Trebuchet Catapult Medieval Weapon
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Weapons of Medieval Times

Weapons of Medieval Times: Despite the fact that new weapons were being introduced throughout the Tudor period, such as the musket; the majority of weapons which had been used throughout the Middle Ages were just as valuable as they had always been.

Need of Weapons in Medieval Times

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Throughout the Middle Ages the Feudal System was in operation, this meant that the nobles in the land held the power. Each noble was expected to provide both weapons and clothing for his own soldiers.

Weapons of Medieval Times

When Henry VIII came to power he shifted the power away from the nobles and onto the monarchy. Henry, however, had no army as such, instead, there was what was known as the ‘Trayned Bandes’ (Trained Bands) who served as a kind of National Guard.

With war always being threatened with France and with Spain, Medieval weapons were still of great importance.

Medieval Weapons Facts

Medieval as well as Tudor weapons were incredibly brutal. There were a number of different swords which could be used in battle including the two-handed broadsword, the cutting sword, and the rapier.

The Battle Axe was a common weapon and came in a variety of sizes, some with a single Axe blade and some with a double Axe head.

Medieval Weapons Mace

The mace, which developed into a spiked metal war club was used against the armor of the opponent. Daggers were also extremely common including the double-edged, long-bladed dagger known as the basilard.

Medieval Weapons Mace
Medieval Weapons Mace

Soldiers on horseback would use lances, while there were several other long pole weapons such as the pike, the bill and the caltrop which featured very sharp spikes on long poles and was used to bring down a horse. Bows, longbows, and arrows, as well as crossbows, were in use, as well as traditional spears.

Tudor Weapons Included Firearms

The use of firearms became common by the end of the 1500s. With the development of the musket in the 1520s over the next few decades orders were put in place for all existing bows and arrows to be replaced with the musket. The most popular Tudor gun was the matchlock, however, it was difficult to use and very inaccurate,

Weapons of Medieval Times

it was in time replaced with the flintlock pistol which provided better accuracy of the shot. Cannons took the place of the large medieval war machines such as the trebuchet, ballista, and mangonel. The advantage of the cannon was that it could be made in different sizes and used in battles at sea as well as on land.

Facts about Trebuchets

The trebuchet was a weapon that was used in siege warfare. It is a kind of very large and very powerful catapult which was used to throw large boulders at either city or castle walls in order to let the soldiers march through. The weapon was first seen in England in 1216 as it was used in the siege of Dover

Trebuchet Catapult Medieval Weapon
Trebuchet Catapult Medieval Weapon

when France invaded and attacked Dover Castle. The most famous of all of the trebuchet weapons was the ‘Warwolf’, it was commissioned by Edward I and was said to be the biggest and most powerful weapon of its kind ever created.

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