David Hill Hill 1
Choppin
English 12
9 November 2007
Weaponry of the Middle Ages
The Middle Ages was an expansive time period; historians argue over the specific date it began, but it is sure that it w as the time period between 500-1500 C.E. (Snell) The Middle Ages encompassed numerous events, many that are considered great historical events. Some examples of these occurrences are: The Hundred Years War, the Crusades, The Battle of Hastings, the Magna Carta, the Bubonic Plague, and the War of the Roses. (Alchin) With the Crusades, the Battle of Hastings, and many other battles and wars, it makes sense, then, that warfare, weaponry, and knights come to mind when the Medieval Era is mentioned. (Alchin) The Middle Ages was a feudalistic society, which divided it’s citizens into certain social classes, these classes dictated which weapons or arms the soldier used due to their expertise. (Alchin)
Spears, Polearms, Halberds, Pikes, Etc
This Class of weapons generally has one thing in common, they are all poles or shafts, with some sort of blade on the end. The basic form of all the following weapons evolved from the most primitive and basic weapon, a spear, which was basically a rounded wooden pole with a sharpened tip. Spears were generally used to hunt, but with the need for better and more dynamic weaponry that evolved into the numerous polearms. Polearms were generally used by a knight on a horse, to be rivaled by the halberd, which was used by footsoldiers against cavalry to dismount the rider. After the polearm, it evolved in to glaives, which were 18-inch butcher knives on a 7-8 foot pole. Poleaxes, which took the head of an axe and mounted it to the end of a pike. Pikes were just shafts with a sharpened piece of metal placed at the tip. (Alchin)
Swords, Daggers, and other Close Range Weapons.
When the medieval era and knights are mentioned, the first weapon that should come to mind is the sword. The sword was principal weapon of a knight. As mentioned, weaponry during the Middle Ages was evolving, the sword definitely followed this trend including the bastard sword, falchions, double-edged swords, and another thinner sword used for armor piercing. (Hooper 160) Daggers during this era were used by everyone, the baselard was the most common form.(McLean 156) On the contrary, daggers were not used as tools, they were in fact weapons, there were more common knives used that were smaller and of a thinner metal used for eating and cutting. (157) Other close range weapons included maces and billhooks. Maces were a blunt type of weapon used mainly in close range combat by footsoldiers, the force of the blow could easily hinder any attacking enemy. (Alchrin) Billhooks were first used as a farming tool, but later reinvented and reinforced; a billhook was a curved blade that at the end curved at an angle to a point, used in close quarters combat. Finally yet importantly, axes, which were another important weapon, which ranged in build of single or double handed, one sided or double sided. Axes were mainly a footsoldiers weapon, but they could definitely deliver a devastating blow.
Ranged Weaponry
Another significant weapon on the battlefield was that of the longbow, which was a six-foot bowstaff made of elm, ash, or yew and the arrows were around a yard long. (McLean 157) With more technology and weapon development, the crossbow was eventually introduced to medieval warfare. Crossbows were made of steel or wood consisting of ash or elm.(Alchin) The bow part of the weapon was 3 feet long, and the string was made of hemp, the least elastic fiber available.(Alchin) This fiber was pulled back using a lever or crank which increased the tension, giving the crossbow far more power than humanly possible.(Hooper 162) The other ranged weapons were a lot larger, siege weapons were definitely a force to be reckoned with. A ballista is of familiar design, a ballista is basically a giant crossbow which fired heavy bolts or spears with great accuracy.(Hooper 162) Trebuchets on the other hand were like a catapult, it was used for launching stones at the walls of a target.(Alchin) The Trebuchet was a combination of a catapult and a sling, the neck would spin pulling the missile around to almost 180 degrees and then released at the top of its trajectory. The other big-ranged weapon was the mangonel, this looked physically like a trebuchet, in a way. A mangonel was less accurate than a ballista, but its range was higher than the trebuchet’s. Mangonels acted much like catapult except there was a bar at the top of its release path.
Conclusion: Gunpowder, new technology, and the decline of chivalry.
During the late Middle Ages, a new form of weaponry was invented, it involved gunpowder, cannons, and muskets. Gun warfare was invented in China in the 11th century and was westernized in the mid-13th century. (Hooper 165) Most of the early guns were made of cast iron, the ammo consisted of iron, cannonballs, or lead. (165) This new technology saw the decrease and eventually eradication of close, hand to hand combat, and the knights code of chivalry.
WORKS CITED
Hooper, Nicholas et al. Warfare: the Middle Ages 768-1487 © Cambridge Univ. Press 1996
L.K Alchin The Middle Ages 1/30/06(www.middle-ages.org.uk/)
McLean, Will et al. Daily Life in Chaucer’s England © Green Wood Press 1995
Snell (http://historymedren.about.com/od/gettingstarted/a/defining.htm)
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