Weapons of the Medieval Times
The period between the fall of Rome in the fourth and fifth centuries and the rise of nation-states in the 15th century was plagued by warfare. Although the popular image of medieval warfare is the mounted knight in shining armor charging into battle with his lance, medieval armies fielded many kinds of soldiers, each with their own fearsome weapons.
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Longbows
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Robin Hood was an idealized English longbowman. The longbow has long been associated with Robin Hood, the legendary English outlaw. However, legend shouldn't overshadow the skill of real archers. Their weapon was a stave of yew almost as tall as the warrior who wielded it, tipped with bits of horn called nocks that held a hemp bowstring. Although less powerful than the crossbow, it was quicker to load and fire. A skilled archer could fire about 12 arrows a minute.The English fielded thousands of archers during the Hundred Years' War against France in the 14th and 15th centuries. According to historian R.G Grant, English archers outnumbered English knights by as much as 10 to one. They are credited with winning the battles of Crecy in 1346 and Angincourt in 1415.
Crossbows
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The crossbow was a powerful killing machine once denounced by the church. It consisted of a wooden or metal stock attached to a horizontal bow. When the soldier pulled the trigger, a rotating nut released a thick bowstring and let loose a small arrow called a bolt or quarrel. Early crossbowmen loaded the powerful weapon by holding the front of the weapon against the ground with a stirrup and pulling the string into place with both hands or a tool called a spanning lever. More powerful crossbows were loaded with a special winch called a windlass. Crossbows were slower to use than longbows but it was easier to become an expert with them. Many armies hired professional crossbowmen from Genoa, Italy, between the 12th and 15th centuries.
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Pole-arms
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Pole-arms consisted of long wooden staffs topped with a steel blade and were the primary weapons of medieval foot soldiers and palace guards. A halberd combined an ax for hacking with a spear point for stabbing. Many halberds featured a spike opposite the ax blade for breaking open armor and stabbing the soldier inside. A glaive resembled a curved sword on a long handle. Like the halberd, some glaives featured spikes opposite the blade. The bill evolved from a farm tool called a billhook and consisted of a long spike with a sharpened hook coming off it.
Bludgeoning Weapons
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The flail had peaceful origins as a farm tool. Medieval warriors carried a number of bludgeoning weapons for destroying armor and the warrior inside. Maces first appeared in the 11th century during the Norman Conquest of England but became more popular with the advent of plate armor. They consisted of a wooden handle topped with a flanged metal head. The morning star was a German variation featuring a spiked ball attached to a handle by a chain.The flail developed from tools used for threshing grain and consisted of a wooden handle connected by a chain to a wooden or metal shaft or an iron or wooden ball covered in spikes. Some flails featured several chains ending in spiked balls.
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References
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