Cavalier (fortification)

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 greater height also makes it an easier target for a besieger's guns.

[2] There are two types of cavaliers:

This military base or fortification article is a stub.

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