|
Medieval Weapons And Accessories
This article deals with the very interesting subject of medieval weapons. Medieval weapons were made during the Middle Ages. They were created from easily available materials and were modified to so as to serve many purposes, from defending oneself against attacks from animals of prey to participating in medieval warfare.
Different countries and their provinces used varying medieval weapons, depending on their social, cultural and historical backgrounds. Each of the warriors were given a certain function and a certain weapon depending upon their ranking and their authority in the army. Here is a list of some of the most important people in an army and the list of weapons carried by them.
The Knight
The Knight could be seen mounted on a steed and dress in full armor. Though mostly identified with royalty, the Knight could also belong to a lower class. The Knight was always considered much higher in rank than other warriors and held a special place in society at that time. His armor, weapons and horses cost much more than most other soldiers’ weapons.
Buy this Suite of Armor
Heavy Cavalry
The knights were noblemen who could afford the high costs of heavy weapons such as lances, swords and shields. Investing in these weapons actually turned out to be the very key to winning many battles.
Heavy cavalry could help the army break down on their opposition, routing them completely, finally winning the battle hands down! They could defeat almost all infantry formations and hence heavy cavalry became an integral part of medieval warfare.
Infantry
Ancient history has records of infantry being just a group of soldiers acting at the order of their individual commanders. During the medieval period, however, this became much more organized and was dominated by the Cavalry, consisting of the Knights directing each soldier’s course of action in the battlefield.
Long spears and halberds were used in the battlefield and the Knights also used their lances and swords for better reach. When archery developed as a warfare technique, however, the knights often lost their horses and so, they would dismount and become part of the infantry. This then led to the further development of warfare techniques such as combined arms tactics.
By the end of the Middle Ages, the infantry emerged as one of the most important aspects of medieval warfare.
Many types of handheld weapons were used for medieval warfare. Here, we have a list of the few most important weapons and accessories used during the medieval period:
Chainmail Armor
Armors were extensively used to cover the body, thereby making it perfectly secure against any kind of attack from the enemies. Many types of armors had been used during battle and each one had a different function to perform.
Leather Armors covered the entire torso of the soldier but could do little to protect him against attacks.
Chainmail or Chain Maille Armors are body vests using several small, interconnected metal rings to form a kind of mesh, thereby protecting the wearer’s body against attack during war. This could even stop penetrating and piercing weapons, and was hence very popular during the Middle Ages. However, this could also injure the wearer himself, sometimes even causing severe fractures and even death.
Then there were the Heavy Metal Armors covering the entire body of the soldier. This was by far the toughest armor that could stand any attack whatsoever. This was made from several pieces of metal and could protect the soldier from sword and dagger injuries, shots of arrows and crossbows and even firearms in existence then.
Though the complete armor looks quite uncomfortable to a layman, the Knights in those days had received special training to wear them and fight with them on. So it would have been second nature for them to handle the same with ease!
· Helmets
Buy this Helmet
Corinthian Helmet
One of the most important aspects of medieval warfare was the costume of the soldiers. The head, the seat of the brain, had to be covered fully and securely, so that it could be saved to the maximum from serious injury. There are an amazing number of helmets recorded in medieval history, each one built in a different way, according to the need of that particular province.
The various types of helmets included Combat Helmets, Coppergates, Armets, Barbutes, Aventails, Bascinets, Great Helms, Kettle Hats, Capelines, Horned Helmets, Nasal Helmets, Sallets, Cervellieres, Spangenhelms and so on.
While helmets such as the Aventails or Camails covered even the entire neck and shoulders with a detachable chainmail curtain of sorts, the Coppergate helmet included two tough metal cheek plates, a nose-guard and a chainmail curtain in order to protect the rest of the face as well.
The Nasal helmet came in a skull cap design with an extended metal piece covering the nose, acting as additional facial protection. This featured somewhere around the 9th Century, but was found to be very vulnerable to attack, as it could not offer much protection agianst attack. The Great Helm featured somewhere in the 12th Century and stayed on till the 14th Century. This was mostly used by the Cavalry in Europe. The helmet was a huge cylinder of steel and covered the head and face entirely, leaving just a few small holes for the eyes and mouth. Because it offered very little ventilation and also limited the soldier’s vision to a large extent, this could be worn only for short periods of time, only while directly entering into battle.
With the passing of time, more and more helmets were created for protection as well as for comfort. Please visit ……………………. for our varieties of helmets.
· Medieval Swords
Buy This Sword
Thomas Sword
Swords impress us as being a symbol of strength and power. Swords constituted a large part of medieval warfare. The oldest among swords was the Bronze sword. Then came the Roman Centurion Swords, about 2000 years ago, long after the Bronze sword. But the technology at that time was not advanced enough to make really sharp swords. It was in the 12th Century that this aspect of weaponry was worked at and developed to its maximum.
The Celtic Dress Sword came after the Celtic Sword and could be used effectively for slashing. Then came the Tewksbury Sword from Britain. The Medieval era was the best for sword-making, as different kinds of techniques, such as smithing and metalworking were developed at this stage. The European swords differed vastly in design from those of the Persians and the Samurais. The Persian Scimitar was famous for its sharp curved blade, which could easily slice through the toughest hide!
