Cavalier (fortification)

Illustration of a cavalier (the structure on the right, marked as "B") from Dictionnaire raisonné de l’architecture française du XIe au XVIe siècle by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc

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

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  Cavalier on the left bastion of Dubno Castle, Ukraine

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  Ferramolino's Cavalier, Fort St. Angelo, Birgu, Malta

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  Saint James Cavalier, Valletta, Malta

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  Saint John's Cavalier, Valletta, Malta

References

1. Spiteri, Stephen C. (2010). "Illustrated Glossary of Terms used in Military Architecture". ARX Supplement (MilitaryArchitecture.com): 5.
2.  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
3. Pasley, Charles William (1822). A Course of Elementary Fortification - Volume II (2 ed.). London: John Murray. pp. 337–342.