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Archery |
| French | |
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| The French used the crossbow as a weapon because it was easy to use, and didn't take much skill or training. However, the problems with the crossbow was that it took a long time to reload, it was heavy, prone to rain damage, and it lacked accuracy. The French had the Genoese in charge of the weapon. | |
Picture from: http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/878/20085872.JPG |
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| English | |
England was more modern than France, and the most famous English weapon was the English or Welsh Longbow. At that time, it was called the War Bow. The Longbow was very difficult to use and archers needed to start practicing from a very young age in order to be able to use it. It also took a lot of strength, as pulling it would be equal to lifting 140-180 pounds. Despite its difficulty, it was very useful in battle where the English were extremely outnumbered. It could destroy a French charge before it reached the English lines. Each English archer carried 2 sheaves of arrows (48 arrows) into battle at a time, and more were brought forward through the lines, or the archers had to go back when they ran out. An arrow could be shot 250-300 yards, and an archer could shoot an average of 10 arrows per minute. To give an example of how useful the longbow was at the time, the Battle of Crécy was the first battle where the longbow was the deciding factor. Other longbow battles were the Battle of Poiters (1356) and the Battle at Agincourt (1415). At the Battle of Crécy, there were 36,000 French, and 12,000 English. 7,000 of the English were archers. The battle line was 2,000 yards wide. The English were on top of a gentle ridge near the town of Crécy, and they were formed into 3 groups of men-at-arms and spearmen with archers at their sides. The battle started at around 4:00PM, and ended at around midnight. 14-16 charges were made against the English, and the total number of arrows shot a the Battle of Crécy was around half a million. At the end, the French had lost a total of 5,000-10,000 men, while the English only lost seveal hundred. Near the end of the Hundred Years' War, longbow archers weren't as common, and so the longbow stopped being used. |
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Picture from: http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/878/20085889.JPG |
Gunpowder |
Gonnes + Cannons
The last battle of the Hundred Years' War was the first battle in which gunpowder determined who won. It was the Battle of Castillon in 1453. However, gonnes and cannons played a significant role in the Hundred Years' War as early as 1375.
Picture from: http://www.adhb30.dsl.pipex.com/100war_cannon2.gif
Siege Engines
Siege engines are machines that catapult stones and huge arrows. There are 3 major types of siege engines: the ballista, the mangonel, and the trebuchet.
The Ballista is a large bow that shoots heavy arrows or stones that is very much like a crossbow. Its range is 400 yards throwing a 60 pound stone.
The Mangonel, also called the Mangon, is a heavy frame with a long arm with a cup or sling at the free end. It was wound down, loaded, and released. Its range is 200 yards. It was introduced to the Normans by the Byzantines (Greek-speaking Roman Empire).
The Trebuchet featured a long arm mounted at the top of a tall frame. The shorter end had a counterweight of earth, rubble, and sometimes lead. The counterweight often weighed many tons. The long arm was pulled down to the ground against the counterweight by winches. Then it was loaded with cut stones weighing 60-300 pounds. It was then released. Its range was 500 yards, and it was very accurate. Other projectiles were paving stones, dead horses, pots of quick lime, and scraps of iron.
Greek Fire
"Greek fire" was a combination of petrolium oil and other natural things. It was a highly flammable substance that burned on water, and was extremely hot. It was apparently used to make arrows that burned, but it could also be blown through tubes.
Peasants' Weapons
Peasants fought with household weapons. Things that they used include: hayforks, flails, sickles, axes, clubs and spikes, and boar-spears.
Picture from: http://www.axsane.fr/IMG/jpg/jacquerie.jpg
Other Weapons
Flail- a medieval weapon made of one or more weights attache to a handle with a hinge or a chain.
Mace- a wooden, metal-reinforced, or metal chaft with a head made of stone, copper, bronze, iron, or steel.
Lance- a variety of different weapons based on the spear.
Swords:
Longsword- took 2 hands, was used for striking, cutting, and thrusting. It was double edged, straight blade.
Flachion- took 1 hand, had a single-edged, and a slightly curved blade.
