Medieval
Weaponry
What
is best known about the Middle Ages, besides castles, is the
weapons used during the time. Most of these were so good and
unique that many stores even sell them today! - as a matter
of fact, medieval weaponry is very well known throughout the
world as they were continuously improved.
Bows - They
were most commonly used from a distance. Their effectiveness
increased dramatically as they were used from a higher altitude
against lower targets as gravity would play an immense role
in this.Bows were divided into two categories (which later
became three):
Regular
Bows - Were the first to be used. They were very
effective and they continued to be employed in medieval warfare
as they were relatively light - and an skilled archer could
fire up to 12 arrows per minute - which added to the effectiveness.
Long
Bows - These first appeared in England, and later
spread to the rest of Europe. They were very effective as
they could easily penetrate a soldier's armor and more often
than not, could also kill him in one shot. As
I mentioned earlier in this article, there was another discovery
during the Dark Ages which changed drastically medieval warfare.
 Crossbows
- Crossbows were so effective that the church banned their
use for a couple of years. Nevertheless, nobody listened and
their use only widespread. A good crossbow could be easily
fired at a moving target killing, if shot right, instantly.
Swords
- By far the most famous weaponry of the Middle Ages are the
swords. They are often accompanied by the symbol of chivalry
and knights.Swords
were divided into many categories, the two most important
being:
Single-handed
swords - These were usually very light and were accompanied
by a shield. They could easily cut an unarmored opponent -
but when the opponent was wearing an armor, they were not
as useful. Nevertheless, these swords evolved and were made
very sharp so they could penetrate any type of armory. This
only happened after many centuries, and thus; were not very
effective before. Single-handed swords were very common against
barbaric tribes who rarely used armor. Nevertheless, against
a well equipped army, they could be seemingly useless (unless
used right).Single-handed
swords were also very popular for duels among nobles and the
lower classes. They could generally mean the death of an opponent
as they were so sharp that cuts were usually deadly. Another
technique used for these swords was to spray them with venom
during battles so death was guaranteed. Nevertheless, there
are very few recorded events in which this happened. What
usually happened, though, was that these swords were never
washed so cutting someone would result in an infection that
could easily lead to death. Even though this practice was
common, it was also counter-productive in some cases as it
could, accidentally, kill the own wielder of the weapon.
 Two-handed
swords - They were usually very heavy and thus; only
strong men could carry them. Since these swords could not
be accompanied by a shield, most soldiers relied on very heavy
armor in order to protect themselves effectively. This was,
most of the time, a common cause for the slow demise of foot
soldiers as carrying a complete heavy armor and a two-handed
sword would result in an extreme amount of weight. Nevertheless,
two-handed swords were very effective at penetrating an enemy's
armor. In most of the cases, they were so powerful that not
only could they destroy an armor, but they could also completely
cut a man in two - his armor included. This simple fact of
extreme effectiveness against armored foot soldiers, is what
made two-handed swords so effective. A single-handed sword
was virtually useless against a knight using a two-handed
sword and heavy armor.
 Hammers
-
During the Middle ages, all sorts of weaponry was used. Hammers
were not the exception as they were very useful to knock down
an opponent even if he was wearing heavy armory. When
medieval soldiers realized how effective hammers truly were,
they began developing variations which proved to be deadlier.
Even though hammers were very effective at certain aspects,
they were still no match for a good soldier with a two-handed
sword. Hammers were usually reserved for poor soldiers or
as a last resource.
 Daggers
- Daggers were very common during medieval warfare. They were
used, mainly, as an alternative in case the soldier's main
weapon was unavailable, or in case he needed more flexibility.
In the case of archers, daggers were used as an alternative
in case they were captured or surrounded. Additionally, during
extreme need, archers could use their daggers to attack -
which was very ineffective, but used nevertheless.They were
very sharp and small - the smaller the better. A very good
dagger could even penetrate light armor and, if the enemy
was not wearing armor, he could be easily killed with only
one blow.This made daggers to be used widely throughout the
Dark Ages. Daggers, later on, became another sign of chivalry
(though not as famous as a sword) - they were generally passed
from generation through generation since they would rarely
deteriorate if made from a good material.
Siege
Weapons - Of course siege weapons were very widely
used during the Dark Ages. Since medieval warfare consisted
more of battles against castles, then it is very conspicuous
how siege weapons proved to be so effective.Even
when used in open-field battles, siege weapons were still
effective as they could be used to kill up to dozens of soldiers
with a single missile launch! This caused terror, and, combined
with archer fire made battles something incredible to watch.Siege
weapons included, but were not limited to: Catapults, trebuchets,
and many more. These two later were both (in the case of a
castle siege) used for defense and attack purposes.Later
elaborated castles, as it can be seen in the castle timeline,
were suitable to place catapults and trebuchets on top of
them. This was a good strategy as missiles fired from such
an altitude could easily reach soldiers who were very far
away.
Late
Medieval Weapons
Gunpowder - During the late Middle Ages,
many discoveries took place. The one which most notoriously
affected the course of warfare was gunpowder.Soon after its
discovery, every major army used gunpowder in order to attack
opposing armies. Every time open field battles were more scarce
and even knights came to an abrupt end as their power seemed
to be vanquished when gunpowder was finally incorporated.Cannons
were mostly used against castles - and later they were also
employed during most medieval battles. Since they were so
effective, newer castles had to be constructed within a very
short timeframe. All of these factors greatly changed the
course of warfare and newer weapons were made rapidly. Another
major achievement was incorporating cannons to ships which
eliminated traditional naval warfare of ships ramming each
other - rendering that sort of battle useless. Armor against
gunpowder was also useless. As
it can be noted by reading the previous paragraphs, newer
weapons abruptly brought the end to traditional warfare -
and it is speculated that newer battle techniques rushed the
ending of the Dark Ages. This, of course, cannot be only blamed
to gunpowder, but it was a determining factor which played
an enormous role in medieval history.
Armor - Armor too played an enormous role
during the Dark Ages, as it can be noted in the section above.
A good armor, nevertheless, was usually very heavy, thus decreasing
the wielder's speed and flexibility. This, however, did not
stop foot soldiers from using them as they were usually very
effective against other foot soldiers and, primary, against
arrows. When crossbows were invented, armors had to be severely
strengthened or else they would be rendered useless. This
only made an armor heavier which killed soldiers over time.
What is most characteristic about armors is the helmet. Thousands
of them were created and they were very different in style.
Newer helmets were capable of resisting even boiling water!
A
foot soldier with a very heavy armor to be stopped, had to
be surrounded, completely tired, weaponless and ambushed for
his armor to be opened and then for his enemieo be able to
kill him - as it is apparent, armors were very effective indeed!
Additionally,
shields were also widely employed as they were very effective
against both, projectile and melee combat.
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