4/24/2023 0 Comments Medieval crossbowA crossbow spanned with a belt hook probably wouldn't be much slower to reload than a longbow if you know what you're doing, but it also wouldn't be a whole lot more powerful. In general, longbows shot faster but were less powerful than crossbows.Įxactly how much faster or how much less powerful is actually hard to say, because 'the medieval crossbow' isn't really a single weapon but more of a *type* of weapon. Longbows and crossbows are similar but distinct weapons - they would often fulfill the same role in medieval warfare but they also offer different benefits and drawbacks. It's not an entirely ahistorical tension, but its prominence in our impression of these weapons and the importance assigned to it is very much a modern concept. Thank you to everyone who's asked a question and apologies if I don't manage to answer yours! There are so many! I'm going to sign off for the night but I'll pop in for a bit tomorrow morning and see how many I can answer. Let’s be honest, it’s a bit late in the game to pretend I’m not an AskHistorians addict, so if you ask it I'll try to answer it eventually!Įdit: I'm going to have to run off for a little bit now! My toddler needs her dinner and to be put to bed, but once she's settled I'll come back and answer more questions! Hopefully I'll be back around 8:30-9ish GMT.Įdit #2: Okay, it's almost midnight here and I've been answering questions on and off for about 10 hours. I’ll be around for the next few hours – until around 6:00 GMT – and I’ll check in intermittently afterwards. I’ve also gotten sucked into a bit of a board wargaming rabbit hole, which I’m currently documenting on my website at, and I’m happy to field obscure questions about how wargames try to model medieval warfare! I’m here primarily to answer any and all questions you may have about the history of the crossbow, but I’m also happy to tackle more general questions about medieval archery or medieval warfare. This fascinating book brings together the work of a wide range of accomplished crossbow scholars and incorporates the author’s own original research to create an account of the medieval crossbow that will appeal to anyone looking to gain an insight into one of the most important weapons of the Middle Ages. Along the way it explores the challenges in deciphering the crossbow’s early medieval history as well as its prominence in warfare and sport shooting in the High and Later Middle Ages. The second half of the book explores the history of the crossbow, from its origins in ancient China to its decline in sixteenth-century Europe. The first is a technical study of the design and construction of the medieval crossbow, the many different kinds of crossbows used during the Middle Ages, and finally a consideration of the relationship between crossbows and art. The Medieval Crossbow approaches the history of the crossbow from two directions. Unfortunately, despite its general fame it has been decades since an in-depth history of the medieval crossbow has been published, which is why Stuart Ellis-Gorman’s detailed, accessible, and highly illustrated study is so valuable. The crossbow is an iconic weapon of the Middle Ages and, alongside the longbow, one of the most effective ranged weapons of the pre-gunpowder era. I did my PhD on the development of bows and crossbows in late medieval Europe, and I’ve recently completed my first book – a new introductory history to the crossbow called The Medieval Crossbow: A Weapon Fit to Kill a King ( ), now available for pre-order at a discounted price. By the 13th century, European crossbows used winches and various spanning mechanisms such as winch pulleys, cord pulleys, gaffles, cranequins, and screws.Hello everyone! I’m not exactly new round these parts, but for those who may not know I’m Dr. A later design implemented a rolling cylindrical pawl called a nut held in place by wood, ivory, or metal to retain the string.Ĭrossbows were used at the battle of Hastings in 1066, and by the 12th century, they had become a common battlefield weapon. A vertical rod thrust up through a hole in the bottom of the notch forced the string out. The earliest European crossbow designs featured a transverse slot in the top surface of the frame. It was the perfect weapon for large numbers of untrained conscript soldiers.Ī small body of evidence points out that the ancient European crossbow was primarily a hunting tool or minor siege weapon. Unlike the bow, which required considerable training, physical strength, and expertise, the crossbow was simple to use, cheap to make, and physically undemanding. The first crossbows were invented in ancient China and cause a major shift in projectile weaponry’s role. Crossbows played a significant role in the warfare of Medieval Europe and East Asia.
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