Corner tower

Purpose

• The corners of a medieval fortress were weak points because they were easier to attack and more difficult to defend than the rest of the walls. Not only this but, enemy combatants that reached the tops of walls at the corners were protected at the point where the walls met, making it more difficult to repulse them. Fortress corner towers were therefore constructed to make up for this vulnerability.
• These towers made possible to provide enfilade fire against attacking forces along adjacent walls. This would oblige attackers to concentrate some of their force on the corner towers themselves where they could be dealt with more effectively.