rough terrain or trenches to create a protected corridor from the siege trench to the wall. They were sometimes paired with ladders, ramps, or battering devices to allow engineers and assault troops to operate with reduced exposure.

Function and use: a mantelet enabled siege crews to approach a fortification under protection from arrows, crossbow bolts, and other projectiles. By advancing behind the screen, engineers could sap or plant breaches, and troops could mount ladders or undertake other close assaults with temporary shelter from fire.

Historical context: mantelets are described in medieval siege accounts and military treatises. They appear in use from at least the High Middle Ages into the late medieval period across Europe, gradually becoming less common as artillery and gunpowder-based tactics evolved.

Etymology: the term derives from Old French mantelet, a diminutive form related to mante (cloak), reflecting the screen’s cloak-like protective covering.