Medieval Weapons

In medieval times, there were dozens of different kinds of armor that were worn by soldiers, knights, and mercenaries.  With each improvement in armor quality, there was a bit of a tradeoff for maneuverability.  However, a trained soldier could learn to maneuver while wearing heavy armor, making them some of the deadliest foes on the battlefield. Medieval armor starts at leather and moves up to full plate.  Leather armor, the most common armor, was made of hardened pieces of leather, and could protect against slashing weapons in close combat but not much else.  The next step up, studded leather, had metal studs covering the leather, which provided added protection but not a lot.  From studded leather armor moved to ringmail and chainmail.  This armor was made up of several hundred links of chain or rings, and provided the protection of metal with better movement than full plate.  Plate armor is what most knights wore, and is as its name implies, is comprised of hardened plates of metal.  This armor provides maximum protection, and sometimes, knights would also wear a chainmail hauberk underneath plate armor which would make them near indestructible.  In fact, to defeat a knight in full plate armor, one would often have to tire them out or find a way to strip their armor.

There are several types of rapier swords that gained prominence in the Renaissance period of history.  No gentleman’s education was complete without an intense study of swordplay with these popular swords.  The Italians were pre-eminent in teaching the art of dueling or fencing.   Every court in Europe felt that they should have an Italian fencing master, and most did.

The narrow pointed blades of the rapier were designed as thrusting weapons.  One of the best known rapiers of the Renaissance era was the swept hilt rapier, which had elaborate curves.  This blade was popular in almost every country.  Very often these swords were very decorated with jewels set in a hilt of gold, silver and brass.  They were a symbol of the wealth of the carrier.  Often the swept hilt rapiers had two quillons rather than the single one of the earlier Renaissance.

Early in the seventeenth century the cup hilt rapier appeared.  The plate-like cup provided additional protection for the hand.  This type of sword is often seen in Hollywood films, such as Captain Blood and Robin Hood.  It is often referred to as the “Spanish” rapier.  This sword is the forerunner of the modern fencing weapons of today. 

A cruder form of the cup hilt rapier was called the Spanish bilbo.  These weapons were used by pirates in the Caribbean; a replica of such weapons can be seen in the movie of the same name,   Pirates of the Caribbean. 

Excalibur, the sword King Arthur received from The Lady of the Lake, is one of the most well known swords the world over.  While there are several other weapons mentioned in legend, Excalibur is the most well known.  Based on Welsh legend, the Excalibur was often said to possess magical powers.  The Excalibur sword has appeared in hundreds of different sources of contemporary media and fiction.  Excalibur is a weapon of great power that appears in video games, it’s also often referenced in popular fiction, and most if not all films based in the time of King Arthur make mention of Excalibur at some point or another.  In England, there are several historical locations that pay tribute to Excalibur, and while the real sword might have never existed, the mythology that surrounds it is quite palpable. 

Some have suggested that the legend of Excalibur is based on Norse mythology, which has several swords and weapons of legend including Gram, a sword that Sigurd used to defeat the dragon Fafnir.

When it comes to hand to hand weapons, there are three distinct types of damage; some of which work better than others depending on the circumstances.  Slashing damage, the most common type of damage, is caused by short swords, long swords, halberds, and most axes.  This kind of damage works well against simple armor, but it can be difficult for it to penetrate heavy armor or a shield.  Piercing damage is the second type, common to objects like rapiers and javelins.  This type is good for slipping through the cracks of armor with a precise attack.  The final type is blunt, common to clubs, morning stars, and objects like the spiked mace.  Because of the force behind blunt objects, they force a defender to recoil from the attack, which makes them ideal for hammering down shields. Understanding these types of damage one can imagine how warriors of ancient times fought each other.  In a time before ranged weapons, like the crossbow and musket, were common, understanding these weapons allowed warriors to succeed in dire circumstances.

On the parched ground of the Middle East in early fall, 1096, a lone European knight walked among thousands of dead bodies.   He had been away from his post for days searching for  20,000  Crusaders  who had been called to accept the crusader’s cross by Pope Urban to rescue the Holy Land from the Saracens.   What he found in the desert sickened him.  The stench from the thousands of dead bodies was so nauseating  that he threw up. 

