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There are two types of weapons that we will review: Melee weapons and Polearms. Melee Weapons are weapons that were used for fighting up close to your opponent. The most common and most widely used of these weapons is the sword. But there were many other types including daggers, knives, warhammers, maces, flails the morningstar and the club. Polearm Weapons were usually in excess of six feet long and were used in order to keep a distance between yourself and your foe. Good use of a polearm weapon made it difficult for a foe to get up close and use his melee weapon. Polearm weapons were also instrumental when fighting against mounted opponents. These weapons included the Lance, Spear and Halbard.
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- Close combat weapons developed dramatically over the several hundred years of the Medieval Period and this development was fueled by two factors: The improvement of metal working skills and the improvement of armor.
Enter the Iron age of swords - Around the 13th century BC iron working skills brought about the ability to mass produce Iron swords. These swords, although not of the highest quality did make it possible to equip large armies with weapons.
The Late Middle Ages After the 13th century As Armor made advances in its abililty to protect so the sword also made advances in its ability to thwart the defenses. Some of the advances during this time are the longer handle which allowed for two handed use and a variety of specialized swords that could cut and thrust; seeking out weaknesses in armor. The Modern Era
One of the biggest advances in the modern era was the development of the basket that protected the hand. This first appeared in Rapiers. Advances in metal working created swords that were lighter and quicker yet stronger. As weapons technology advanced the sword made the transition into a gentlemanly accoutrement used only for personal defense and then finally as sidearms became more available the sword fell from common use.
Shown here is a Knights Templar Dagger. Product Page at Amazon The Dagger has had a very long history and over the century it also obtained the reputation of being a weapon of dishonor. It was considered a weapon of subterfuge. A person could keep it hidden and use it when not expected. During the Middle Ages this was considered an act of cowardice and lacking chivalry. The dagger was not used widely in combat situations with the exception of the Stiletto.
The warhammer had many variations and also came in polearm length. This is a weapon that could generate tremendous blunt trauma blows to an enemy. One of the most important developments of the warhammer is the addition of the piercing beak. This enabled a warrior to pierce an enemys armor. The warhammer in the picture shows this. (Learn more about this warhammer reproduction.Product Page at Amazon)
A mace is very similar to a warhammer in that it was used to deliver massive blunt trauma to armor. Early maces were simply balls of metal on the end of the handle. These evolved into spiked maces also called morning stars, and flanged maces which could deliver trauma and also penetrate armor. The mace shown here is a flanged mace used for penetrating armor. Learn more about this mace reproduction at Amazon Product Page at Amazon
A flail is a close combat weapon with a handle and a striking ball at the end of a chain. The Flail was an exceptionally effective weapon. The swinging motion was a good means of protection for the wielder and it derived tremendous force. It would also easily reach up, over and around armor and shields. The flail shown here is a variant called the morning star flail. It is a flail with a morning star ball on it. Learn more about the morning star flail at amazon.com
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Medieval Polearm Weapons- Swords developed dramatically over the several hundred years of the Medieval Period and this development was fueled by two factors: The improvement of metal working skills and the improvement of armor.
A lance is a long thrusting weapon that was derived from the spear although the lance is not thrown. It is typically used by warriors mounted on horses and this is the weapon that is used in jousting competitions. These weapons were usually two to three meters in length. Learn more about the lance shown in the photo at amazon.com Product Page at AmazonVery similar to the Lance was the Pike. But the Pike was usually much longer (up to 20 feet in length) and it was used by ground troops -usually againt mounted opponents. The Pike was a defensive weapon.
Spears have had an exceptionally long history and have developed in many different forms in many parts of the world. The basic design of a spear is a long handle with a sharp point that is meant to be thrown at the enemy. There are some interesting variations in points that server several purposes such as sticking in the opponent and being difficult to remove or poisoned tips. Spears had many benefits including ease of use and the dual purpose of throwing and keeping in hand for close in fighting.
A Halberd was an extremely effective pole mounted weapon. There were three distinct parts of the Halberd. It had a pointed end for thrusting, an axe for slicing and a hook for penetrating and grasping the enemy. The Halberd shown here is typical of many halberds. You can learn more about it at Amazon.com Product Page at Amazon
Read More: The sword makes the man! Learn about the types of wicked swords and how they reflect the personality of their wielders. (With sword Pictures) Read Even More: The Shapes of Medieval Swords Swords from the medieval Period went through some wonderful changes as the tools and technology of metal working changed. This change is also nicely seen in cultural differences in the swords. Fantasy Swords - Swords come in all kinds of fantastic shapes, see the different shapes of good and evil swords and how they reflect the person or creature that wields them. |
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Looking for a book on Medieval Weapons? Here are our recommendations:
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Flails
Spears
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