Most well defended city in the world?

[caketastydelish]

In my Medieval European history class I keep hearing about how well defended Constantinople was. But what about the most defended city period? As in not just in the western world, but the entire world.

Which city survived the most brutal attacks? I honestly have no idea what the answer is, so I'm not looking for any particular answer.

Was the city so well defended because of its army, or was the city simply in a very good position? Perhaps it had excellent walls and fortifications?

edit, for further discussion: Which city do you think is the WORST defended city in the world. I think "insert french city here" and Jerusalem are both decent candidates.

 

[sophie]

First you need to define your terms. What do you mean by "Medieval" and what do you mean by "City"?

Medieval as a classification doesn't really work outside of Western Europe, so do you mean between the 8th and 15th centuries? Or do you mean something more specific?

As for city, do you mean an urban center? Or just any old castle with a nominal town/population base ranging greater than a couple farmhouses?

 

[caketastydelish]

First you need to define your terms. What do you mean by "Medieval" and what do you mean by "City"?

Medieval as a classification doesn't really work outside of Western Europe, so do you mean between the 8th and 15th centuries? Or do you mean something more specific?

As for city, do you mean an urban center? Or will any castle with a nominal town/population base ranging greater than a couple farmhouses?

Oh no it doesn't even have to be medieval at all, I was just using my medieval history class as an example. It can be from 3000 B.C to modern times as far as I'm concerned.

As for city, yeah, I really meant urban center.

edit: Lately I've been thinking you are Dachs' double login, and this post makes me think that even more.

 

[Symphony D.]

Tie between Moscow and Washington circa 1980. 25,000-40,000 nuclear warheads on high alert behind each beats any combination of anything else ever.

 

[caketastydelish]

Nuclear war isn't really what I meant.

 

[Symphony D.]

You said any time period and didn't put any limits on where the defenders were in relation to the city. Refine your question.

 

[caketastydelish]

You said any time period and didn't put any limits on where the defenders were in relation to the city. Refine your question.

Basically any time period except nuclear weapons weren't a factor, simply because that changes the game entirely. I mean most well defended city that could not be defeated in terms of conventional warfare.

 

[Symphony D.]

Okay. You would've had a very hard time taking both those same cities circa March, 1945 given the conventional forces controlled and deployed by both, with no nukes involved.

What you should probably be asking is what city, in and of itself, without major outside assistance, was the most well-defended, because that's quite a more nuanced question.

 

[caketastydelish]

Okay. You would've had a very hard time taking both those same cities circa March, 1945 given the conventional forces controlled and deployed by both, with no nukes involved.

What you should probably be asking is what city, in and of itself, without major outside assistance, was the most well-defended, because that's quite a more nuanced question.

Ok, touche, fair enough.

 

[Ice_Tyrant]

I remember hearing Singapore was really well defended, but then again I guess nobody told that to the Japanese.

 

[Azale]

In the medieval era, Chang'an was always in a pretty defensible position. Probably well enough that it lured various dynasties into a false sense of security.

 

[Phrossack]

In the medieval era, Chang'an was always in a pretty defensible position. Probably well enough that it lured various dynasties into a false sense of security.

Even that fell to Tibet. Granted, they held it for only fifteen days, but still.

 

[LightSpectra]

The Eyrie!

 

[Flying Pig]

I remember hearing Singapore was really well defended, but then again I guess nobody told that to the Japanese.

OK, that did amuse me - Stalingrad at the height of the battle for itr would probably be a fairly good guess, I should think.

 

[LightSpectra]

In seriousness, Moscow was far more impregnable than Stalingrad. It could host a larger defensive army, had more railways for reinforcements, was more densely urban (meaning more to fight through), and it would take at least three major river crossings to successfully pincer it.

 

[Flying Pig]

Stalingrad probably had more troops defending it than any other city in history, though, which is one way of looking at the question.

 

[LightSpectra]

Stalingrad probably had more troops defending it than any other city in history, though, which is one way of looking at the question.

I don't think so. Stalingrad had two million troops move through it for both defense and offense, over the course of the entire battle. Moscow had 1.2 million troops sitting in it for defense in October, and had over 2 million in the counter-attack of early 1943.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

In my Medieval European history class I keep hearing about how well defended Constantinople was. But what about the most defended city period? As in not just in the western world, but the entire world.

Which city survived the most brutal attacks? I honestly have no idea what the answer is, so I'm not looking for any particular answer.

Was the city so well defended because of its army, or was the city simply in a very good position? Perhaps it had excellent walls and fortifications?

This should go a long way towards answering your question. Constantinople possessed several thick walls of varying heights, some of which were quite large. The city's location on a peninsula, combined with its powerful navy, ensured that nearly all would-be conquerors of the city would have to contend with these walls, their well-trained defenders, and a city that could hold out potentially forever when "besieged."

 

[ace99]

This should go a long way towards answering your question. Constantinople possessed several thick walls of varying heights, some of which were quite large. The city's location on a peninsula, combined with its powerful navy, ensured that nearly all would-be conquerors of the city would have to contend with these walls, their well-trained defenders, and a city that could hold out potentially forever when "besieged."

Ain't no thang

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

The Turkish cannons were both largely unnecessary, as well as barely up to the task.