Dark Ages Research Paper

Weapons of war included swords and spears, supported by bows and arrows. Battle axes could be used to destructive effect. The medieval battle axe also called battle-ax is an axe particularly designed for combat.Axes made for battle ranged in weight from slightly over 0.5 kg to 3 kg, and in length from over 30 cm to upwards of 1.5 m.The double bladed axes were prevalent during Iron Age in the eastern Mediterranean Basin. Other forms of axe, such as narrow axe heads were manufactured by artisans in the Middle East and then Europe during the Copper Age and the Bronze

The Rapier was the sword of choice during the Elizabethan Era. It is a 42 inch sword that has a 1 inch tip. This sword mostly weighed between 2 and 3 pounds so it was light and versatile. The Rapiers tend to have a stylish and royal appeal to them with the designs that encompass the handle. A fair portion of these swords were used for fencing more than a fighting weapon. Some Rapiers had a “cutless” edge which means that they wouldn’t cut the person they were fencing against. They would typically come with a

The British and Patriot troops mainly used muskets as their primary weapons. Other times it was their intellect. Many of the Patriot muskets added a bayonet because they had less ammunition. When the Patriots ran out of ammunition, they would tear down statues or collect pots and pans to melt down into bullets. The bayonet would act as a knife at the end of the musket. Some of the other weapons used were cannons that would launch large balls of lead, which were about three pounds each. Sometimes they would use a flintlock pistol. Some of the Generals, like George Washington, would make skillful retreats so that they would have less casualties and damages.

The first weapon used was a straight sword or a dagger. Once other countries started to get calvaries, the samurai had to adapt. Since Japanese horses were slow and weak, samurai started using bows, or “yumi”, to shoot at their rivals. After a few years, the Japanese had bred their horses to be as fast and strong as European horses. The horse became a cavalryman's second self. During the 15th century, the straight sword was replaced with the daisho. Daisho is the shortened term used to say a katana and wakizashi. However, both swords could only be carried by the highest class of samurai. A katana is a long sword, usually used on the battlefield. A wakizashi is a shorter sword, used as an “indoor” blade. These swords can be identified by the curve of their blade and their hamon. The curve of the blade is called the “arc of the new moon”. It has many spiritual meanings. The hamon is the divider of the soft body metal and the harder, sharper metal on the edge of a sword. Sword making is still a fine art in Japan, even after the Americans banned it, then lifted the ban in 1953. In about 1540, the first harquebus reached Japan. A harquebus is a type of early musket. Soon after the harquebus, the samurai had a new weapon called the machi-yori. The machi-yori is a 13 foot spear with a lightweight bamboo handle. Since the machi-yori is very light, it makes it a great tool for both ramming and slashing

The weapons remained in very good condition thanks to protective chrome plating. Every soldier in the army was just like a real life soldier ; having soldiers such as archers. One of the most commonly used weapons was the Dagger axe , also known as the Ge in Chinese. As we all know the Chinese weapons were very exquisite.

The sword was a standard fighting weapon long before the evolution of the medieval knight. Nevertheless, the medieval knight found the sword to be an effective weapon. Medieval swords usually were made from a mild steel (low carbon steel). Most swords were double-edged, and featured a crossguard, hilt, and pommel. Many surviving examples of medieval swords feature some form of engraving, such as a prayer, or the sword owner's name. How elaborate the sword was decorated depended upon its owner's wealth, with some of the more intricate ones encrusted with jewels and fine engravings.

The sabre (cavalry sword) is the oldest crucible steel weapon in Eastern Europe, originating in the medieval period. However, it can be argued that it first appeared in the early crusades. The Cavalry sword was first documented in the 18th century (1686). It is still used by the Household cavalry. Hungarian light horseman (hurrsars) is the main cause that the cavalry sword became well known throughout Eastern Europe. Hussars derived the weapon from the Oriental Scimtar, which is a curved sword that originated in the Middle East with examples dating back to the 9th century.

Broadswords however, are one or two-handed blades, used predominantly by knights in the medieval period. They were rather light, usually weighing

Are two-handed swords as fictionally-viable as people say? When many think of a two-handed sword, they think of an overweight behemoth usually only seen in tv shows, movies, and video-games. This association, though not unreasonable, is not fair to the credit of actually used historical two-handed swords. It’s apparent that some don’t know how they fit-in in a historical sense. Ignorance is further spread when ceremonial and decorative two-handers are mistaken for the real thing. Although, they are probably most misrepresented in video-games and anime/manga. When the term two-handed sword is used in this paper, it’s referring to a few different types of swords. In this paper, it will be referring to longswords, greatswords, “bastard”

One example of a scene where the sword plays a big role is the beginning of a movie. In the first scene of the film, we see the Romans fighting the Celtic horse tribe. We also see Milo as a child. Corvus and Proculus emerge for the first time in the movie after the battle is over. All the Celtics who survived the battle were lined up. Minutes later, When Corvus cuts off the head of Milo’s mother

Knights used such weapons as the Battle Axes in different types of combat. The Battle

It was too big to be called a sword. Massive, thick, heavy, and far too rough. Indeed, it was a heap of raw iron.

Advancement in weaponry and armor was shown profusely throughout the Battle of Towton with the use of the suit of armor, poleaxe, Mary-rose longbow and the earliest handguns. The English Men-At-Arms were equipped with the best armor, which composed of a suit or steal that could weigh up to sixty pounds. These soldiers would fight on foot to protect their archers and because the horses couldn’t not to armored properly. The armor was very resistant to hand to hand combat, the heavy metal made for good protection, but the downfall is that it was a heavy suit to have to fight in. The poleaxe was the main used weapon at this time, consisted of an axe on one end and a sword on the other. Nevertheless, this weapon was especially gruesome for smashing and taking down their opponent in battle. Once the Yorkists had won the battle of Towton they savagely went after the fleeing Lancastrians showing no mercy, cutting any survivors down causing a bloodbath. Using the poleaxe and other swords they bloodily slashed, smashed and murdered the surviving Lancastrians, causing a deadly defeat of the Lancastrian army and a cruel but a well-earned victory for the Yorkists. The Mary-Rose long bow became the national weapon of England during this time. It was a long, heavy bow that weighed up to one hundred and eighty pounds, had a range of three hundred yards and if the bowman was well trained, it could shoot up to 20 arrows a minute. This weapon could penetrate most armor, but required great strength and practice to use effectively. The handguns were the newest weapon at the time so they were used at close range as they could not be shot very far, but were very deadly to the opponent that is getting shot at. The weaponry of medieval warfare shows that this time period was bloody, gruesome

produced in France and both sides commonly used the weapon in their infantry. When it came

From there, the medieval era holds some interesting insight. Schools arose that taught sword fighting, though, at this point in time, it is not yet known as Fencing. Written works were produced at the request of members of the periods wealthy and nobility. Though rare, the Royal