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'''Escalade''' is the act of scaling [[defensive wall]]s or ramparts with the aid of [[ladder]]s, and was a prominent feature of [[siege]] warfare in [[Middle Ages|medieval]] times. It was one of the most direct options available for attacking a fortification, but was also one of the most dangerous.
Escalade consisted simply of soldiers advancing to the base of a wall, setting ladders, and climbing to engage the defending forces. This would generally be conducted in the face of [[arrow]] fire from the battlements, and the defenders would naturally attempt to push ladders away from the wall. Heated water, [[sand]], [[Pitch (resin)|pitch]], [[Boiling oil|oil]], or molten [[lead]] was sometimes poured on attacking soldiers. As the result of all this, it was often difficult for attackers to reach the top of the wall. Even when they did so, however, they would be heavily outnumbered by the defenders. Often (? Evidence please), the objective of escalade was not to take the fortification itself, as it was thought impossible to get sufficient numbers of troops up the ladders. Rather, infiltration in this manner had the intention of opening the fortification's gates, to allow a more direct attack.
Fortifications were often constructed in such a way as to impede escalade, or at least to make it a less attractive option. Some of the measures taken to counter escalade included the digging of [[moat]]s (which prevented ladder-bearing soldiers from reaching the base of a wall) and the construction of [[machicolation]]s (which facilitated attacks on enemy soldiers while they climbed).
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