Mangonel

fr:Mangonneau A mangonel was a type medieval catapult or siege engine used to throw projectiles at or over a castle's walls. It had a range of 400 meters, nearly as long as the range of a trebuchet.

The mangonel was originally designed to throw a large payload from a bowl shaped bucket at the end of the firing arm. Multiple rocks were usually loaded into the siege engine rather than a single large projectile. Unlike an Onager, a mangonel did not fire directly forward, but rather at an angle, allowing projectiles to clear walls and damage structures and defenders on the far side. Like most siege engines, mangonels were typically assembled on site by skilled engineers (typically, though not always, out of prefabricated parts), rather than hauled complete from one location to another.

Like most medieval siege weapons, the invention of gunpowder allowed for the creation of weapons with longer ranges and far more powerful projectiles than catapults. By the 15th century, the mangonel was falling out of favor with most military leaders.