A brattice or defensive structure on castle walls with openings for archers to shoot through; a machicolation or similar defensive projection.
From Old French 'bretèche' or 'bretesse,' possibly related to Breton language. These structures became standard features of medieval military architecture for enhanced defense.
Medieval castle builders obsessed over bretesses—they were the medieval equivalent of gun emplacements, letting defenders rain arrows, stones, or boiling oil onto attackers with minimal exposure to counterfire.
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