Greatest Medieval Weapons of All Time


This weapon was often carried into battle on the back of the warrior attached to their oblong Zande shield. The blade would only be thrown after a few spears were loosened and the wielder called to alert their companions. A Kpinga was only given to professional warriors and was considered a symbol of power. Upon marriage, the Kpinga was presented from the groom to the family of the bride. The Claw of Archimedes was much like the man-catcher but much, much larger. In the 3rd century it was designed by Archimedes to protect the city of Syracuse against the Roman navy.

As a response to the catapults built by Archimedes, the Romans began to lash their ships together and outfitted them with giant ladders which they used to climb the seawalls. The Claw was a ship-capturing mechanism with crane-like wooden arms that had hooks at the end of them. The hooks were positioned to lift and capsize the ships that were immediately below the seawall.

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The people of Syracuse were able to fight off invasions for three years due to this invention. Detail of a wall painting of the Claw of Archimedes sinking a ship, taking the name "iron hand" in ancient sources. The Nest of Bees consisted of hexagonal tubes filled with dozens of rocket-tipped arrows.

The tubes would broaden at the top to aid in the dispersal of the arrows once the nest opened. This weapon could fire off more than two dozen arrows at a time in the same direction. The arrows were often tipped with poison or flammable material. The Nest of Bees was probably invented around the 11th century, during that time that the Chinese were experimenting with gun powder and rocket technology.

They were more widely used in the Ming Dynasty. Thousands of these weapons would be deployed simultaneously, raining down death upon the enemy. Not only was this weapon deadly, it acted as a psychological weapon as well due to the noise and smoke that it would emit. Much like the Triple Dagger, it was used to disarm an enemy as well as move shields out of the way.

List of medieval weapons

However, the Zhua could also be used for ripping and tearing at the enemy, or, out of sheer weight, it could be used to bludgeon an opponent to death. It was a small shield in the shape of a buckler and its defining feature was a hook on which one could hang a lantern. This feature was intended to blind the opponent in battles fought in the dark. More elaborate examples of the lantern shield could include gauntlets, spikes, sword blades, as well as a dimmer for the lantern.

Fencing manuals from the 16th and 17th centuries integrated a lantern into the lessons of the swordsman, using it to parry and blind. In general, it is believed that the lantern shield was never actually used in combat, but rather for patrolling Italian city streets at night.

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The Spring Loaded Triple Dagger

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The Gun Shield The gun shield was exactly what its name would suggest, it was a shield with a breech loading match lock pistol at its center with a small square window about the barrel as an observation port. The Lantern Shield is an interesting one, certainly innovative. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. Notify me when new comments are posted. Replies to my comment. More information about text formats.

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either on foot or on horseback, throughout the Late Medieval period. Although best known as a military and sporting weapon carried by. Here are 10 of the most violent medieval weapons we're quite frankly relieved It is one of the biggest, and deadliest war machines of all time.

Related Articles on Ancient-Origins. But for historian Ricky D There have been many remarkable discoveries in lakes, over the centuries. One such find has just been recently announced in Sweden. A young girl found an incredibly rare 5 th or 6 th century AD sword In Ancient Japan, the Samurai utilized a wide range of weaponry other than swords, bows, and spears. These weapons were used in places where swords were not allowed to be carried, for self-defense A tall man with long gray hair wearing a bear claw necklace is standing in the middle of a circle surrounded by Named after the Roman god of war, Mars was one of the largest Wootz steel was amongst the finest in the world.

Cavalry would charge into the opposing force, with the full force of the horse behind it. By using the strength of a charging horse it managed to exert an enourmous amount of force, and was probably the only weapon which could kill a fully amoured knight in one blow, before the invention of the firearm. The lance became the leading weapon in cavalry charges.

10 Deadliest Medieval Weapons

Lancers were very effective but also made sure to carry a sword or mace as well. This was because lances were a weapon that could only be used once per engagement, it was an all or nothing attack. The Katana is a controversial sword.

10 Deadly Medieval Weapons That Actually Existed!

The Katana was the weapon of choice for samurai during Feudal Japan. The draw was so fast that it was even possible for a samurai to cut their enemies while drawing the sword. The Katana became more than just a sword for many samurai, and was seen as the most important weapon a samurai owned.

Museum Expedition , Robert B. The spear is without a doubt one of the deadliest medieval weapons in history. It was also one of the most commonly used medieval weapon because it was very cheap to make, and easy to use. It was one of the most common weapons on the battlefield, and even samurai tended to use it more than the Katana. A battle axe is a powerful axe with exceptional cutting power.

Axes are light enough to be used with one hand, and carry a devastating blow. Two handed axes also existed.

They were a favourite weapon of the Vikings, who would use it to pull down an opponents shield and then follow up with another blow. One famous example of an axe being used is when King Robert I of Scotland defeated Henry de Bohun in single combat, while wielding an axe. Richard the Lionheart was also often depicted wielding an absurdly large battle axe. The warhammer is one of the most effective medieval weapons for dealing with plate armour. Warhammers were developed to counteract this problem. The hammer could easily cause a concussion through even the heaviest of armours.

Warriors might even use it to strike the legs of a horse, knocking it over, and making it easier to attack the rider.

The longsword was commonly used during the late medieval and renaissance period. Paintings depicts people wielding the sword in one hand, while the other hand was able to grapple with the enemy. Using a special technique swordsmen would sometimes grab the handle with one hand, and the blade with the other. This was known as half-swording and it allowed the user to have better control of their blade.