He walked among the dead and to his dismay found not one man alive.  He determined from the decaying bodies that this was the army on which so many hopes had been placed.  He was surprised that the weapons that were lying beside the dead were mostly sling shots, flails and maces.  There were a few Crusader shields among the bodies, and a few Medieval battle swords of that time.  He wondered why there were so few weapons, and he quickly realized why they were doomed.  He wondered if the rag-tag crew lying in the hot desert sun was the best that Europe would offer to save Jerusalem. 

He continued to trudge through the bodies, and he suddenly viewed the cloak of a Monk, and beside the holy man’s decaying body, there lay a scroll.  He unrolled the document, and began to read of the disastrous crusade of Peter the Hermit. 

“I joined Peter, a fellow monk who spoke with such inspiration that I knew that we could save this land for God.  Pope Urban issued the call to crusade and we answered.  Our recruits were not the rich knights with mighty arms; our crusaders were the poor and disadvantaged who desired to escape their sordid existence and do the Lord’s work.  They had few arms, but what they could make themselves or their flails which they used as farm implements.  But what we lacked in wealth and arms we made up for in devotion.  We knew that God would bless us.  I must admit that some of our recruits did not come here with the best intentions, because they have stolen and murdered even from their comrades.   I must say however, that for the most part our band of farmers, peasants and the disadvantaged have attempted to fight like the devoted Christians that they are.   We did well until we reached Nicaea; we sacked the city of the Seljuk, one of the major cities of the Turks.  We moved a few miles from the city in the hopes of securing a castle for a headquarters.  Then we saw a large contingent of troops in the distance.  We determined that they were Saracens with their mighty swords and swift horses.  I fear we will die soon.  We are no match for them.  They have surrounded us, and we have been here for days.  We are starving to death and there is no hope.  God wills that we die here.”

The knight wondered if ever again Christian pilgrims would subject themselves to such a disastrous result.  Would Crusaders ever free the Holy Land? 

Whip and gross are two synonyms of the word, “flail.”  The word is most likely Old English that originated before the 12th century.  Then in the 15th century the word gained a more active meaning–to strike with as if wielding a flail.   An old legend that has been passed down through the years tells of the discovery of this versatile tool and weapon.

One of our earliest ancestors by the name of Aunine, a boy, not yet grown was sent on a errand by his widowed Mother to find food for his family.  He had two sisters and a younger sickly brother.  His father was killed in an accident involving his tribe’s attempt to kill a large moose for food. 

 Aunine’s father, Ashwon, was stationed at the front of the hunting party and was to attempt to strike the large animal with a spear in order to cripple it and make it easier for the others to kill.  Ashwon  flailed the spear at the charging bull,  but the mighty animal just kept charging; the poor man fell and was trampled to death.  The next hunter in line for the kill was Pauha, the tribal chief’s son.  The angry moose killed him and the other hunters  ran for their lives. 

Shonse, the clan chieftain,  blamed Ashwon for the death of his son.  He had no other sons,  and was aged and very resentful of his fate.  In a fit of anger he banned Ahwon’s family from the tribe.  Aunine, his mother, two sisters and his brother who could barely walk were forced to leave the village and find a cave away from the safety of the tribe. 

For months they struggled to survive; Aunine was capable of killing smaller animals for food, but he had not yet reached the age to have been on a large animal hunt with the other men of the tribe.  Winter was coming on and they needed provisions for the long cold that would soon ensue. 

While hunting, Aunine heard a fearful growl behind him.  He quickly sought the nearest tree in order to determine the danger that was near.  He saw a large bear running  toward him.   He realized that the tree would offer no safety, so he was able to jump from the tree to a large boulder.  But the bear kept coming at a pace that Aunine could not believe possible  for such a large creature.   When the bear reached the crevice of the rock, Aunine knew that he must do something.    With trembling hands he located a stone that had sharp points on its surface; he tied the stone to his wood hunting knife with leather from his foot coverings.  Then the bear was on him; he felt its claws in his stomach; its fowl breath was in his face.  He knew it was over for him just as it had been for his father.  He took his one chance and brought the crudely made weapon to the bear’s head.  The bear screamed and blood covered Aunine’s whole body, but the animal had stopped its attack.  Aunine suddenly realized that he was safe.  He had won; the bear was dead.  The banished family had also won; they had more than enough food and clothing for the winter.  Aunine had discovered an implement that would serve him in battle, hunting, fishing and threshing.  The flail was born.