Essay on Middle Ages: Weapons

Words: 2227
Pages: 9
Open Document
Weapons and Arms in the Middle Ages In my observations of the Medieval time period I found the weapons to be brutal, and atrocious. From war hammers to napalm to the arquebus, this was by far the most in-humane advancement in weapons apart from modern day. The Medieval time went from about the 11th century to the 14th. During this time survival depended on the power of the certain ruler people served under. The power of the ruler depended directly upon his army and the army upon their weapons. This is why we see such rapid advancement of the weapons in Medieval times. In this time "might" was right. "A knight or any other warrior is only as effective as his skills and the quality of his weapons" (Medieval Weapon Links). This …show more content…
These were just a few. The sword was used around the globe as the primary melee weapon. This particular weapon was made by pounding out a strip of metal, shaping it and then cooling it. Lastly, the blade was sharpened on a stone grinder. (List of Medieval Weapons) The melee weapons, though very efficient, had one major flaw, they was simply too short to be used for anything but hand-to-hand fights. This is where the polearm came into use. The polearm was used to extend the reach of a ground soldier. Here is an excerpt from The Once and Future King about polearms. " . . . every man carrying a spear or a pitchfork or a worn scythe blade on a pole (polearms)."(White145) It was simply a melee weapon mounted on the end of a large pole. The first polearm developed was the "spear". It was also used to hunt. The spear usually consisted of a sharpened metal spearhead that resembled a dagger fastened to the end of a wooden pole. This was one of the oldest polearms and was an ancestor to the lance and pike. The "lance" was a little different. It was primarily used for horse-to-horse combat tovh knock the other person off his horse. Later, it was used in jousts which were a competition in the king's courtyards. "With a blood-curdling beat of iron hoofs the mighty equestrians came together. Their spears wavered for a moment within a few inches of each other‘s helm-each had chosen the difficult
Show More

Related Documents: Essay on Middle Ages: Weapons

What Is Medieval Clothing Like In The Middle Ages

worn out wool or linen clothing. This wasn't the case for nobility, who had plenty of clothes for all of their family members’’. Medieval knights lived in the castles with the king or queen and with the Lords or nobles life in the castles of the Middle Ages was either hard work or very boring. ‘’The last reason it was hard is because of food because it was dependent on the feudal pyramid.The wealthy ate many different items such as meats and cheeses while the poor basically ate foods made from barley…

Words 434 - Pages 2

How The Middle Ages Affected European Warfare

civilization. The technology of the Middle Ages greatly affected European warfare by allowing states to find new ways to defeat their enemies and implement countermeasures to existing technologies during the time period. This allowed European powers to improve to their armies, defense structures, and siege capabilities to gain the upper hand in battles. Winning important battles gave the kings of Europe the power and resources to dominate the region. Soldiers of the Middle Ages were the manpower need to…

Words 1085 - Pages 5

Nuclear Proliferation Essay

Proliferation Only twice in the Earth’s history has man been witness to the tremendous and awful power of nuclear bombs dropped in populated areas. The two bombs dropped in Japan effectively ended the Pacific’s engagement in World War II, but the age of nuclear threats was just beginning. Though the first to discover and test the technology, the United States certainly wasn’t the last. Unilateral military force by the US is justified to prevent nuclear proliferation for the following reasons: the…

Words 798 - Pages 4

Chinese Weapons Research Paper

warriors were actually always trying to catch up to the Chinese. In fact, Chinese made advances in sword making, archery, siege weapons, and ballistics long before Europeans had grasped those ideas The sword is a weapon of war that was used around the world developed individually by different groups of people. The Chinese perfected art of sword making in the Bronze Age. Before the invention of the…

Words 1747 - Pages 7

Animals In The Middle Ages

time also hunted boar they considered this a simple pastime. they used boar hunting to practice there martial arts. In the medieval time period they also hunted fox. Farmers in the middle ages hunted fox to keep them from eating there farm animals. They also hunted them for their fur in was worth a lot in the middle ages . In the medieval time period hunting was taken very seriously. Mostly only the nobles or rich guys hunted they wanted everything for themselves and they did not like peasants hunting…

Words 298 - Pages 2

How Did Gunpowder Cause Violence?

capable of killing someone with a knife or melee weapon. Killing someone with a melee weapon would add a realistic feel to killing your enemy. Rather than killing someone with the click of a finger and the opponent dying instantaneously. Gunpowder is ironic because of its history, it being first used for medical purposes and throughout history it has been used to kill up to millions of people. It was the deciding factor in many battles as the basis for weapons (Whipps,2018). Gunpowder was used to blind…

Words 1186 - Pages 5

Invention Of Gunpowder

invention of gunpowder. Gunpowder was invented by the Chinese for unlimited life, but it turned into a weapon of death and destruction. It changed the world by altering how wars were fought by changing their weapons and tactics and providing entertainment. Gunpowder was invented a long time ago in the time of the Song Dynasty, which was from A.D. 960 to A.D. 1280. (NOVA) In an article, called “Middle Age Technologies: Gunpower,” Cody Ross states, “Ancient Chinese alchemists were trying to find a potion…

Words 1162 - Pages 5

Warfare: The Importance Of Warfare During The Middle Ages

Warfare was very important during the Middle Ages. They were important for the development of society, military systems, as well as gathering resources to support armies, and the campaigns and battles fought. During the high middle age war was fought on the field with horses and soldiers. Small wars often broke out between neighboring or rivaling kingdoms. One monarch would want the land or resources of another, and a war would be declared. Such warfare was often spontaneous and unpredictable. Fights…

Words 272 - Pages 2

Essay on Abeje Maxwel8

similar in several ways. The Samurai’s were the military class warriors of Japan. The Knights were the military class defenses and protectors of the Church in Europe, and they were the most significant figure of the feudal system of the European Middle Ages. These warriors acted as retainers to greater lords, fighters, and the enforcers of policy and morality. Samurai and Knights were more similar than different in three broad areas, but their differences still exceeded the similarities by a vast…

Words 514 - Pages 3

10 Major Events For History Essay example

service of the year for Christian churches. 3. The making of tools: The making of tools started in the Paleolithic Age. The new tools had to make working life much easier. Over the years tools became more advanced and more useful. Since the people of the Paleolithic Age are known as hunters and gathers, the making of tools was really useful to them because tools were eventually weapons used to kill and clean animals to supply some of their food source. 4. The beginning practice cultivating crops: The…

Words 896 - Pages 4