Medieval Weapons and Armor

 Weapons and Armor In The Medieval Times

by Austin Horsefield

(Fig. 1. Armor from the 14th century and later from Italy)

    Weapons back in medieval times were built with the utmost care and respect due to how important these contraptions needed to work when on the battlefield or in a quick pinch to save the users life. Armor was the same way as this steel was made to last and protect its holder. From the 12th century all the way up to the end of medieval times, their armor and weapon choices continued to advance and be more deadly to more protective. In modern times, we have evolved to use firearms and have brushed aside the 100 pound heavy armor for bullet proof vests that weigh about 5 pounds. Many different areas of the world had a multitude of weapons and armor that can be talked about, but the main focus is to look for the main weapons and armor used throughout the 13th and 15th century.

Medieval Weapons

    To start off, names of some prominent weapons that were used throughout this time period include: The sword, lance, spear, axe, mace, crossbow, longbow, dagger, halberds, war hammers, and the start of tribuchets to guns. The sword was the main type of weapon from the beginning of the 13th century because it was sharp and sturdy enough to cut through chain mail. Once armor continued to get stronger from year to year, the steel sword got less effective because cutting through steel is nearly impossible. From many experts that have covered the topics of weapons in the middle ages, Kelly Devries, a medieval warfare expert at Loyola University, says medieval weapons seldom broke through metal armor. “But blunt force trauma, the smashing of the bones, that’s going to incapacitate somebody.” A weapon didn’t have to kill to be important, it just had to take an opponent out."(1). This is why there were maces and war hammers to cause blunt-force trauma to weaker parts of the armor that couldn't withstand a blast of force from these heavy weapons. Thus, resulting in the armored recipient to lose their advantage and possibly be exposed to a strike with a sword, halberd, or dagger. 

(Fig.2. Handful of swords with many different hilts. Shows the blades being more broad)

     Touching on swords is very important for this time period because this was the main weapon for everybody up until the armor kept evolving in the last half of the 13th century and onward. The typical sword before the armor got more reinforced, was a light, flat cutting blade that sliced instead of pierced. The sword had to be, According to The Archaeology of Weapons Arms and Armour from Prehistory to the Age of Chivalry , "...acutely pointed, being made with a strong central rib and a four­sided section (like the swords of the middle Bronze Age and the Roman cavalry swords of the type found in the Nydam bog) was very stiff and rigid."(2) in order to succeed with the new advancement. This book in chapters 16 and 17 talks about the traditional 5 swords that were typically used from the 13th to 15th century with all the different hilts and some armor descriptions that will come in handy for the next section.

    The only way a sword was going to penetrate this reinforced steel, was to take a blend of different metals. According to Darksword Armory, "This blend of various alloys and diverse tempering rendered the core of the blade softer and therefore more flexible while the outer (iron) layer was infused with carbon to make it a harder alloy.   This harder metal allowed the edges and the tip of the blade remain sharp for extended use while giving it the ability to absorb shock – and not break, while giving it the strength to thrust through the thicker, tempered plated armors emerging at the end of the 14th century." (3). Making these swords tended to get more expensive for random people to acquire, so the main buyer to hold these swords were either knights or noblemen. Knights tended to gravitate to the sword called the bastard sword (this sword was very long and pointy) to hit the weak points in the armor.  

Medieval Armor

    Something that is mentioned throughout many articles is the "arms race". Every time a weapon got stronger a piece of armor had to compensate and become reinforced to adhere to the blast of a newly formed sword. This continued for centuries until guns were introduced in the mid 17th century and the medieval weapons and armor were turned obsolete. The first set of reliable armor that was worn by nearly everybody for a couple centuries was the chain mail. As described by the Darksword Armory, "Chain mail was quite effective in countering slashes and cuts afflicted by the swords leading up to the zenith of the 13th century, (particularly of type X-XIV). The tightly woven four-in-one and riveted mail armor produced a form of skin strengthened not only by the inherent strength of the alloyed rings, but also by its natural ability to disperse pressure inflicted by incoming blows." (3). Chain mail fell out of reliability due to the advancement of blade technology being able to slice and pierce through too easily. Not to mention that Longbows started to become prevalent for over a century from a distance and there was no protection from arrows.

    (Fig.3. Display of an Italian Armet worn by Italian army from 1410 till about 1510)

    While looking through the website, The Armour of an English Medieval Knight, it breaks down that the steel plate armor began to develop in the middle of the 13th century. By the second half of the 14th century almost all knights were wearing chain mail underneath their steel plating. (4). Not only that, they started making every available space on the body be covered with metal plates. Very little places on the body were exposed, so this makes swords harder to slice through the steel and longbows to pierce. By the 15th century, a comfortable padding replaced chain mail, but the chain mail was still present in the armor near the more exposed areas. (4). Referenced by The Armour of an English Medieval Knight, "The armour was so efficiently made that it took only about 10 minutes for two squires to dress a knight for combat. Contrary to knights depicted in some films, it was not necessary to use a crane to get a knight on his horse, and he was not a defenseless and upturned insect if he fell off it. A full suit of armour weighed from 20 to 25 kilograms (45-55 lbs) - less than a modern infantryman would carry in equipment - and it was distributed evenly over the body so that a knight could move with some freedom." This article talks more about other parts of the armor like shields and different types of helmets and a whole bunch more. Here is the website.

    Summary

    Medieval warfare was brutal to many involved. The development of these advancements in weapons and armor helped safe those who would have died in the early 13th century. The "arms race" helped advance our development in all around areas of combat and protection. The blacksmiths involved in figuring out all of these ways to improve their sword and armor crafting is something to really be amazed about. From blunt swords to extremely pointy ones and from chain mail to steel plated armor. Maces to longbows, every piece of equipment became crucial to win a battle.

Works Cited

(Fig 1) Armor. The Metropolitan Museum, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/23205?searchField=All&sortBy=Relevance&deptids=4&high=on&ft=*&offset=0&rpp=100&pos=4. Accessed 21 Oct. 2020.

(1) Knighton, Andrew. “Medieval Weapons That Maimed and Killed.” HISTORY, 24 Jan. 2019, www.history.com/news/medieval-weapons-knights-middle-ages. 

(2) Oakeshott, R.Ewart. The Archaeology of Weapons : Arms and Armour From Prehistory to the Age of Chivalry. Boydell Press, 1994. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=16619. https://sshelco-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=01SSHELCO_BLMSBRG_ALMA5182401020003556&context=L&vid=BLMSBRG&lang=en_US&search_scope=alma_scope&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&tab=alma_tab&query=any,contains,%20Medieval%20weapons%20and%20armor 

(Fig 2) (3) Michael. “The Evolution of the Medieval Sword in the 13Th-15th Century.” DarkSword Armory, 22 Nov. 2012, www.darksword-armory.com/the-evolution-of-the-medieval-sword-in-the-13th-15th-centuries/#:~:text=Crossbows%2C%20halberds%2C%20war%20hammers%20and%20lances%20were%20also,of%20composite%20armors%20during%20the%20mid%2013th%20century. 

(Fig 3) Armet. The Metropolitan Museum, www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/24686?searchField=All&sortBy=Relevance&deptids=4&high=on&ft=*&offset=0&rpp=100&pos=13. Accessed 21 Oct. 2020.

(4) Cartwright, Mark. “The Armour of an English Medieval Knight.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, 13 June 2018, www.ancient.eu/article/1244/the-armour-of-an-english-medieval-knight.