![]() Archers were poor men, and it's possible they couldn't afford horses to help them keep up with Harold's rapid move to the battlefield. Only one Anglo-Saxon archer is shown in the Tapestry, symbolising that Harold's army included very few bowmen. Crossbows, a relatively new kind of weapon in 1066, shot much more slowly than ordinary bows, but their 'bolts' could penetrate right through shields. Though none are shown in the Tapestry, the Norman army also included crossbowmen. Some are shown carrying their arrows in 'quivers' attached to their belts, while others take theirs from bigger quivers placed on the ground. They played an important part in the battle, especially after William ordered them to shoot high, firing their arrows onto the heads of the Saxons behind their shield-wall.Īrchers needed to move quickly, so they were lightly clothed and sometimes barefoot and bare-legged. Hand-to-hand combat lay at the heart of most battles as many ranged weapons were primitive and not available to all forces.Many Norman archers are shown in the Bayeux Tapestry, and it's estimated that there were over 1,000 of them in William's army. Melee weaponry was central to any army’s success in battle. The first flails were probably just used by peasant soldiers making the best of the tools they had. Both one-handed and two-handed flails were used throughout the period and began life as an agricultural tool for threshing corn. Flails are a lighter weight alternative to a mace or large club due to the chain. The flail, even called the mace and chain or ball and chain sometimes, featured a strong shaft with a chain attached and a spiked ball hanging from the other end. Military flails are said to date back to the medieval period and are closely linked to a traditional mace in their design. Pike handling was a skill due to the length of the weapon. Most pikes featured reinforced metal strips near to the head. They measured from 3 to 6 metres in length and featured a long wooden shaft with an iron or steel spearhead on the end. Pikes were extraordinarily long for regular battle use. Pikes were a popular weapon of choice for European troops through the medieval period. Very long in design, pikes were used extensively by infantry for attacking enemy foot soldiers and thrusting upwards towards cavalrymen. Read more about: Medieval History The greatest swords of the medieval periodĪ pike is a traditional pointed pole weapon. The head of a mace was often spiked or ridged but this was not always the case. Foot soldiers would carry a much shorter mace than a horseman for example and two-handed maces could be even bigger and heavier to allow for an even more impactful blow. The length of maces differed throughout the period. This allows for blows to be delivered effectively from any side of the head.Īs it evolved a mace would combine a strong shaft or handle with a head made from stone, copper, iron or steel. The mace is an evolution from a standard club and differentiates from a hammer as the head of a mace is radially symmetric. ![]() It utilises a heavy head attached to a handle to deliver blunt, traumatising blows. ![]() Here are three to examine more closely to explore their usage and popularity: MaceĪ mace is a simple blunt weapon that is highly effective. ![]() There are a wide range of melee weapons, many of which have a rich history. Read more about: Medieval History 6 bloodiest battles in medieval history >Other weapons, such as whips, don’t fit into any category. They’re most suitable for battling the least armoured opponents. Edged weapons are designed to cut, stab and even dismember. They are likely the most traditional type of weapon you imagine when thinking about medieval battle and amongst the most commonly used. Edged weapons include swords, daggers, axes and scythes. ![]() The final category of weapons is perhaps the most immediately recognisable to the contemporary eye. Common types of blunt weapons included war hammers, flails, staves and maces. They were useful as an alternative when pointed or edged weapons may have been less effective due to strong armour. Blunt weaponsīlunt weapons rely upon blunt force to cause trauma and damage. Pointed weapons are often suitable for horseback use as well and common types include spears, pikes and lances. Most pointed weapons are long, allowing the soldier to remain at a distance from their target. High quality pointed weapons will be able to cause damage even when the opponent is heavily armoured. Pointed weaponsĪs the name suggests, pointed weapons are designed with a thrusting action in mind and the aim of inflicting penetrating trauma and damage. The weapons of an English medieval knight in combat included the long sword, wooden lance with an iron tip, metal -headed mace, battle -axe, and dagger. Melee weapons come in a diverse range of shapes and sizes but usually fall into one of the three following categories: 1. Read more about: Medieval History The longest sieges in medieval history ![]()
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