2. Melee Weapons
Swords - Most famous weapons. Associated with
knights and chivalry
Single-handed: Accompanied by a shield, light.
Could not penetrate heavy armor until later.
Good against unarmored units.
Were not cleaned thus infections common
Two handed: Much heavier. Units carrying these
were heavily armored to compensate for lack of
shield. Slow, but powerful. Could cut a man in
two, armor included.
3. Melee Weapons (cont.)
Hammers - were another of the many weapons used. Could knock
over an enemy with armor. Variations became more effective, though
still no match for two-handed sword. Thus, used by mainly poor or
under-supplied soldiers
Daggers - small, sharp blades. Used as a backup for armored units,
but mainly archers in close contact. Could penetrate light armor; kill
instantly if no armor present
4. Archers
Bows - most common long ranged weapon. Included
Regular bow - most standard, was effective and could be fired
quickly
Long bow - developed by the English. Longer, more
powerful, killed in a single shot, became popular because of
this
Crossbow - came later. So effective it was banned, but used
anyway. Could shoot and kill a moving target easily
