A cavalier is a fortification which is built within a larger fortification, and which is higher than the rest of the work. It usually consists of a raised platform within a fort or bastion, so as to be able to fire over the main parapet without interfering with the fire of the latter.[1] Through the use of cavaliers, a greater volume of fire can be obtained, but its great height also makes it an easy target for a besieger's guns.[2]
There are two types of cavaliers:
- Common cavalier – a raised gun platform without any additional defensive features
- Defensible cavalier – a raised gun platform surrounded by a ditch. If the ditch cuts across the bastion's terreplein and is supported by cuts, the cavalier can also be considered as a retrenchment.[3]
Gallery[edit]
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Cavalier on the left bastion of Dubno Castle, Ukraine
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Saint John's Cavalier, Valletta, Malta
References[edit]
- ^ Spiteri, Stephen C. (2010). "Illustrated Glossary of Terms used in Military Architecture". ARX Supplement (MilitaryArchitecture.com): 5.
- ^ This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. Based on the article Cavalier
- ^ Pasley, Charles William (1822). A Course of Elementary Fortification - Volume II (2 ed.). London: John Murray. pp. 337–342.