Medieval warfare relied heavily on melee weapons like swords, hammers, and daggers. Swords were the most prestigious weapon and came in single-handed and two-handed varieties. Archers used bows like the longbow to attack from a distance. Infantry fought on foot in tight formations while knights battled as heavy cavalry. Siege weapons such as trebuchets and battering rams were used to assault castles. The advent of gunpowder began to change traditional medieval warfare and weapons. Famous medieval battles included Hastings, Sluys, and Agincourt.

1. Medieval Warfare
Alaric Wrasman
Dave Sizer

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

5. Infantry
–Light Armor
–Light Weaponry
–Formations
-Wall
-Circle / Crescent
-Square / Triangle

6. Knights
–Cavalry of the era
–Swords, sometimes bows
–Training begins at 7
–Fought for lords

7. Siege Engines – 1
–Trebuchet
-Man-powered
-Counterweight
–Onager / Mangonel
-Torsion-powered

8. Siege Engines – 2
–Siege Tower
-Castle raids
-Holds infantry
–Battering Ram
-Tree trunk with metal head
-Built to penetrate structures

9. Castles
–Easy to defend
-Built on hills, peninsulae, etc.
–Difficult to capture
–Thick-walled
–Susceptible to
gunpowder weaponry

10. The Advent of Gunpowder
–Traditional warfare changed dramatically
-Knights / Archers
-Peasants
-Castles
–Invented in China, ~900BC
–Scare tactics
–Bombard
-Large caliber
-Heavy / flammable projectiles

11. Battles
–Hastings, 1066
-Mass of knights
–Sluys
-Extent of navy
–Agincourt, 1453
-Mud vs. cavalry

12. Bibliography
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