Sword training was detailed and tough at that time. In order for soldiers to learn the art of sword fighting, special wooden practice swords had been manufactured so as to help them learn the initial ropes without greviously injuring themselves in the process. While the look and feel of these wooden swords were much like the original, they were also safe enough for a complete newcomer to practice and perfect the martial art.
· Medieval Shields
Buy This Shield
Medieval Shield
The Shield, as the word suggests, was a device used by the soldier to protect himself from direct enemy attacks during a one-on-one confrontation on the battlefront. The shields were also used as bludgeoning weapons during the Medieval era. This was practiced unto perfection by the knights in those times. Demanding a tremendous amount of skill and stamina, the soldiers would tirelessly train for hours at end at the Pell. Each shield had a special symbol inscribed on it and this was the way the particular knight could be identified. This helped particularly if the knight had the visor (full metal armor) covering him entirely. Apart from the symbols, these shields also included a knight’s coat of arms. This decorative piece of clothing was worn over the armor in order to help other soldiers recognize him easily.
Shields came in different colors too, such as Argent (white), Or (yellow), Azure (blue) and so on and also designs, such as Fess, Saltire, Bend, Pale and Chevron.
There were different kinds of medieval shields, such as the Kite shield, the Buckler, Heater shield, the Target shield, the Wall shield and so on. While the Kite shield offered entire body protection especially for the soldiers in chainmail, Heater shields were much smaller and were more convenint to carry for full-armored soldiers who rode on horseback. The Buckler could be used for hand-to-hand combat and the Pavise shields were used by soldiers using the Crossbow.
With the passing of time, there came to be yet other shields, some specially for lancing, sword fighting and so on. Most medieval shields used materials such as animal hide, wood and metal for the construction of the shields.
Buy this Bayonet
Bayonet
This weapon is knife-like and fits over a muzzle of a rifle barrel. Hence this serves as a double weapon, both as a gun and a spear. This was meant for close contact and use as a last resort in battle. This has probably been designed as a hunting weapon, so that the owner could fend himself from attacks of wild animals. This weapon was found to be most useful during many medieval battles and evolved in both design and utility.
The history of the bayonet is not very clear, but it does feature around the end of the 16th Century. Historical records seem to indicate that this weapon started off as being a hunting weapon, which people used to kill wild boar and other wild animals with. In case the hunter missed a shot and the animal came too close for comfort, he could just pull out the knife and put it to use.
This was later introduced as a war weapon by a French army in the 1660s. This implement was then constantly improved upon and evolved in design and utility till around the 18th Century. The Cutlass Bayonet went on to become one of the most favored weapons in the .
The 19th Century ushered in the era of the Sword Bayonet. This had a long blade with a single or double-edged blade and could also be employed as a shortsword.
· Medieval Tomahawks
Buy This Tomahawk
The Tomahawk is exclusively an American contribution to the world of medieval weapons. Axes and Tomahawks basically started off as being tools for farming. Their main advantage is that they can also be used in one other sense – as sharp, vicious tools or war. Apart from the above advantages, this tool is also easily available and is most inexpensive as well. This is what made a Tomahawk so special to Americans. Handy to carry and use, tomahawks can be used in a variety of methods, both by foot and mounted soliders as well. Realizing the huge potential of this tool as a fighting weapon, there are some schools training students on exploiting the utility of this weapon to its fullest extent.
There are various types of Tomahawks, such as French Tomahawk, Cast Tomahawk, Hook Tomahawk, Foot Soldier’s War Hammer, Double Viking Axe, Perrins Axe and so on.
Buy This Shoe Pair
Boots were initially used for farming and similar other purposes. But with time, these accessories gained a lot of importance, as they could be put to use for many other purposes as well. Boots were found to be greatly beneficial during the war as they covered the entire foot knee-down. Besides, they offered a good grip especially for mounted soldiers to get off and on their horses.
Buy This Dagger
Daggers are found right from the pre-historic ages and were used in defense against attacks. Typically a double-edged object, this weapon came of great use during close combat. One can also find daggers with a handle or clasp at one end. This was made from a variety of materials like flint, bronze and so on.
Buy The Gauntlets
Gauntlets are gloves with an extended cuff, covering most of the forearm. They were used in battle for protection of the hand and the arm and also to offer good grip while holding a weapon. Gauntlets are made of a variety of materials, including flexible thick fabric, leather, chainmail and even plate armor.
Having served their purpose very well during the Middle Ages, these weapons and battle accessories have now become a style statement for most people. As most of these pieces are very intricate and ornamental, they can make a great curio for your home. Placing an armor or a sword and shield set in the wall of your living room adds a touch of class and a certain ambience to your entire home!
Click here to view our vast collection of medieval weapons, collectibles and much more…..
This article was written by Saipriya Viswanathan . Saipriya is a teacher/performer of Bharata Natyam, Carnatic vocal music and Carnatic Veena and a recipient of several awards for both dance and music, including the Sur Mani and Singar Mani titles. She is also a recipient Govt. of India Merit Scholarship for dance and is a diploma holder in Carnatic vocal music as well.For more information about this article plz contact at info@raisonsbrassband.com
|
