Warfare is now more advanced than any other part of history.Nuclear weapon,assault riffles,supersonic fighter jets,aircraft carriers and so forth advanced weapons making wars difficult.But some of the medieval weapons can make your jaw drop to ground.
They ruled wars for years and still attractive to us.This are top ten fascinating weapons of medieval weapons:
A Knightly Sword,Image Source:Wikimedia Commons
knightly Sword then known as Arming Sword was the most dangerous sword of the medieval era.They were deadly,beautiful and widespread.Most of the knights of the wars used to use it to chop down enemies.This swords were 28-31 inches long in average.It had a cruciform hilt and was a single hand weapon with double edge.This swords were favorite of many famous fighters.The average weight of the sword is 1.1 kg.It's specialty was the straight blade and the small hilt.It was more deadly than its ancestor swords like the Viking Sword and Norman Sword.Most of the Knightly Swords were in-scripted with various types of poems and war oaths.
A Panabas,Image Source:Wikimedia Commons
Panabas is a medieval battle axe from Southeast Asian country Philippines.It looks like a dagger rather than a battle axe.But it was considered as one of the most deadliest Asian weapon of it's time.Specially the Moro tribes of Philippines were famous to chop enemies with this.This is 34 inches long in average and has a range of 2-4 feet.It was not heavy as other was axes of medieval axes.It was so sharp and clean cutter that it was sometime used as execution tool.The front row of the army was armed with this weapon.It has a hilt with Rattan Bindings or Metal Collars.The hilt and the blade is almost equal in size.
A Spiked Ball Flail,Image Source:Wikimedia Commons
Spiked Ball Flails were one of the most dangerous weapon of middle era.This weapon is short in rang but it was a bad dream of soldiers.This was a simple in design.A spiked metal ball on a wooden handle connected with a chain.Its range could be changed with the length of the chain.But the more the chain was proportionate with the size of the ball the more it was powerful.Several chains with several spiked ball was another deadly customization for this weapon.Both infantry and cavalries used this weapon to attack their oppositions.It could easily break armory of a soldier and could make a super blow with tremendous force.Artwork from the 15th century to the early 17th century shows most of these weapons having handles longer than 3 ft and being wielded with two hands, but a few are shown used in a single hand or with a haft too short to be used two-handed.
Push dagger is a different type of dagger with a "T" handle.Push Dagger had a relatively short blade than a regular dagger.Push daggers were used in close combats specially between infantries.In many countries push daggers are now prohibited.In medieval age specially western countries were known to use push daggers.Push daggers could easily kill enemies with stealth.
Halberd is a long weapon with a length of 5-6 feet.An axe blade topped with a spike mounted on a long shaft is a Halberd.It was mostly used in 14th-15th century wars.It is an inexpensive and versatile weapon. Researchers suspect that a halberd or a bill sliced through the back of King Richard III's skull at the Battle of Bosworth.The halberd was the primary weapon of the early Swiss armies in the 14th and early 15th centuries.It was also mostly used by infantry soldiers especially to pull down cavalries.It has a range of almost 8-9 feet.So it was one of the deadliest weapon of medieval era with a high range ,and super attacking power but relatively inexpensive.
Bardiche is another powerful pole weapon of medieval period.This can be easily recognized with it's sharp round edged blade.Use of bardiches started in early 15th century Russia.It has a blade of 60 cm.And the Hilt was around 5 feet long,which made it a long range combat weapon.It was also used for execution.Bardiches are known to have been imported into Scotland in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Catapult is a large or medium sized basaltic weapon of medieval era.It was used to launch a projectile a distance without any explosive.It was usually used to cross tall walls of medieval cities.Different kinds of catapult was used in wars like Ballista,Springald,Magnoel,Onager and others.Russian,Chinese,European,Mongol and many other warriors from different side of the Globe used catapult as one of the prime weapons of wars.Catapults were made in different sizes from 3 feet in height to 15 feet in height.From medieval era to World War 1 it has been used.
