Medieval Warfare

Alaric Wrasman Dave Sizer

Melee Weapons

Swords - Most famous weapons. Associated with knights and chivalry Single-handed: Accompanied by a shield, light. Could not penetrate heavy armor until later. Good against unarmored units. Were not cleaned thus infections common Two handed: Much heavier. Units carrying these were heavily armored to compensate for lack of shield. Slow, but powerful. Could cut a man in two, armor included.

Melee Weapons (cont.)

Hammers - were another of the many weapons used. Could knock over an enemy with armor. Variations became more effective, though still no match for two-handed sword. Thus, used by mainly poor or under-supplied soldiersDaggers - small, sharp blades. Used as a backup for armored units, but mainly archers in close contact. Could penetrate light armor; kill instantly if no armor present

Archers

Bows - most common long ranged weapon. IncludedRegular bow - most standard, was effective and could be fired quicklyLong bow - developed by the English. Longer, more powerful, killed in a single shot, became popular because of thisCrossbow - came later. So effective it was banned, but used anyway. Could shoot and kill a moving target easily

Infantry

–Light Armor

–Light Weaponry

–Formations -Wall -Circle / Crescent -Square / Triangle

Knights

–Cavalry of the era

–Swords, sometimes bows

–Training begins at 7

–Fought for lords

Siege Engines – 1

–Trebuchet -Man-powered -Counterweight –Onager / Mangonel -Torsion-powered

Siege Engines – 2

–Siege Tower -Castle raids -Holds infantry –Battering Ram -Tree trunk with metal head -Built to penetrate structures

Castles

–Easy to defend -Built on hills, peninsulae, etc.

–Difficult to capture –Thick-walled–Susceptible to gunpowder weaponry

The Advent of Gunpowder

–Traditional warfare changed dramatically -Knights / Archers -Peasants -Castles

–Invented in China, ~900BC –Scare tactics –Bombard -Large caliber -Heavy / flammable projectiles

Battles

–Hastings, 1066 -Mass of knights

–Sluys -Extent of navy

–Agincourt, 1453 -Mud vs. cavalry

Bibliography

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