In the
medieval period, as with any period in history, the weapons
of the day were a product of the available technology
and raw materials. Arguably, one of the greatest weapons
of the day was the castle, but when one thinks of weapons,
the thought is usually of the more offensive devices.
To that end, the most popular and perhaps the most frequently
discussed weapon is the sword.
Virtually every knight would have a sword. Swords were
easy to construct and easy to use. Forged from steel and
sharpened, the sword could be used both offensively, to
attack, or defensively, to block other attacks. It was
also available in many sizes and styles. Knives and daggers
were also used and sometimes fashioned from wood or animal
bones.
While larger than the sword, axes in the hands of the
right warrior, could inflict devastating injuries. Spears
were common for attacks at a distance being made of wood
or having sharpened tips. Other close quarter combat weapons
were the mace, a club of several feet in length with a
large square or round block of wood or metal on the end
that was sometimes covered with spikes to cause additional
injury. The flail was a variation on the mace having a
chain attached between the club and the spiked end causing
more damage by allowing increased velocity in the attack.
 Much of the medieval fighting was in close quarters which
made the weapons above ideal. However, fighting at long
ranges became more important as time progressed and castle
defenses developed. Long and short bows were used. Many
a medieval battle saw hundreds of archers raining down
arrows on their enemy. By launching the arrows high into
the air, they would pick up velocity and cause more damage.
From the long bow concept, the crossbow was developed.
While a simple concept, the crossbow was one of the most
lethal weapons of the day. The crossbow fired a heavy
arrow fired that caused terrible damage, even being capable
of penetrating a knight’s armor. So destructive was
this weapon that the church forbade its use, though few
abided this decree. Similar to crossbows, the ballista,
an infantry form of the crossbow, saw much use.
Siege engines were also used to attack castles. The trebuchet
was a catapult/slingshot hybrid that could hurl huge projectiles
to penetrate the walls. Battering rams, catapults, even
cannons were used. Greek fire, a mixture of a variety
materials was also used, when ignited it would burn in
almost any condition, even under water.
By way of defense, knights wore armor and chain mail and
carried shields; however, the best defense was to be behind
a thick castle wall and to avoid the open field combat.
As with clothing and fashion, wealth dictated the weapon
available. Peasants rarely could afford traditional weapons
and generally fought with what was at hand - sticks, clubs,
tools or their bare hands.
The development of gunpowder forever changed the concept
of medieval weapons by making many of them obsolete.
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