Image Source:Wikimedia Commons
A crossbow, also known as horizontal bow, is a type of weapon based on the bow and consisting of a horizontal bow-like assembly mounted on a stock.The birthplace of crossbow is China.Crossbows were one of the mighty weapons of medieval wars.It has played a significant role in the warfare of Asia,Europe and Mediterranean.A crossbow is a bow mounted on a stick (called a tiller or stock) with a mechanism in it that holds the drawn bow string. The earliest designs featured a slot in the stock, down into which the string was placed. The bow (called the prod or lath on a crossbow) of early crossbows was made of a single piece of wood, usually ash or yew. Composite bows are made from layers of different material, often wood, horn, and sinew glued together and bound with animal tendon. These composite bows made of several layers are much stronger and more efficient in releasing energy than simple wooden bows. As steel became more widely available in Europe around the 14th century, steel prods came into use.
Image Source:Wikimedia Commons
Japanese sword Katana is a mighty sword popularly known as the Samurai Sword.The katana is characterized by its distinctive appearance: a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands.The first known use of Katana was in 1185.From then to now it is regarded as one of the most beautiful and deadly sword of history.Katanas are @5-30 inches long and 3-5 inches wide in different style and period.But the golden period of katana is 12th century when famous samurai warriors started to use Katana to fight against their enemies.Katanas are traditionally made from a specialized Japanese steel called tamahagane.The gentle curvature of a katana is attained by a process of differential hardening or differential quenching: the smith coats the blade with several layers of a wet clay slurry, which is a special concoction unique to each sword maker, but generally composed of clay, water and any or none of ash, grinding stone powder, or rust.
Caltrop is a small size defense ,especially used to slow down horses,elephants and foot army.Using of metal caltrop has a long histry starting from 331 BC.It is used til present day to slow down vehicles.During service in World War I, Australian Light Horse troops collected caltrops as keepsakes.The Japanese version of the caltrop is called makibishi. Makibishi were sharp spiked objects that were used in feudal Japan to slow pursuers and also were used in the defence of samurai fortifications.According to Quintus Curtius (IV.13.36), iron caltrops were used as early as 331 BC by Darius III against Alexander the Great at the Battle of Gaugamela in Persia.
They ruled wars for years and still attractive to us.This are top ten fascinating weapons of medieval weapons:
1.Knightly Sword:
A Knightly Sword,Image Source:Wikimedia Commons
knightly Sword then known as Arming Sword was the most dangerous sword of the medieval era.They were deadly,beautiful and widespread.Most of the knights of the wars used to use it to chop down enemies.This swords were 28-31 inches long in average.It had a cruciform hilt and was a single hand weapon with double edge.This swords were favorite of many famous fighters.The average weight of the sword is 1.1 kg.It's specialty was the straight blade and the small hilt.It was more deadly than its ancestor swords like the Viking Sword and Norman Sword.Most of the Knightly Swords were in-scripted with various types of poems and war oaths.
2.The Panabas:
A Panabas,Image Source:Wikimedia Commons
Panabas is a medieval battle axe from Southeast Asian country Philippines.It looks like a dagger rather than a battle axe.But it was considered as one of the most deadliest Asian weapon of it's time.Specially the Moro tribes of Philippines were famous to chop enemies with this.This is 34 inches long in average and has a range of 2-4 feet.It was not heavy as other was axes of medieval axes.It was so sharp and clean cutter that it was sometime used as execution tool.The front row of the army was armed with this weapon.It has a hilt with Rattan Bindings or Metal Collars.The hilt and the blade is almost equal in size.
3.Spiked Ball Flails:
A Spiked Ball Flail,Image Source:Wikimedia Commons
Spiked Ball Flails were one of the most dangerous weapon of middle era.This weapon is short in rang but it was a bad dream of soldiers.This was a simple in design.A spiked metal ball on a wooden handle connected with a chain.Its range could be changed with the length of the chain.But the more the chain was proportionate with the size of the ball the more it was powerful.Several chains with several spiked ball was another deadly customization for this weapon.Both infantry and cavalries used this weapon to attack their oppositions.It could easily break armory of a soldier and could make a super blow with tremendous force.Artwork from the 15th century to the early 17th century shows most of these weapons having handles longer than 3 ft and being wielded with two hands, but a few are shown used in a single hand or with a haft too short to be used two-handed.
