Lethal and Maiming Weapons of the Medieval Era
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The Role of Swords and Lances in Medieval Warfare and Combat Strategies
According to DeVries, “The single most important weapon in the Middle Ages was the sword.” This quick weapon could stab and slice, causing maximum damage with minimal effort. It fostered a complex martial art, making expert swordsmen renowned and inspiring fighting guides like Fiore dei Liberi’s Flos Duellatorum (1410). Military historian Mike Loades notes the sword “gives hope that skill can triumph over brute force.”
Swords were initially expensive, symbolizing high status. They could be worn, allowing individuals to display their status both on and off the battlefield. This popularity was driven by their practicality and symbolic power.
The Prestige and Impact of the Lance in Medieval Warfare
Another high-status weapon was the lance, used in attacks by mounted men-at-arms. The force of a galloping horseman, concentrated through the point of a lance, gave it incredible power. However, it was a one-shot weapon, often shattering on impact and useless up close. Despite its individual deadliness, the lance was not a war-winner.
Spears, Axes, and Maces: Essential Weapons of the Medieval Era
Though swords were common, polearm weapons were once more popular among regular soldiers. Spears were cheap and easy to make, allowing medieval rulers to equip their growing armies. In large defensive groups, they were effective against cavalry charges, as seen in the Scots’ victory over the English at Bannockburn in 1314.
While spears were the most common, other polearms were deadlier. Staff weapons with axes, blades, or points could be swung with great force. A mace, a pole with a heavy head, could crack skulls, causing deadly and incapacitating injuries, as shown by late 15th-century Swiss skeletons.
Crossbows and Longbows: Powerful Weapons of the Medieval Period
Spearmen protected archers, another important feature of the battlefield. Three types of bows increased the power of medieval archers, giving them more range and capacity to kill: recurve bows, crossbows, and longbows.
Even with their extra power, arrows rarely penetrated metal armor, as shown by tests at Britain’s Royal Armories. However, the force of their impact could still incapacitate and shatter morale, as described in military historian John Keegan’s account of the Battle of Agincourt (1415) in The Face of Battle.
Daggers: Essential for Close Combat
The primary purpose of most weapons was to incapacitate rather than kill. People could ransom prisoners, especially those of high status, for money or leverage them for political influence. However, when ordered to kill, as Henry V did at Agincourt, they drew their daggers.
Medieval warriors often carried daggers designed not for cutting but for punching through the gaps in armor. People used daggers against incapacitated enemies, as was the case with Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field. Based on Richard’s remains, DeVries believes that his helmet was cut off with daggers, exposing him to the attacks that killed him.
Trebuchets to Guns: The Evolution of Siege and Firearms
Medieval warfare often depended on sieges, and the trebuchet was the key weapon. Loades calls it the “weapon par excellence for the siege.” It could repeatedly throw rocks at a castle’s walls, breaking them down. Early trebuchets were used from the start of the Middle Ages, but the 13th-century counterweight trebuchet was much stronger. In July 1304, Stirling Castle’s defenders surrendered to Edward I rather than face Warwolf, his giant counterweight trebuchet.
In the 14th century, gunpowder began changing war. At the Battle of Crécy in 1346, the English used five cannons. Over two centuries, these evolved into powerful weapons that made castles obsolete. Handguns also became more common, allowing large armies with less training. These weapons marked the end of medieval fighting methods.
Quick Lime and Caltrops
Some unusual weapons often go unnoticed. Quick lime, a burning powder, was dropped on attackers during sieges and naval battles, burning eyes and skin through armor and clothing.
Caltrops, spiked metal devices, were scattered on the ground to hurt enemy feet. They were so important that Philip the Good of Burgundy included caltrops in his niece’s dowry. Unlike many medieval weapons, caltrops are still used today, scattered on roads by drug gangs to puncture police tires.
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