4.Push Dagger:
Push dagger is a different type of dagger with a "T" handle.Push Dagger had a relatively short blade than a regular dagger.Push daggers were used in close combats specially between infantries.In many countries push daggers are now prohibited.In medieval age specially western countries were known to use push daggers.Push daggers could easily kill enemies with stealth.
5.Halberd:
Halberd is a long weapon with a length of 5-6 feet.An axe blade topped with a spike mounted on a long shaft is a Halberd.It was mostly used in 14th-15th century wars.It is an inexpensive and versatile weapon. Researchers suspect that a halberd or a bill sliced through the back of King Richard III's skull at the Battle of Bosworth.The halberd was the primary weapon of the early Swiss armies in the 14th and early 15th centuries.It was also mostly used by infantry soldiers especially to pull down cavalries.It has a range of almost 8-9 feet.So it was one of the deadliest weapon of medieval era with a high range ,and super attacking power but relatively inexpensive.
6.Bardiche:
Bardiche is another powerful pole weapon of medieval period.This can be easily recognized with it's sharp round edged blade.Use of bardiches started in early 15th century Russia.It has a blade of 60 cm.And the Hilt was around 5 feet long,which made it a long range combat weapon.It was also used for execution.Bardiches are known to have been imported into Scotland in the 16th and 17th centuries.
7.Catapult:
Catapult is a large or medium sized basaltic weapon of medieval era.It was used to launch a projectile a distance without any explosive.It was usually used to cross tall walls of medieval cities.Different kinds of catapult was used in wars like Ballista,Springald,Magnoel,Onager and others.Russian,Chinese,European,Mongol and many other warriors from different side of the Globe used catapult as one of the prime weapons of wars.Catapults were made in different sizes from 3 feet in height to 15 feet in height.From medieval era to World War 1 it has been used.
8.Crossbow:
Image Source:Wikimedia Commons
A crossbow, also known as horizontal bow, is a type of weapon based on the bow and consisting of a horizontal bow-like assembly mounted on a stock.The birthplace of crossbow is China.Crossbows were one of the mighty weapons of medieval wars.It has played a significant role in the warfare of Asia,Europe and Mediterranean.A crossbow is a bow mounted on a stick (called a tiller or stock) with a mechanism in it that holds the drawn bow string. The earliest designs featured a slot in the stock, down into which the string was placed. The bow (called the prod or lath on a crossbow) of early crossbows was made of a single piece of wood, usually ash or yew. Composite bows are made from layers of different material, often wood, horn, and sinew glued together and bound with animal tendon. These composite bows made of several layers are much stronger and more efficient in releasing energy than simple wooden bows. As steel became more widely available in Europe around the 14th century, steel prods came into use.
9.Katana:
Image Source:Wikimedia Commons
Japanese sword Katana is a mighty sword popularly known as the Samurai Sword.The katana is characterized by its distinctive appearance: a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands.The first known use of Katana was in 1185.From then to now it is regarded as one of the most beautiful and deadly sword of history.Katanas are @5-30 inches long and 3-5 inches wide in different style and period.But the golden period of katana is 12th century when famous samurai warriors started to use Katana to fight against their enemies.Katanas are traditionally made from a specialized Japanese steel called tamahagane.The gentle curvature of a katana is attained by a process of differential hardening or differential quenching: the smith coats the blade with several layers of a wet clay slurry, which is a special concoction unique to each sword maker, but generally composed of clay, water and any or none of ash, grinding stone powder, or rust.
10.Caltrop:
Caltrop is a small size defense ,especially used to slow down horses,elephants and foot army.Using of metal caltrop has a long histry starting from 331 BC.It is used til present day to slow down vehicles.During service in World War I, Australian Light Horse troops collected caltrops as keepsakes.The Japanese version of the caltrop is called makibishi. Makibishi were sharp spiked objects that were used in feudal Japan to slow pursuers and also were used in the defence of samurai fortifications.According to Quintus Curtius (IV.13.36), iron caltrops were used as early as 331 BC by Darius III against Alexander the Great at the Battle of Gaugamela in Persia.
